Two decades after Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath reshaped New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, we gathered to remember all that was lost, reflect on the lessons learned, and pay tribute to all the good that has been done in the two decades since. And, we look to the future: where do we go from here, and how can this region not just survive but thrive?

Renowned jazz musician Dr. Michael White performs original music written in response to Katrina and reflects on connections between recovering from the tragedy and the city's jazz culture. (Dr. White on clarinet, Mitchell Claire on bass, and Sevva Bennet on banjo.)

And we are joined by an esteemed panel:

Troy Carter - US Congressman. He was previously a member of the Louisiana State Senate, served on the New Orleans City Council, and was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Colette Pichon Battle - Lawyer and Climate Justice Organizer. She's the vision and initiatives partner for Taproot Earth, a frontline organizing project working across the Gulf and Global South.

David Waggonner -Architect and founder of Waggonner and Ball, an award-winning, internationally active architecture and environment practice located in New Orleans.

Josh Lewis - Scientist and Schwartz Professor of River and Coastal Studies at the Tulane Bywater Institute.

We’d like to thank the Broadside for hosting us and Nikkei Izakaya for providing delicious, local seafood for the reception. This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Eva Tesfaye. Sea Change's executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sea Change is also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

This August marks twenty years since Hurricane Katrina. Today, we are bringing you a story we first aired in 2023. It’s about a word heard everywhere after Hurricane Katrina. And people across the Gulf Coast have strong and complicated feelings about it.

The word is resilient.

A special thanks to Rob Verchick, author of The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience. And, to everyone who spent time with us for this story, from a construction site in rural Alabama to the streets of New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood. Also, a big, big thank you to everyone who called in to give us their two cents on the word “resilient.”

For more on the Strengthen Alabama Homes program, check out their website, along with more information on FORTIFIED homes from the Insurance Institute for Building and Home Safety. Want to see that video from inside the airplane hangar research facility, where they recreate hurricane conditions? (You do. Find it here).

Find out more on the New Orleans Resilience Corps here.

This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun, Carly Berlin, and Halle Parker. Editing by Carlyle Calhoun, Rosemary Westwood, Halle Parker, Kezia Setyawan, and Eve Abrams. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer for this episode was Maddie Zampanti, with additional mixing by Emily Jankowski. Sea Change's executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sea Change is also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

El Bosque, Mexico, a tiny fishing village on Mexico’s Gulf Coast, is quickly vanishing into the sea. In this episode, we journey to El Bosque to meet the town’s unlikely hero—one woman determined to fight for a future for her community as her neighbors flee the encroaching waves.

This episode was reported by Alvaro Céspedes. It was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Alvaro. Editing by Johanna Zorn, Carlyle Calhoun, with additional help from Ricardo Lopez Cordero. Translation by Elsa Gil (as Lupe Cobos) and Sofia Garfias (as Cristina Pacheco). Fact-checking by Garrett Hazelwood. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. Carlyle Calhoun is the executive producer.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sea Change is also supported by the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.