Sep 22, 2025
In episode 237 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons talks with Dr. Andrew Rumbach of the Urban Institute, who went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to work on recovery and has spent his career studying disasters and resilience. They discuss Katrina’s enduring legacy—what’s been fixed, what remains broken, and what’s now under assault. Andrew shares insights on how FEMA has evolved since 2005, where bipartisan reforms have emerged even in a hostile political climate, and whether the country is truly ready for the next major storm. He also highlights five powerful documentaries that capture Katrina’s human and political dimensions, offering listeners new ways to understand both the storm and its aftermath. This conversation looks back at Katrina not only as a past tragedy but as a warning for our uncertain future. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, its lessons still shape how America thinks about disasters.
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