Katrina's Racial Legacy: New Orleans Black Population Still Displaced

On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in 2015, New Orleans' Black population remained 100,000 below its pre-storm level. The Lower Ninth Ward, predominantly Black, had recovered only 37% of its population. Road Home compensation program payments were based on pre-storm property values rather than rebuilding costs — disadvantaging homeowners in lower-value (redlined) neighborhoods. The Orleans Parish School Board used Katrina to fire 7,500 unionized — majority Black — teachers and convert to an all-charter system. Research showed Black homeowners received 46 cents per dollar of damage compared to 61 cents for white homeowners in federal recovery funds.