Speaking to a newly-opened community center in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the neighborhoods worst hit by Hurricane Katrina, President Obama praised the city’s recovery and acknowledged the challenges still facing its residents.
Hurricane Katrina went down in history as one of the worst natural disasters in the U.S. The storm devastated the Gulf Coast, causing $150 billion in damage from Texas to Florida and displacing more than a million people. More than 1,800 people died and the city of New Orleans was nearly destroyed after its levee system failed and water flooded large extents of the city.
The local and federal governments came under harsh criticism for their response to the crisis before and after the storm. President Obama was among the critics during his first presidential campaign in 2008.
During his speech at the community center Thursday, the president said that Katrina revealed the structural inequalities affecting access to affordable housing, health care and jobs for New Orleans’ poorest residents.
Later on a tour of Treme, one of the city’s historic black neighborhoods, the president praised the city’s recovery while acknowledging the hard work ahead.
“Just because the houses are nice doesn’t mean our job’s done,” Obama said. “This is a community that still needs resources and still needs help.”
Warm up questions
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What happened to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?
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What differences do you see between neighborhoods close to where you live?
Critical thinking questions
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Why were people critical of what happened after Hurricane Katrina?
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How did the response reveal structural inequalities between the poor and rich residents of New Orleans?
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What more should be done to raise the quality of life for people in New Orleans’ poorest neighborhoods?
