Hurricane Katrina news stories on Newser

Mercedes Buys Naming Rights to Superdome

Dustin Lushing — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:36:03 CDT

The New Orleans Superdome, home stadium to the NFL's Saints, will soon be sponsored and rebranded by Mercedes-Benz USA, reports Adweek . The luxury car manufacturer signed a 10-year agreement to link its name to the Saints' turf—despite the Superdome's lingering association as a makeshift refugee camp for victims of...

After Katrina, Governors Ace Hurricane Politics

Mark Russell — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:42:25 CDT

With the specter of Hurricane Katrina still looming large, East Coast governors stepped up their emergency responses to Irene, issuing loud warnings, mass evacuations, and continued caution. “No amount of spin, money, or ‘strategery’ can replace the gut reaction to a leader from a scared populace,” said the former head...

New Orleans Cops Convicted in Bridge Shootings

Tim Karan — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:15:29 CDT

All five New Orleans police officers accused of involvement in post-Katrina shootings on a city bridge have been found guilty. Although the jury did not find that their actions constituted murder, it ruled that the cops violated the victims' civil rights, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune . They all face long...

Nicaragua Quake Survivors Get Homes—40 Years Later

Luke Kelly-Clyne — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:27:56 CDT

In the aftermath of a 1972 earthquake that leveled 50,000 buildings and killed 10,000 in Nicaragua's capital city of Managua, many of the country's poor had no place to go. While 250,000 of their middle- and upper-class counterparts migrated to safer, more habitable locales, the less fortunate...

FEMA Looks to Claw Back Money From Katrina Victims

Kevin Spak — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:11:22 CDT

FEMA gave out hundreds of millions in aid during the hurricane season of 2005—and it wants its money back. The agency is currently reviewing $600 million given to 154,000 victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, in the belief that it may have mistakenly overpaid many of them,...

Two Cops Get Long Sentences in Katrina Killing

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:10:57 CDT

Calling the crimes inexcusable and barbaric, a judge sentenced two former New Orleans police officers to prison today for their roles in the shooting death of an unarmed man whose body was later set on fire in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The judge gave David Warren 25 years...

New Orleans Population Shrinks 29%

Rob Quinn — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:07:09 CST

New Orleans' population has far from rebounded from Hurricane Katrina and it's now a much smaller city that it was a decade ago, according to newly released data from the 2010 census. The city's population now stands at 343,829, down 29% from 2000. The black population has shrunk at...

FEMA Dragging Heels on Recouping $643M

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:10:05 CST

Here's something else FEMA isn't good at: Getting its money back. A new government report says that the emergency agency hasn't even tried to get back some $643 million in improper payments it made more than three years ago. What's the holdup? FEMA still hasn't given the final OK to...

New Orleans Boots Residents Out of Last FEMA Trailers

Matt Cantor — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:21:05 CST

In the five years since Hurricane Katrina, FEMA trailers have been a fixture of the New Orleans landscape—but by the start of next year, the city wants the last ones gone. It calls the 221 remaining trailers an eyesore, and says residents will have to pay fines—as much...