Tagged News

• 2 Make a Difference: 20 years after Katrina, the Peggy Martin rose is still growing across the US Play Video

  June 3, 2026 3:07 PM

  GONZALES — A rose that survived Hurricane Katrina has become one of the most recognized roses in the country and it carries the name of the woman who found it still growing amid the destruction. Peggy Martin lives in Gonzales now, but before Katrina, she and her husband had... more »

• Rose that survived 30 feet of Katrina floodwater named Louisiana's state rose Play Video

  June 3, 2026 1:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Legislature has designated the Peggy Martin Rose as the official state rose. The Peggy Martin Rose is a thornless climbing rose known for its extraordinary resilience. It traces its roots to Plaquemines Parish and longtime resident Peggy Martin. When her home was submerged... more »

• Ex-Xavier president, civil rights leader Norman C. Francis, dead at age 94 Play Video

  February 18, 2026 10:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS — Norman C. Francis, a civil rights leader who served as president of Xavier University for nearly five decades, has died. He was 94. The Presidential Medal of Freedom winner died Wednesday at Ochsner Hospital, his family said. Francis was the first Black person to serve... more »

• WBRZ FLASHBACK: Saints' first game in Superdome post-Katrina paved path to city's first Super Bowl win Play Video

  September 25, 2025 8:21 AM

  NEW ORLEANS — This week in WBRZ history, the New Orleans Saints made their triumphant homecoming to the Superdome after the team — and the city — were forever changed by Hurricane Katrina. More than a year after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, the Saints and thousands of... more »

• Southern alumna, New Orleans native produces, directs documentary about Katrina's legacy 20 years later Play Video

  September 4, 2025 8:43 AM

  BATON ROUGE — A lot of documentaries have come out in the past few months to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, including a special on WBRZ and a Hulu documentary from National Geographic. Despite how many documentaries that have been released over the years about Katrina, not... more »

• Coast Guardsman during Hurricane Katrina recounts his experience 20 years later Play Video

  August 29, 2025 7:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Coast Guard saved more than 30,000 lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. One Guardsman, the father of WBRZ Chief Photographer Charles Jones, recounted his experience nearly 20 years after one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the Gulf Coast. Heath Jones... more »

• LSU football to wear helmet sticker against Clemson for 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Play Video

  August 29, 2025 1:52 PM

  CLEMSON, S.C. — LSU football will wear a commemorative helmet sticker in its season opener against Clemson in honor of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the team posted to social media on gameday eve. The purple sticker depicts a Peggy Martin rose, "named for New Orleans gardener Peggy... more »

• 20 years after Katrina, officials still working to build shelters to assist in influx of storm refugees Play Video

  August 29, 2025 8:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE — Hurricane Katrina displaced thousands, sending them across both the state and country. Twenty years ago, WBRZ's April Davis spoke to one family who evacuated from the city, rented an apartment in Lake Charles and ended up in an Alexandria shelter after Hurricane Rita began to barrel... more »

• Louisiana State Museum reopens Living with Hurricanes Exhibition to commemorate Katrina's 20th anniversary Play Video

  August 29, 2025 7:53 AM

  NEW ORLEANS — The destiny of New Orleans was forever altered 20 years ago when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. On Friday, 2une In's Abigail Whitam visited the Louisiana State Museum as they relaunched their Living with Hurricanes Exhibition. The newly enhanced exhibit... more »

• On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, return to one of the places the levees broke Play Video

  August 29, 2025 7:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans and the state of Louisiana as a whole were forever changed 20 years ago when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The devastating destruction of Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, was made worse when the levee system protecting New Orleans from... more »

• Tangipahoa law enforcement leaders reflect 20 years after Katrina Play Video

  August 28, 2025 4:48 PM

  HAMMOND — Twenty years ago, Louisiana experienced a once-in-a-lifetime storm. With it, lives change drastically, especially for those who lived through Hurricane Katrina on the front lines. Tangipahoa Sheriff Gerald Sticker and Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue discussed how the storm changed and prepared them for life two decades... more »

• LSU Veterinary Medicine reflects on how it helped rescue displaced pets during Hurricane Katrina Play Video

  August 28, 2025 7:54 AM

  BATON ROUGE - When Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive storms in history, made landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana State University went hands-on-deck. From cleaning litter boxes to administering emergency medications, LSU and Lamar Dixon became ground zero for pet rescue operations. "All of our wards had... more »

• Sunday Journal: Commemorating Katrina's 20th anniversary with a visit to the Flooded House Museum Play Video

  August 27, 2025 7:38 AM

  NEW ORLEANS— This week on Sunday Journal, take a trip with John Pastorek down to New Orleans, where the shadow of Hurricane Katrina still lingers 20 years later. JP visited the Flooded House Museum and spoke to Sandy Rosenthal, the woman who founded levees.org to tell the stories of... more »

• Federal funding for Louisiana levee inspections secured after Corps said it didn't have it Play Video

  August 19, 2025 7:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE – After a period of uncertainty over federal funding, national leaders have committed to paying for crucial annual inspections on Louisiana’s levee systems. Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it didn’t have the money to do the inspections because of federal cuts. A week... more »

• Sunday Journal: Hurricane Katrina's 20th anniversary and the forecaster who saw it all Play Video

  August 18, 2025 7:19 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - This week on Sunday Journal, take a trip with John Pastorek down to New Orleans, where the shadow of Hurricane Katrina still lingers 20 years later. He spoke with Barry D. Keim, who was the state climatologist in 2005 when the storm hit. Keim looks back... more »

• Sunday Journal: The Katrina Governor Play Video

  August 11, 2025 12:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE — This week on Sunday Journal, join JP as he continues his look back on Hurricane Katrina, the storm that hit New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast in 2005. During this second part of JP's The Katrina Project, he takes a look at the... more »

• Sunday Journal: The Katrina General Play Video

  August 4, 2025 7:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE - This week on Sunday Journal, join JP for a look back on Hurricane Katrina, the storm that hit New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast in 2005, and the general who became a legend in its aftermath. Lieutenant General Russel Honore joins John Pastorek... more »

• 70 for 70: Lt. General Russel Honore Play Video

  June 3, 2025 8:44 AM

  Over the last 70 years, WBRZ has seen countless personalities, newsmakers, community servants and celebrities come onto our air. As part of our celebration of Channel 2's anniversary, here is a list of 70 people who have appeared on air since we began. This week on 70 for 70,... more »

• Sunday Journal: 19 years since Hurricane Katrina Play Video

  August 19, 2024 7:56 AM

  BATON ROUGE - This week on Sunday Journal, join WBRZ's John Pastorek as he recounts the devastating Hurricane Katrina, 19 years after it made landfall in Louisiana. more »

• As Payton steps aside, winningest Saints coach reflects on 2006, post-Katrina season Play Video

  January 25, 2022 11:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Saints Head Coach Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans at one of its lowest points, when the city and its residents had been brought to their knees by Hurricane Katrina. In that first season back in the Superdome, Payton slowly learned how crucial the team was to... more »

• More than 50 years later, Hurricane Betsy upgraded to a category 4 storm

  December 11, 2019 2:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE - One of the most destructive storms to ever hit the gulf coast has been retroactively upgraded to a category 4 hurricane. The NOAA announced Wednesday that Betsy, the first hurricane to cause one billion dollars in damage, had been reclassified using modern technology and analytics. ... more »

• Family that survived Katrina rebuilds again after recent flood Play Video

  August 29, 2016 7:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Many of the New Orleans residents who survived Hurricane Katrina moved to the Baton Rouge area to start over, however many did not think they would find themselves starting over again 11 years later. Jonathan and Lindsey Sumich were newlyweds when the eye of Hurricane Katrina... more »

• Flood map revisions in Central approved by FEMA Play Video

  March 8, 2016 9:53 PM

  CENTRAL - A city-funded project to update and revise FEMA flood elevations along portions of the Beaver Bayou watershed in Central was approved. The project, which began about four years ago, was granted approval by FEMA last week. "We felt like some people were put into floodplains that... more »

• Southern discusses effects of Katrina 10 years later

  August 25, 2015 5:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Around 500 Southern University students took part Tuesday in a symposium to discuss the effects Hurricane Katrina had on the law enforcement, demographics, economy and way of life in New Orleans. The hurricane struck the Gulf Coast nearly ten years ago, killing more than 1,000 people... more »

• First responders take part in week long animal rescue training

  August 23, 2015 6:11 PM

  GONZALES, La. - Various groups and organizations from all over the country are getting trained in rescuing animals in case of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Groups like the American Humane Association along with LSU School of Veterinary Medicine took part in the training. One of the instructors, Dick... more »