This is American Routes, twenty years after the storm and flood that left 80% of New Orleans underwater. We’re still rebuilding. Many New Orleanians haven’t come back; areas of the city remain empty, and musical leaders and recovery advocates like Dr. John and Allen Toussaint have passed. Some things have changed for the better, but we still remember what it was like before the storm. New Orleans soul singer Irma Thomas was among many who lost everything to Katrina: her home and her beloved nightclub, the Lion’s Den. Irma set up a temporary home in Gonzales, LA, about forty miles upriver. When Irma returned to her New Orleans house for the first time, the muck was deep. Seven feet of floodwater ruined everything inside except for a few posters on the wall. Two years after the storm, she was back living in New Orleans East and working on the house. We caught up with her in that year, while her front fence was being spray-painted.

In the 9th Ward, New Orleans’ Musicians’ Village has been training the next generation of musical talent while providing affordable housing to many artists.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Antigravity Magazine played a vital role in helping local media dispel rumors and keep their audience informed.

WWNO/WRKF has been airing What Was Lost, a new series from Verite News featuring audio essays and stories about things people lost to the storm, be it physical or emotional possessions.

We are live with BeauSoleil, the venerable Cajun roots, folk and modernist band, looking back and ahead after fifty years. Brothers Michael and David Doucet were joined by Michael’s son Matthew, also a fiddler and a fiddle maker. I asked David Doucet what’s it like being in a band with his brother Michael.

The Historic New Orleans Collection spotlights Father Vien Nguyen, who describes his experience riding out the Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath with his parishioners at Mary Queen of Vietnam in New Orleans East.

What opportunities remain are paying less. Gigs back home aren’t earning what they used to either.

This is American Routes, I'm Nick Spitzer. It’s no secret, here and worldwide, we’re in a time of turmoil, in government, political attacks, secrecy and war. We asked you, our listeners, to help pick music and musicians that deal with the troubles, and we added a few songs and singers that fit the mood as best we could. They include the Staple Singers, Allen Toussaint, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Toots and the Maytals, Son Volt, Carole King and John Coltrane. ***Content warning: This episode contains the word “Goddamn” at 1:29. It is not bleeped.”