Monday, August 17, 2026 — Remembering Hurricane Katrina more than 20 years later

Elisabeth Pierite (Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana) was a teenager when Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans in August 2005. Her family’s home was destroyed and they relocated a few hours north to Marksville, the hub of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. Miles away, then-principal chief of the United Houma Nation, Brenda Dardar Robichaux, was thrust into the role of helping her community that she says was abandoned by disaster response and recovery efforts. Hurricane Katrina bested local, state and national emergency response abilities and also exposed racial and socioeconomic inequalities. It also brought to light a gap in how disaster resources are allocated to tribes. We’ll talk with Louisiana tribal leaders and citizens about surviving the 2005 disaster, what it took to rebuild and what they reflect on 20 years later.