Hurricane Katrina

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina became one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in U.S. history, making landfall on August 29, 2005, as a powerful Category 3 storm. With winds over 125 mph, a storm surge of more than 25 feet, and catastrophic levee failures that left nearly 80% of New Orleans underwater, the disaster displaced hundreds of thousands and claimed more than 1,800 lives.

For Osage Ambulance District, Katrina marked the first large-scale disaster response in our history. Our community came together to gather supplies and equipment to support our crews as they deployed south to assist. Donations poured into our EMS base and were shuttled to the areas in greatest need. Osage Medic 61 and a dedicated team of EMS professionals spent several days in the disaster zone, serving in many capacities — from staffing temporary medical shelters and assisting hospitals to evacuations and providing whatever aid was requested by local authorities.

Today, we pause to honor the lives lost, the resilience of those impacted, and the unwavering commitment of EMS providers — including our own — who answered the call when help was needed most.