Surviving the heat and reclaiming the land in the Lower 9th Ward

On this week’s episode, we visit the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the neighborhood still carries the scars of the storm — from empty lots to relentless heat.

Public health reporter Drew Hawkins examines how rising temperatures are reshaping daily life for seniors in New Orleans — from sleepless nights to skyrocketing energy bills.

WWNO and WRKF’s Coastal Desk reporter Eva Tesfaye brings us the story of an artist who fought to reclaim her family’s land and is now building something new: a garden rooted in both her Black and Indigenous ancestry.

This episode is hosted by Orlando Flores Jr. The podcast is produced by Drew Hawkins, Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Joseph King is our social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

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Public Health

Rising temperatures, utility bills take heavy toll on seniors in the Lower 9th Ward

Drew Hawkins

As temperatures in New Orleans continue to increase because of climate change, air conditioners struggle to keep up, driving up utility bills.

Listen • 3:52

Katrina 20

An artist reclaimed her family’s land 20 years after Katrina and turned into a garden

Eva Tesfaye

Two decades after Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans still has plenty of vacant lots, especially in the majority Black neighborhood of the Lower Ninth Ward. One artist has navigated a bureaucratic city program to reclaim her family’s land, with the help of her community.

Listen • 7:38