SHREVEPORT, La. - Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast with devastating force, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving much of New Orleans uninhabitable after the levees collapsed. About 40,000 evacuees fled north to the Shreveport/Bossier region, where local residents, churches, and organizations rushed to meet their needs.

For evacuees, the journey north was often chaotic and dangerous. Richard Wright, a member of the Northwest Louisiana Katrina Task Force, recalled buses unloading wherever they could along the route. One group of students from Dillard University in New Orleans endured a harrowing ride when their bus caught fire, destroying the few possessions they had managed to bring. By the time they arrived in Shreveport, volunteers were waiting with clothing, f

See Full Page