New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin speaks about devastation to New Orleans created by Hurricane Katrina and on-going recovery and reconstruction efforts in the city. Prior to his remarks a panel of award-winning journalists and officials who were in New Orleans and South Mississippi during and after Hurricane Katrina speak about their experience covering the storm and the societal issues the storm uncovered. The discussion was moderated by Michelle Norris.
Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest landfalling U.S. hurricane ever recorded. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and devastated much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States. Katrina's sheer size devastated the Gulf Coast over 100 miles (160 km) away from its center.
Bio
Corey Dade
Correspondent, Wall Street Journal
Trymaine Lee
Correspondent, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Kristen Mack
Correspondent, Houston Chronicle, Politics
Suzanne Malveaux
Correspondent, CNN, White House
Bryan Monroe
Bryan Monroe is the 16th president of the National Association of Black Journalists, the nation's oldest and largest journalism organization of color serving more than 4,000 members. He was elected August 5, 2005.
He is also vice president and editorial director of EBONY and JET Magazines of the Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. Founded by the late media pioneer John H. Johnson, the company is the world's largest African-American-owned and-operated publishing company.
Before joining EBONY and JET, Bryan was assistant vice president/news at Knight Ridder, the group's second highest-ranking news executive where he was responsible for the journalism operations of more than a dozen newsrooms around the country.
Mayor Ray Nagin Jr.
Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is the mayor of New Orleans. He was first elected on March 2, 2002, to succeed his fellow Democrat, Marc Morial. Nagin gained international attention in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area.
Before becoming Mayor, Nagin served as the vice president and general manager for Cox Communications in Southeast Louisiana. He transformed the local operations of the cable company from one of Cox's poorest performing markets to one of its most profitable assets.
Mayor Nagin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at Tuskegee University in 1978 and received a Masters of Business Administration at Tulane University in 1994.
Michele Norris
Host, All Things Considered
Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience, hosts All Things Considered, public radio's longest-running national program, with Robert Siegel and Melissa Block. Norris began hosting on December 9, 2002.
Before coming to NPR, Norris was a correspondent for ABC News, a post she held from 1993 - 2002. As a contributing correspondent for the Closer Look segments on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Norris reported extensively on education, inner city issues, the nation's drug problem, and poverty. Norris has also reported for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times.
City (pop., 2000: 484,674), southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Situated between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, it is the state's largest city and a major deepwater port. Founded in 1718 by French colonist Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, it was ceded to Spain in 1763. In 1800 it was ceded back to France and three years later sold to the U.S. by Napoleon. Incorporated in 1805, it was the state capital from 1812 to 1849. During the American Civil War the city was captured and occupied by Union forces (1862). A notable tourist centre, its attractions include Mardi Gras and the French Quarter, a popular tourist area noted for its nightclubs and Creole architecture and cuisine. It is also a medical, industrial, and educational centre. It was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, when the levees protecting the city were breached and nearly all the city was flooded.