How New Orleans will commemorate Hurricane Katrina, 10 years later
Volunteer coordinator Darren McKinney works on a hurricane-damaged home in the Lower 9h Ward of New Orleans. McKinney works for lowernine.org, an organization aiding residents rebuilding their homes.
President Obama and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will visit New Orleans on Aug. 27, two days before the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
While Obama, other government officials and the news media focus on the tragedy and the future of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, those who lived through it are planning to observe its anniversary with gatherings large and small.
There will be prayer services, memorial exhibitions, conferences on lessons learned and looking to the future, as well as rebuilding projects.
Yes, there is a new vitality in New Orleans (with almost 600 new restaurants since “the storm,” as locals call it), and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. But there’s still work to be done in the aftermath of Katrina, which killed 1,800 in the Crescent City.
Commemorations
7 p.m. Aug. 24: An interfaith service will be held at St. Louis Cathedral.
Aug. 26-28: The St. Bernard Project, in that damaged parish, plans a 48-hour rebuilding in five locations.
7 p.m. Aug. 28: Among scores of observances is a concert with gospel choirs and the Treme Brass Band at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1210 Gov. Nicholls, in Treme.
Aug. 27 and 28: A multimedia program by the Ninth Ward Improv Opera at St. Maurice’s Church and Sanchez Community Center, both in the hard-hit Lower 9th Ward.
Aug. 28 and 29: A Lower Nine Resilience Festival at the Sanchez Community Center.
Aug. 29: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has planned a day of service with groups volunteers working on 100 projects.
5 p.m. Aug. 29: A citywide gathering, Katrina10: The Power of Community, will take place in the Smoothie King Center, with an interfaith prayer service and musical and cultural performances. Free tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
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