20 years later: One family's journey of surviving Katrina and thriving in Atlanta

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August 29th, 2025

Hurricane Katrina survivor Christan Carter salvaged family heirlooms a month after the storm devastated New Orleans. Carter and her family evacuated New Orleans and eventually made it to Atlanta. 20 years later, she shares her survival story and saved pictures with WABE. (Courtesy of Christan Carter)

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and drove more than 100,000 people in a mass exodus to other states, including Georgia.

Christan Carter is one who survived the Category 3 storm and barely escaped the flood waters when the levees breached. In some areas, the city was overwhelmed with water levels over 27 feet — the height of a three-story building. Unable to salvage anything from her family home for over a month, Carter made the journey with her family from New Orleans to Houston and eventually to Atlanta.

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But she tells WABE’s “Morning Edition” that, like most of those who endured the nightmare of Katrina, the storm broke apart the community she thought she’d have for a lifetime.

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