20 Years After Katrina: What It Means for Clark County Preparedness Today

Katrina military

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast, first near Buras, Louisiana (about 6:10 a.m. CDT), then later near the mouth of the Pearl River at the Louisiana–Mississippi border. The storm surge and levee/floodwall failures inundated roughly 80% of New Orleans, making Katrina one of the most devastating disasters in U.S. history.1

Why Katrina still matters

Katrina’s human and economic toll was staggering. Depending on methodology, estimates range from nearly 1,400 (combined direct and indirect deaths per the National Hurricane Center’s updated analysis) to about 1,800+ in many public summaries. Damages are estimated at roughly $125 billion (2005 USD). More than 1.2 million people were ordered to evacuate, and about 1.5 million people (age 16+) evacuated in the weeks after Katrina/Rita. These figures underscore how cascading failures—storm surge, infrastructure, communications, and logistics—can magnify impacts.2

National lessons, local impact

Katrina drove significant national reforms. Here’s how they show up in local emergency management today.

1) Public alerting got faster, clearer, and more coordinated

After Katrina, the federal government established a modern, integrated alerting architecture. In 2006, Executive Order 13407 set the framework for a Public Alert and Warning System, which FEMA implements as the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS). IPAWS lets authorized local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials send alerts simultaneously through multiple channels.3 Two of those are the ones you already know:

WEA has been expanded since 2016–2019 to allow longer messages, Spanish-language support, embedded links where appropriate, and much more precise geo-targeting—improvements that help reduce “over-alerting” and make messages more actionable.4

What this means locally: We may use WEA or EAS via IPAWS for extreme life-safety alerts that must reach as many people as possible, fast. But most frequently, we use Clark Public Alerts—our opt-in system—on behalf of our fire and law enforcement partners, for targeted notices in which the information is urgent but may not necessarily meet the threshold of the need for each person receiving the message to take immediate, decisive action. These Public Alerts are frequently seen for actions such as law enforcement “remain in place” notices due to an armed subject being searched for in a widespread area, Level 1 Ready and Level 2 Set wildfire messages, or Level 3 Go alerts. This also includes alerts for missing, endangered persons.

If you haven’t yet, please sign up for Clark Public Alerts so we can reach you on every channel we use: ClarkPublicAlerts.org.

Quick note on alerting:

2) A common playbook: NIMS and ICS

Katrina highlighted the need for a shared operational language across agencies and jurisdictions. The National Incident Management System (NIMS)—first issued in 2004 and updated over time—standardizes the Incident Command System (ICS) and other coordination tools. Today, NIMS/ICS training, roles, and forms are routine for our staff and partners, which makes multi-agency operations faster and less error-prone when it counts.5

3) Mitigation and resilient development moved from “nice-to-have” to “must-do”

The nation invested heavily in risk reduction after Katrina. In the New Orleans area, the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) now includes over a hundred miles of improved levees, floodwalls, gates, and large pump stations—engineered to reduce storm-surge risk.6 States also strengthened building codes; for example, Louisiana implemented a statewide Uniform Construction Code following the 2005 storms, aligning with modern I-Codes and periodically updating them since.7 Locally, those same principles inform how we plan, permit, and prioritize projects to lower risk before the next hazard.

4) Communications and redundancy became core requirements

From Katrina we learned to plan for failure of primary systems. Today we maintain redundant voice/data options, cross-train with partners, and design our plans under the assumption that some infrastructure will fail during a major incident. That’s why you’ll see us exercise with backup radios, satellite tools, and web-based collaboration platforms alongside our day-to-day systems.

5) Public outreach and preparedness are everyone’s job

Katrina reinforced that personal preparedness buys crucial time while responders address the most life-threatening needs. The Ready.gov guidance is straightforward: aim to sustain your household for several days, including about one gallon of water per person per day and basic supplies, with more if you can.8 We work year-round to teach these fundamentals because they save lives and reduce strain on the system during the first operational periods of a disaster.

What you can do this week

  1. Sign up for Clark Public Alerts. It’s our most flexible, most frequently used channel for local updates.
  2. Build or update your kit. Water (one gallon per person per day), non-perishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries, copies of documents, and a battery/hand-crank radio are the backbone. If you already have a kit, check expiration dates and rotate supplies.9
  3. Know your routes and contacts. Identify two ways out of your neighborhood and make a family communications plan so you’re not relying on memory in a stressful moment.10
  4. Understand alerts on your phone. Ensure WEA is enabled in your device settings. When you get an alert from us, act—don’t wait for a second message.11

 

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the lessons learned on the Gulf Coast continue to guide emergency management here in Clark County. Our local alert systems, like Clark Public Alerts, give residents fast, targeted notifications, while NIMS/ICS training ensures coordinated responses across agencies. 

Investments in resilient planning, redundant communications, and public preparedness mean our community is better positioned to handle disasters when they strike. By signing up for alerts, updating your emergency kit, knowing escape routes, and reviewing family communication plans, every resident can play a role in keeping themselves and their neighbors safe. 

Katrina’s legacy is a reminder that preparation, awareness, and community collaboration are just as important here at home as they were on the Gulf Coast.

 

  1. National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina (updated); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; City of New Orleans hazard mitigation materials.
  2. National Hurricane Center; NOAA NCEI disasters overview; CDC community assessment (Katrina/Rita); Brookings synthesis.
  3. Executive Order 13407 (2006); FEMA IPAWS documentation.
  4. Federal Communications Commission rulemakings; FEMA IPAWS technical updates.
  5. FEMA, 20 Years of NIMS; Federal Register notices on NIMS.
  6. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS).
  7. Louisiana Uniform Construction Code history; ICC Media.
  8. Ready.gov; FEMA preparedness guidance.
  9. FEMA preparedness guidance.
  10. Ready.gov, family communications planning.
  11. Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Emergency Alerts guidance. 

 

Blog home »