Aug 25, 2025 - News

Marking 20 years: Memorials to Katrina's victims

Carlie Kollath Wells

Black stone monument at the New Orleans Katrina Memorial with engraved text about Hurricane Katrina's impact, surrounded by trees and greenery on a paved area under a blue sky. — The New Orleans Katrina Memorial in Mid-City. Image: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios

This week marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, the deadliest U.S. storm since the 1920s.

Why it matters: It's going to be an emotional week in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. Visiting places of significance can help some people cope.

Here are some of the memorials in southeast Louisiana.

Between the lines: You are not alone. Loss affects each of us differently. If you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed, consider reaching out to a mental health professional.

The Metropolitan Human Services District crisis hotline: 844-568-6473.
You can also call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which helps with all levels of distress, from everyday challenges to severe crises.
Here are more coping tips for difficult anniversaries.

New Orleans Katrina Memorial

Black polished stone memorial in a park with engraved text about Hurricane Katrina's impact in New Orleans. A bench and trees are visible nearby under a sunny sky. — The walking path at the memorial mimics the hurricane symbol. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios

New Orleans Katrina Memorial is at the Charity Hospital cemetery in Mid-City. The entrance is near 5050 Canal St., across from The Herb Import Co.

It is the final resting place for about 90 unidentified or unclaimed victims from the storm.
The annual memorial ceremony and wreath-laying is at 8:30am Friday.

The Flooded House Museum

Dimly lit, dusty vintage living room with yellow-stained walls, worn brown sofa, old lamp, a broken teddy bear on the floor, and a torn ceiling with peeling paint. — Artists distressed the interior of the Flooded House Museum to show what it would look like after the floodwaters receded. Photo: Pat Garin/Levees.org

The Flooded House Museum replicates what homes looked like after the levees failed and homeowners returned to the city.

It's at 5000 Warrington Drive in Gentilly, where the London Avenue Canal was breached during the storm. There's an outdoor levee interpretive exhibit next door.
It's set up like a diorama, Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal tells Axios, and is meant to be viewed through the windows. It looks like another house from the street, but has signage on the support columns explaining what happened.
Rosenthal says she plans to apply for it to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Scrap House

Rustic wooden treehouse with a blue door labeled 48 perched on a sculpted metal tree trunk in a wet, brick-paved park surrounded by green trees and overcast sky. — Artist Sally Heller created "Scrap House." Photo: Shawn Fink/AFP via Getty Images

"Scrap House" is at 1101 Convention Center Blvd., across from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The outdoor sculpture features a battered house perched in the branches of a tree.
Artist Sally Heller created the house with common and recycled materials, Arts New Orleans says. Artist Travis Linde created the tree from recycled oil drums.

Vera's Memorial

Decorative blue cross with white flowers and stars on a brick wall, secured with black metal bars, with the name "VERA" spelled out in colorful tiles on the ground below. — Memorial for Vera Smith on Magazine Street. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

This memorial near Magazine Street and Jackson Avenue marks where Vera Smith's body lay for four days after the storm, according to the Associated Press.

Neighbors eventually buried the 65-year-old mother in a makeshift grave. Her cremated remains were later buried in a family plot in Texas, the story says.

Katrina Memorial at Shell Beach

Rust-colored cross with a metal face and crown of thorns, inscribed INRI, stands on a concrete base in murky brown water with wooden posts and clear blue sky in the background. — Photo: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

This memorial is in St. Bernard Parish. It has a cross in the water and a granite memorial with the names of 163 people who died in the parish during Katrina.

Officials hold an annual remembrance ceremony here on the storm's anniversary.

Lower 9th Ward Katrina Memorial

This memorial on Claiborne Avenue has fallen into disrepair, WWL says. A contractor is working to clean it up before Friday's anniversary.

What's next: The city and other groups have a full slate of art exhibits, memorial gatherings and performances this week, culminating in the mayor's K20 Summit on Saturday.

See the full schedule.

Go deeper

Add Axios on Google