New Orleans Remembers Katrina, 8 Years Later

15:30

August 29, 2013

Two men paddle in high water after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, August 31, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (PRNewsFoto/PBS)

More than 1,800 people were killed by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods eight years ago.

New Orleans was one of the hardest-hit places, particularly its Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, where some of the city's poorest residents live. It's still struggling to recover.

But business leaders proudly point to how New Orleans has recently been designated a top boomtown and "aspirational" city in the U.S.

Journalist James O'Byrne says New Orleanians are more optimistic about their city now than they've ever been.

Guests

Michael Hecht, president & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc., the economic development organization for Greater New Orleans. He tweets @MHechtGNO.
James O'Byrne, longtime New Orleans journalist and director of state content for NOLA Media Group. He tweets @jamesobyrne.

This segment aired on August 29, 2013.