NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has released Riding Out the Storm: 20 Years After Katrina, a short documentary marking the agency’s recovery and growth since Hurricane Katrina. The film features past and present RTA employees sharing their experiences during the storm and the critical months that followed. 

“August 29 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina changed our city and our transit system,” said Lona Edwards Hankins, CEO of the New Orleans RTA. “This film honors the employees who worked to restore service, reconnect communities, and stabilize the agency during one of its most difficult times. Their efforts laid the foundation for the progress we’ve made since.” 

Hurricane Katrina devastated RTA’s operations, destroying 202 of the agency’s 365 buses. Today, the fleet stands at 108 reflecting both the lasting impacts of the storm and RTA’s ongoing push to modernize. Lessons from 2005 have shaped RTA’s approach to emergency preparedness, and the agency continues to pursue federal funding to expand and upgrade its fleet.

Riding Out the Storm uses firsthand accounts and archival footage to highlight employee dedication and document RTA’s path from emergency response to rebuilding and modernization. Special thanks to Kevin Ricard, Alonzo Booth, Charmaine Jackson, Tyronne Morris, Lisa Smith, Dina Lavigne, Michael Lee, Howard Amos, Donald Lymous, and Jacques Robichaux for sharing their personal experiences and memories from Hurricane Katrina, helping preserve the history of the RTA’s recovery for future generations.

The full video is available to watch here: norta.com/riding-out-the-storm.

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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana which is operated by an independent Board of Commissioners that serves Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. The agency operates car and passenger ferries, fixed-route buses, paratransit, streetcar, and limited on-demand service.