Home Katrina 20
August 29, 2025 · Gulfside Assembly, Waveland, Mississippi
Remembrance, Resilience, and Resistance
The 20th Anniversary Commemoration of Hurricane Katrina, at sunrise on the beachfront where the storm came ashore.
A morning of reflection and hope
Twenty years after the storm, they came back to the water.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and changed thousands of lives forever. On August 29, 2025, more than 150 people gathered at sunrise on Gulfside Assembly’s beachfront property in Waveland — ground zero for the storm — to honor the past, celebrate survival and chart a path forward.
The commemoration, organized by the Steps Coalition and Gulfside Assembly, brought together faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions, along with survivors, volunteers and community advocates from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.
What remembrance looks like
A People’s Movement Assembly
The commemoration was built around a People’s Movement Assembly, a gathering designed to foster collective critical thinking, share survivor stories and build community power. Attendees heard directly from Katrina survivors in their own words, took part in healing exercises and joined discussions about community resilience.
By the numbers
One morning, many hands
- 150+
- attendees at sunrise
- 47
- volunteers
- 6
- faith leaders
- 3
- arts organizations
- 5
- food vendors
- 175
- commemorative t-shirts
- 200
- SWAPS emergency preparedness bags
With support from
- Foundation for Louisiana$63,000
- Hancock Whitney Bank$5,000
- The Groundwork Project$2,000
Voices of resilience
“We are united. We are powerful.”
“We all carry this trauma with us. This space is for us to reflect and then figure out a plan going forward so that we don’t feel like we felt in those days after Katrina.”
Commemoration participant
“It did bring people together because it hit everybody regardless of your faith tradition, your economic status. We are united. We are powerful.”
Commemoration participant
One attendee remembered returning to find nothing left at Gulfside, standing in the middle of the grounds with her sister, simply crying. Another described water bursting through the back door, forcing the family to escape through the attic.
The path forward
Building toward a more resilient future
Gulfside Assembly continues its mission through youth leadership programs, life skills training, college tours, senior services and community advocacy.
Looking ahead, Gulfside plans to develop its 70 acres, including 20 acres of beachfront, into a weather-resistant ministry center for retreats, conferences and education, and to create affordable housing that helps families build better futures.
The work of remembrance, resilience and resistance continues. Through sponsorship, partnership or simply sharing this story, you can help write the next chapter of a century-old legacy.
“May we rise up and bloom beautifully, boldly, brilliantly.”