photo and text from Wikipedia.Hurricane Katrina (Arabi)
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused an even more massive storm surge which inundated all of Arabi, with water reaching higher than 20 feet in some areas. Much as occurred in Hurricane Betsy, locals who had elected to remain had noticed the winds had begun dying, this time shortly after dawn. Several stories have been noted of locals talking on cell phones with evacuated relatives as late as 8:30-9:00 AM, stating they felt the worst was over. The first wave of water struck shortly after 9:00 and quickly surged all the way to the levee of the Mississippi River. Areas that had suffered less than 3-4 feet of water after Betsy were submerged as much as 10 feet. In the Arabi Park area, the surge crossed over elevated railroad tracks and the resultant wave washed many homes off of their foundations, and completely destroyed others. Again, as in Hurricane Betsy the locals immediately began evacuating themselves and their neighbors using private boats. They brought them to the Mississippi river levee, which for several days was the only dry ground on the east side of the river for many miles. Local officials including U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries agents stationed in the parish moved quickly to seal off the area and supply food and water to the survivors. A makeshift evacuation was begun by confiscating small ferry boats, and moving the people to the west bank of the river at Algiers Point, where buses were used to move them out of the area. Most of this activity was not covered by the media due to the greater coverage of nearby New Orleans. Even in the higher areas close to the river, many of the homes are said to be unsavable and will have to be destroyed and re-built. There is speculation that entire neighborhoods are to be completely removed and replaced with wetlands. However, many houses in that area are already being refurbished as of February 2006, and some people have already moved back into their homes.
