New Orleans, LA — New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward will be forever remembered as one of the areas that bore the full brunt of Hurricane Katrina’s destructive fury in August of 2005. Rising floodwaters from the catastrophic levee failures forced many residents to their rooftops, and television footage shot from helicopters brought the images of despair to the world.
Nearly eight years later, the Lower Ninth still has a long way to go, with many vacant lots and blighted buildings (like the abandoned gas station above). Although it will never be as it was before Katrina, some residents are returning to the area, and groups like the Make It Right Foundation have built affordable, sustainable homes in the district.