10 years after Katrina, New Orleans mayor to update city's recovery at luncheon

A decade after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and nearly wiped out New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu will report on New Orleans’ steps toward resilience at a National Press Club luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, is the costliest disaster in U.S. history. When the levees failed, 80% of the city flooded and hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes. More than 1,800 people died.

On top of Katrina, New Orleans has weathered Hurricanes Rita, Ike, Gustav and Isaac, the BP Oil Spill, and the National Recession all in the last decade.

Remarkably, today, New Orleans is one of the fastest growing major cities in the nation, the economy is growing and diversifying, home values have increased 50 percent, schools are rapidly improving, and the city is better protected from flooding than before the storm.

Despite the major challenges that still exist from violent crime, poverty and income disparities, and coastal erosion, New Orleans is poised to be a global model for resilience. At the luncheon, Landrieu, who is serving his second term, will explain why.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., with remarks beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session ending at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $23 for National Press Club members (NPC Members may purchase 2 tickets at this rate) and $37 for all other non-member tickets.

For questions, please email [email protected] or call 202-662-7501. Tickets must be paid for at the time of purchase.

National Press Club members who wish to attend the pre-luncheon reception must RSVP separately to [email protected] 48 hours before the event. Space may be limited. You must have a paid reservation to the luncheon to attend the VIP reception.

To submit a question in advance, put LANDRIEU in the subject line and email to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon.