Hurricane Katrina slammed into Mississippi and Louisiana last Aug. 29, killing over 1,000 people, leaving nearly 80 percent of New Orleans under water and devastating Gulf Coast communities.

Having spent the last eight months in the Gulf as part of a catastrophe team representing the Hurricane Insurance Information Center, I've traveled extensively through areas devastated by Katrina, including Gulfport/Biloxi in Mississippi, as well as the Lower Ninth Ward, Orleans East, Chalmette and St. Bernard's parishes in Louisiana.

I have seen first-hand not only the massive destruction and ensuing chaos, but also the enormously positive role played by the insurance industry in helping the region start to get back on its feet–often despite overwhelming personal hurdles faced by insurer personnel on the scene.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.