METAIRIE – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) joined elected and community leaders in the New Orleans area today to mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, honor those who died, and celebrate the progress the community has made in recovering from the disaster. His first stop was in Chalmette, where he commended the St. Bernard Parish School System for its recovery from the storm.
“After Katrina, St. Bernard’s citizens were determined to recover,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Today, schools are open, seniors are earning scholarships, and all of their students are benefitting from a great education. There is hope again in St. Bernard Parish.”
When Hurricane Katrina struck St. Bernard Parish, nearly every building in the parish was flooded, including public schools. Since then, the St. Bernard Parish School District has made great strides in educating their students. The district offers free preschool for all 4-year-olds, and its graduating high school class of 2025 set a local record when it earned $21 million dollars in scholarship offers for college.
Cassidy has also worked to support St. Bernard Parish in addressing its infrastructure and emergency services needs. Via his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Cassidy secured over $1.8 million for the LA 39: Orleans P/L – North Avenue project, among other projects. He has also secured $4 million in a Fiscal Year 2026 Senate appropriations bill to build a new fire station.
While there, Cassidy was joined by St. Bernard Parish School District Superintendent Doris Voitier.
“We are grateful for Senator Cassidy coming to our breakfast to congratulate our teachers, principals and community on our recovery from Hurricane Katrina,” said Superintendent Voitier. “Despite the devastation wrought by Katrina, we have made great strides in rebuilding our school system, and take pride in the accomplishments of our students and teachers. We appreciate Senator Cassidy’s friendship and support of our efforts.”
Later, Cassidy joined Rebuilding Together New Orleans and United Way of Southeast Louisiana to open a new resiliency center on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans. The center will serve as a critical hub for disaster preparedness, response and recovery from natural disasters in New Orleans.
“When hurricanes strike, people need help right away,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This resiliency center will be enormously helpful in quickly getting food, clean water, and other resources to people in need. Thank you United Way and Rebuilding Together for your forethought and commitment to New Orleans.”
In addition to its core responsibilities, the resiliency center will foster collaboration between United Way, Rebuilding Together and other non-profit organizations, including HandsOn New Orleans, Ride NOLA, New Orleans ToolBank and LA GreenCorps.
Cassidy joined local and state officials and non-profit and business leaders in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the center. Among others present were Mr. William Stoudt, Executive Director of Recovering Together.
“This project is about shifting from recovery to readiness,” said Mr. Stoudt. “We can no longer use the term ‘resiliency’ to sidestep the broader, serious challenges facing our community. We are flipping the narrative. What if we didn’t have to be ‘resilient’ after every disaster because we were already equipped and prepared? By bringing trusted partners together under one roof, RTNO is proud to build a future where our community can thrive before and after disaster strikes.”
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