katrina 20

The 20th Commemoration of
Hurricane Katrina
RESIST  | RECLAIM  | REPAIR  | RENEW
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the Louisiana/Misissisippi state lines - a powerful storm, changing the Gulf South forever.  This extreme storm made the many realities of the climate crisis clear, including who exactly would be hurt first and worst by its impacts and aftermath. Katrina claimed more than 2000 lives and still ranks as one of the costliest storms in US history. 

In Mississippi, every single county was declared a disaster area and whole neighborhoods were washed into the Gulf of Mexico. In Alabama fishing communities and historic neighborhoods were impacted by massive winds and flooding even with the eye of the storm hundreds of miles away. Across Louisiana, the tidal surge along with wind gusts destroyed generational homes across several parishes. And in New Orleans, ensuing levee breaches caused by the volume of water from the storm, left 80 percent of the city under water for weeks. In addition to the damage, Hurricane Katrina prompted one of the largest U.S. migrations of people from the region - some forced to flee the immediate impact of the storm while others were forced to seek economic opportunity outside of the devastated region years later.

But while the storm may have broken our hearts, it strengthened our spirits. Hurricane Katrina sparked a movement in the Gulf South and beyond that continues to this day. Taproot Earth was born of this movement, and 20 years later, we are still rooted in the work that advances our love, our power and our liberation.

The stories of Hurricane Katrina belong to the survivors and communities of the region. Taproot Earth joins the Gulf South frontlines to advance our power instead of our victimhood; to remember our resistance instead of our resilience; to envision our sustainable future by learning from a past rooted in advancing the struggle for freedom. 

Hurricane Katrina (and every extreme weather event afterward) has strengthened the bonds between the Gulf South and the Global South. Taproot Earth advances the human rights to Remain, to Migrate and to Return home for those forced to leave the Gulf South after Hurricane Katrina, and those displaced from their homelands around the world. 
The 2025 Monarch Forum is a two-day convening hosting panels, conversations, and community culture sessions to explore various elements of climate migration.  Topics include the science and ecological impacts of climate change, the impacts of displacement on culture and tradition, the rights and challenges faced by communities that have gone through disaster- including the impacts of displacement, the realities of relocation and the stories of hope rooted in migration. Participants will help to advance shared principles for climate migration and human rights inside of the concepts of place, home and repair.

Hosted by Taproot Earth August 25–26, 2025, in New Orleans, this event is an official part of the Katrina 20 Week of Action. This is a public event. REGISTRATION is REQUIRED. Seating is limited due to health and safety standards around COVID-19.
*UPDATE: We've reached capacity for attendance at the Just Transition Lawyering Network's Fortify Clinic. Applications to attend are now closed.

The great news is that there are still many ways for you to stay engaged and stand in solidarity with frontline communities during and after the Katrina 20 Week of Action!

We invite you to review the events and convenings below and engage when and where you can:

Taproot Earth's Monarch Forum
The "Ride the Storm" Impact Ride
Katrina 20 Local Committee's Week of Action (comprised of over 90 community events in and around the Gulf South from August 23-31)

We hope to you see soon!
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The JTLN Fortify Clinic is a one-day, in-person event for Southern Power Fund partners, Gulf South to Appalachia members and frontline organizations in the Gulf South. The JTLN Fortify Clinic will connect movement lawyers with movement leaders and discuss methods of protecting and building social movements toward justice. Sessions are designed to offer practical legal and financial resources to help grassroots organizations fortify while navigating the rise of authoritarianism and a rapidly shifting climate.

Hosted by Taproot Earth’s Just Transition Lawyering Network (JTLN), the Fortify Clinic is an official part of the Katrina 20 Week of Action and will be held on Thursday, August 28, in Gulfport, Mississippi. REGISTRATION is REQUIRED. Seating is limited due to health and safety standards around COVID-19. For more information, email - JTLN@taproot.earth
Join the Katrina 20: Impact Ride - a national call for solidarity and action from the Gulf South frontlines!  Allies around the nation (and the globe) are invited to walk, bike, kayak, run, or roll 7 miles in solidarity with the communities forever changed by Hurricane Katrina more than 20 years ago. 

Hurricane Katrina spanned 144 miles across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Katrina 20 Impact Ride will highlight the scale of extreme weather by dividing the width of the Hurricane Katrina impact zone by 20.  This solidarity action aims to unite all those displaced by extreme weather since 2025 and grow collective power through connection, story, movement, and action. 

Whether you ride 7 miles through your neighborhood or join a flagship event in your city, this is a movement open to all: survivors, families, elders, youth, and future generations. This is not just a commemoration, it’s a mobilization and a movement. Join In and #RideTheStorm any time during the official Katrina 20 Week of Action (Aug. 24-31, 2025)
The Katrina 20 Local Planning Committee connects community members (LA, MS, AL) who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina (2005) and other climate disasters in the years since, to create a shared vision of commemoration and power-building around Hurricane Katrina (Week of Action: August 24-31, 2025) and the repair our region requires. We will commemorate the moment that changed so many lives as we build power to ensure a sustainable future where we can all thrive. The Katrina 20 Local Planning Committee is rooted by Taproot Earth, The Foundation for Louisiana, the Ashé Cultural Arts Center of New Orleans and Junebug Productions. It belongs to all who share in its vision and work.