Hurricane Katrina catapulted the Capital City from a provincial college town to a major metropolis—with the traffic to prove it. But, for the New Orleanians who now call Baton Rouge home, the city means much more.
As 225 details in a feature from the current issue celebrating the magazine’s 10th anniversary, Louisiana was just emerging from hurricane season battered and exhausted one decade ago. On Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina barreled into New Orleans. The levee failure that followed flooded 80% of the city. Less than a month later, Hurricane Rita powered up Louisiana’s southwest coast.
Literally overnight, Baton Rouge’s population nearly doubled. The Capital City became the epicenter of a great migration as the storms chased New Orleanians in from the east and swept residents of Lake Charles and other communities in from the west.
Suddenly, grocery store lines were long and supplies were short. Demand for commercial and residential properties far outstripped inventory. As gridlock gripped Baton Rouge, even schools suspended their tardy policies because no one could reliably get anywhere on time.
A few months later, the hardships brought by the 2005 hurricane season were far from over, and the region’s recovery was far from complete. In mid-November, the makeshift morgue in St. Gabriel still held the remains of 320 storm victims; nearly half were unidentified. With the New Orleans levees repaired and the city drained, flooded properties were filling with mold and other contaminants.
Once New Orleans was declared safe enough for re-entry, families were faced with hard decisions about their future.
Some could not afford to return and rebuild. Even with insurance and Road Home approval, it was a long road. City services, reliable cell phone service, cable or access to a neighborhood grocery were spotty. Reputable contractors and repairmen were scarce, and there was no guarantee—even if a home or neighborhood were rebuilt—life would ever be the same.
Although data reveals the Capital Region’s population grew by 118,569 from 2005 to 2014, it is nearly impossible to know how many Katrina evacuees remain in Baton Rouge today.
And, even if they did, those numbers only tell part of the story.
Read the full feature. And be sure to check out more stories from the 225 cover package, including a rundown of pivotal moments in Baton Rouge from the last 10 years, as well as a look at 10 places that changed the landscape of the city and several projects in the works now that are poised to further change the landscape. Send your comments to editor@225batonrouge.com.
