NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- August 29 will forever be a day that Louisiana residents will remember. Three hurricanes have made landfall on this day.
Three storms severely altered our geography and lives, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser reflects on the anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina, Isaac, and Ida.
Most of us remember exactly where we were, what we were doing, and how it felt to ride out one or all of these hurricanes.
Hurricane Katrina blew through Louisiana 17 years ago today. Then in 2012, on the night of August 28 and early hours of August 29, Hurricane Isaac made landfall. One year ago on this day, we were in the midst of yet another deadly, dangerous disaster; Hurricane Ida, probably the most vivid memories still in our minds.
For many Louisiana residents, today will be an emotional day as we mark the anniversary of when several storms hit our area. A year later, families are still living in FEMA trailers, from the sky, many towns look like a sea of blue as tarps drape over roofs, and skylines look a lot different than they once did with a lot fewer trees.
On anniversaries like these, we often look back at what happened and ask questions about what went wrong and how can we do better. The hope of looking back is that we learn from what happened so that we can plan for a better future. Officials across the state today will be doing just that.
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser stopped by the WGNO Studios to discuss the importance of marking these anniversaries. He also shared his ideas for solutions to some of the problems many Louisiana residents are still facing a year after Hurricane Ida hit.
“Disaster preparation has been a lot better, both by the state and federal government,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. “…I think here in Louisiana, we’re going to have to find a way to house our people better and not wait for FEMA trailers. We are working with our state parks to put in ground sewage so that we can get some rental cabins or something, so these people have some way to stay close to home as the rebuilding begins.”
Lt. Governor Nungesser spent the rest of the day down in St. Bernard Parish at the Katrina Memorial.
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