Pic Of The Day - 08.20.15 - Remembering Katrina

The 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is approaching. As part of the commemoration, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu made a stop in Houston to thank the city for everything we did to help the evacuees. Houston wasn't the only city that opened its doors but it was the first to step up to the plate to offer an option to those who found themselves stranded in New Orleans. Houston also took in the highest number of evacuees.

This is a photo that Annise Parker posted. I believe it was a photo on Mitch Landrieu's Instagram page. It shows people housed in the Astrodome. From the Houston Chronicle:

One of the most notable temporary housing options for the evacuees was Houston's Astrodome, which housed thousands of evacuees during the weeks following the storm. Many of the people who ended up at the sports complex were transported via buses hightailing it from New Orleans. Volunteers set up temporary cots, clothes lines and food stations throughout the complex and doctors came through to provide medical attention to those with serious need.

As people started to move back to what remained of their homes and decide where they wanted to spend their future, a number of those displaced by the storm opted to stay in Houston. Former Mayor White said there are an estimated 40,000 evacuees who are now full fledged Houstonians.

"What we do know is that we were already kissing cousins and we became closer," Mayor Parker said. "We already had a lot of cultural overlap. Our food became just a little bit spicier and our culture became just a little bit richer because so many people came here."