20 years after Hurricane Katrina, where are we now? 

WIKIPEDIA

Flooding in Venice, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katriana inundated the Gulf Coast in 2005.

The writer is a student at Johnson C. Smith University. 

Before this semester could start, we were faced with issues that jolted many of us as Johnson C. Smith University faculty, students, and staff.  

Accreditation was in question, more specifically, the financial aspects. Students like me were engaged in chats both within our own networks and those we found on social media.  Regardless, we are making incredible strides as many of us are our ancestors’ wildest dreams. 

One such highlight was what took place in our course Special Topics: Political Communication. 

On the first day of class, our professor, Jasmine Corbett, told us of our final exam: we were to write a three-piece reflection story on one of two choices given.  As a class, we unanimously chose to honor the victims of Hurricane Katrina and look into what might have gone wrong through a political framework. 

Immediately, we were using critical thinking skills and questioned how narratives are shaped and how communication influences political understanding.  Our final started that day, and each week, groans of tiredness ignored, we were pushed to be great. But more importantly, we were pushed to honor what we chose – to write a piece that shined a spotlight into what we argue, was a cultural phenomenon that has been depicted not in just politics, but music, videos, and discourse. 

Therefore, as Aug. 29, 2025, marked the 20th anniversary of this politically charged and media-shaping natural disaster, we chose to focus on perception, the stance of the Black church, and power of social media.   

We sat down with journalist Kenneth Koontz, a 1972 JCSU graduate whose career spans broadcast news, public relations, communications, and media production. Mr. Koontz was among the journalists who traveled to Louisiana in Katrina’s aftermath, documenting the devastation that unfolded across New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

His willingness to witness and report on the destruction provided the nation with firsthand accounts of the storm’s impact at a time when reliable information was limited and communication systems failing. His insights offer a valuable lens through which to understand not only the human consequences of the storm but also the political controversies that shaped the government’s response. 

Before situating Mr. Koontz’s reflections within the broader political discourse, it is important to revisit the origins of Hurricane Katrina itself. Forming over the Bahamas on Aug. 23, 2005, it began as a tropical storm before rapidly strengthening into a major hurricane as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico.

By the time it made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, it had grown into one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history, fueled by warm waters and marked by shifting trajectories that challenged meteorologists and public officials alike.

The storm’s physical impact set the stage for a cascade of political, racial, economic, and media-driven narratives that continue to shape how we remember Katrina 20 years later. 

When Koontz first learned about Katrina, he was operating his own media company, All Stars Communication LLC. At the time, the company owned and managed a satellite uplink truck capable of traveling across the country and even into Mexico to transmit live reports, interviews, and breaking news. This technology positioned All Stars Communication as a critical resource for news outlets that needed immediate access to on-the-ground reporting.

Because of this capability, Koontz and his team were prepared to respond quickly as the storm escalated, providing broadcasters with real-time visuals and eyewitness accounts during a moment when reliable communication networks in the Gulf region were rapidly collapsing. 

In 2005, when Katrina made landfall, CBS News contacted All Stars Communication to hire the satellite uplink truck and send it to New Orleans to support the network’s hurricane coverage. The truck was operated by Levi Bisbee, a highly respected and experienced technician who initially made the drive into the disaster zone. The devastation was overwhelming. Mr. Koontz recalled that one morning Bisbee called him from Slidell, Louisiana, describing the conditions they were facing. According to Koontz, Bisbee told him, “Conditions are horrible. We have no access to food or hotels, and they’re having to send gasoline tankers around just so we can fuel the trucks.” 

This firsthand account illustrated how difficult it was not only for residents but also for journalists and communication crews attempting to report the unfolding crisis. Koontz then contacted the CBS network to explain the conditions his team was facing, and the network agreed to let him send three RVs to Louisiana to provide what he described as “a base camp.” This base camp offered essential support for the crews on the ground, including housing, showers, and meals available around the clock. The goal was to create a safe and functional space so that journalists and technicians could continue reporting despite the extreme conditions in the disaster zone. 

The work of Koontz, Bisbee, and many other journalists helped ensure that the nation could witness the scale of the catastrophe unfolding in Louisiana. As their reporting reached television screens across the country, a deeper and more troubling narrative began to take shape. Hurricane Katrina did not simply expose physical destruction; it revealed long-standing racial and socioeconomic inequalities that shaped who suffered the most and who was left waiting for help. 

The images broadcast from New Orleans, including predominantly Black residents stranded on rooftops, families wading through flooded streets, and overcrowded shelters lacking food and medical care, forced the country to confront the stark racial disparities that had existed long before the storm. This shift in media focus opened a national conversation about how race, poverty, and government response intersected during one of the most significant crises in modern United States history. 

Koontz described a town outside New Orleans where the damage from the storm was not as severe. This community was a predominantly white neighborhood, and according to Koontz, residents stationed themselves at the bridge connecting the two cities. They threatened to shoot anyone who attempted to cross the bridge seeking help, and the people trying to cross were primarily African American residents fleeing the flooded areas.

As a result, many became stranded on that bridge with nowhere to go. Koontz emphasized that “racism ran heavy once again during this time period, because there were some who were not deeply touched by Katrina and did not want to open their services and accommodations for people who were.” His account highlights how racial tensions and discriminatory attitudes shaped who received assistance and who was denied safety during the aftermath of the hurricane. 

To address the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on African American communities, Koontz reflected on what he witnessed and what he has continued to observe over the years. He explained, “Well, from the outside looking in, the pain and suffering from going through an experience like that still lingers. Several people I know were part of the group who were displaced and had to navigate to another area of Louisiana or even to another state. Then there were others who sadly lost their livelihoods, and from that point on were never the same.” Koontz emphasized that the aftermath of Katrina produced a range of experiences, but many shared a common thread of deep loss and forced transition. 

“The stories are just so broad and wide,” he noted, “you can find so many people, notably people of color, who because of this storm had to create entirely new lives.” 
Koontz also stressed the importance of mass Black media during the aftermath of Katrina. From the viewpoint of Black journalists, their role extended beyond simply reporting on a natural disaster. They were there to tell and share the stories of real people experiencing real loss.

Koontz explained that mainstream coverage often focused on the totality of the destruction but did not always show sensitivity to the experiences of minority communities. Black media, however, worked to center those voices and bring attention to the racial dimensions of the crisis. According to Koontz, this became a turning point in national discourse, as the racial tensions and disparities surrounding those who received help, and how quickly, grew into a prominent and unavoidable topic. 

Koontz’s insights reveal not only the severity of the storm but the deep political and racial complexities that shaped its aftermath. His experiences documenting the crisis, supporting journalists in the field, and witnessing the realities faced by marginalized communities highlight the essential role of media in shaping national understanding. Koontz took great pride in contributing to the boots-on-the-ground operations that made this coverage possible.

As he explained, he valued not only the opportunity to help report on the storm itself, but, more importantly, the chance to help tell the stories of the people whose lives were forever changed. His reflections remind us that political communication is not merely about broadcasting events; it is about amplifying voices, confronting inequalities, and ensuring that history remembers the humans at the center of the narrative. 

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