2005: Hurricane Katrina wipes out New Orleans

Friday, August 29, 2014, 9:54 AM - On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast with blinding sheets of rain and winds of 225 km/h. 

An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded after the levee system failed, killing over at least 1,800 people as water rushed through the city.

"Hands down the most intense experience of my life," says Stormhunter Mark Robinson, who was in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. "The winds were like nothing I've ever experienced before ...there was debris flying past us, it was just amazing to see."

Hurricane Katrina opened everybody's eyes to the power of natural disasters.

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The storm produced catastrophic damage - topping $100 billion - making it the costliest U. S. hurricane on record. 

This tropical cyclone formed from the combination of a tropical wave, an upper-level trough, and the mid-level remnants of Tropical Depression Ten.

Katrina brought between 250-355 mm of rain to southern Florida, and 200-300 mm of rain as it moved inland from the northern Gulf coast. 

An astonishing 33 tornadoes were reported from the storm. 

Bridges, roads and sewers, all had to be rebuilt and federal officials have since invested $10 billion to improve levees across the region.

Home owners have also invested their time and money to build taller, stronger homes.