U.S.

From the Graphics Archive: Mapping Katrina and Its Aftermath

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, flooding 80 percent of the city, killing more than 1,400 people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Here is a selection of maps published in print in The New York Times that show the storm’s impact on residents and businesses in the days that followed and several years later, as rebuilding efforts continued. Related Article

Published Sept. 12, 2005

The Neighborhoods That Were Hit Hard and Those That Weren’t

While large swaths of the city may have to be bulldozed, a strip of unflooded land containing hospitals, government buildings, schools, historic homes and tourism sites suffered minimal damage. The flooded areas were home to about 346,000 people – 71 percent of the city’s population – and contained more than two-thirds of the city’s homes.The map shows the extent of the flooding on Sept. 2, after the water level had stopped rising, but several days before crews were able to plug breaches in levees and start pumping water out.

Published Sept. 17, 2005

In New Orleans, Businesses Take First Steps Back

In some areas, it could be months before business returns to normal. But many employers, particularly the biggest ones in some crucial industries, are already beginning to reopen and bring employees back, often helping them find housing and supplying transportation. Here is an overview of employment in the city and in the center of tourism, the French Quarter.

Published Sept. 17, 2005

In City’s Center of Tourism, Less Damage

A survey of several dozen businesses in the French Quarter found few that suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina, and almost all are making plans to reopen.

Published Oct. 2, 2005

Katrina’s Diaspora

Hurricane Katrina victims have filed for assistance from FEMA from every state. The map shows the distribution and number of the 1.36 million individual assistance applications as of Sept. 23, 2005.

Published Aug. 23, 2006

For New Orleans Neighborhoods, a Slow and Uneven Return

Many of the once-vibrant neighborhoods of New Orleans are still silent a year after Hurricane Katrina. Scores of residents who returned found mold to be as brutal as the rising waters, and for tens of thousands of homes, rebirth is possible only after a thorough gutting or complete demolition. A tour through three neighborhoods reveals the slow and disparate nature of rebuilding these areas one house at a time.

Published Aug. 31, 2008

The Patchy Return of New Orleans

A walking tour of three neighborhoods last month offered a glimpse into the spottiness of post-Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts throughout New Orleans. A row of newly built or renovated homes are often juxtaposed with gutted ones or empty lots. Though in some estimate the city may have recovered up to 70 percent of its population, about 65,000 residences – more than a third of the total – remain blighted.