Two decades after Hurricane Katrina obliterated the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, former Governor Phil Bryant sat down to reflect on the storm’s legacy, the state’s recovery, and the lessons that continue to shape emergency management today.

Now serving as Vice Chair of the FEMA Review Council under President Donald Trump, Bryant’s unique perspective is shaped by firsthand experience in a state that knows natural disasters and the ensuing devastation all too well.

From Auditor to First Responder

At the time Katrina made landfall, Bryant was Mississippi’s State Auditor. He knew the storm was coming, but just hadn’t been in the briefings as other officials had discussed how bad it would get.

“I could not imagine. It was not like it was today. We didn’t have immediate access” to the weather

See Full Page