Despite all New Orlean's problems, we have awesome people. It's the community of people that makes us stay. It's what sucks outsiders in and it's what people miss when they leave. We are resourceful, creative, beautiful, tough, loving, and we know how to have a good time. Today we hear from Shana, Vuong, Junior, Emma Hao, and Carol. Their voices speak to what it means to belong, to hold on to culture, to create, and to care for one another when everything else is uncertain.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

Today, we hear from Venice, Arnold, Rose, Joe & Lucien—five people whose stories remind us just how humbling nature can be. As a species, we've harnessed science, built remarkable technologies, and solved problems that once seemed insurmountable. But these stories ask us to consider: what happens when all that meets a force beyond our control? At some point, we're reminded—we're not above nature. We're part of it.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

In a previous introduction we told you about how we teamed with organizations like VAYLA to document their membership's experiences. Another group we spent a lot of time with were teachers and staff at George Cox Elementary in Gretna and that's especially thanks to the generosity of their principal Dr. Scott Steckler. Today you'll hear Linda, Sheryl, Sara and Meg discuss what school was like in the aftermath of Katrina when the population was in flux and schools were limited.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

After the storm, the challenge wasn't just returning home. It was being able to afford to stay. A problem that persists to this day. Rising rents, lost jobs, and changing neighborhoods reshaped the lives of so many New Orleanians. In today's episode, we hear from Catherine, Dennis, Norma, Joshua and Sondra as they describe the weight of gentrification and the high cost of living in a city still trying to rebuild.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

Our two interviewees today describe issues with insurance companies and government bureacracies. Let's put it like this - if the recovery from Katrina was a stool it would have three legs: the community, the government, and insurance companies…and that stool would wobble every time you sat on it.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

This is part 2 of our 2 part series on Rebuilding. As the city pulled itself out of the floodwaters, the question quickly shifted from "Can we go back?" to "How do we move forward?" Today's voices, Dawn, Debra, Dee, and Marshall, remind us that rebuilding was about more than homes. It was about restarting an economy, restoring dignity, and proving New Orleans could come back.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

In the aftermath of the storm, rebuilding wasn't just about bricks, wood, and drywall. It was about piecing together lives, neighborhoods, and a sense of home. In this episode, you'll hear from Janet, Hung, Conard, and Mabel as they describe what it meant to start again, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with grit, but always with the hope of holding the community together.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.

Today you're going to hear from two people we met through VAYLA: the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association. This group started in the wake of Katrina as officials were skating around environmental laws and concerns about where to dispose of the thousands of tons of debris the city was accumulating. The trash was a toxic stew and New Orleans chose a site in New Orleans East as it's dumping ground. Concerned about the effect on the community and the local environment a group of young people organized to make their voices heard. Today we have Truong-An and John to tell us more.

Katrina Stories is a documentary podcast built from first-person accounts recorded after Hurricane Katrina as part Mondo Bizarro's I-10 Witness Project. Each episode weaves together voices that reveal the human impact of the storm—stories of loss, resilience, anger and hope. The series preserves these testimonies as living history, offering listeners an intimate connection to the people and places forever changed by the disaster.

For more information about Mondo Bizarro visit www.mondobizarro.org.

If you are inclined to financially support this show and other programs of Mondo Bizarro you can make a one-time or recurring donation here.

Our theme music was composed by Peter Bowling.