Interactive Narratives

In the five years since Hurricane Katrina (quickly followed by Hurricane Rita) ravaged the Gulf Coast, USA TODAY has written extensively about the rebuilding efforts there. In this project, we try to sum up where we stand, half a decade after the storms hit. Has life there changed forever? Are people coming back? Although this is neither the first - nor the last - look at the lasting effects on the Gulf Coast, we hope this multimedia project helps answer those and other questions. More…

Hurricane Ike tore through Texas, leaving destruction behind. Take a look at some of the damaged areas. More…

Powerful panorama: Kimothy Guy and his two sons, Kimothy, 12, and James, 7 examine the debris floating in the backyard of their home in Cocodrie, La., about 30 miles south of Houma, La., one of the coastal communities severely damaged during Hurricane Gustav. More…

An interactive look at Gustav's path of destruction with photos, video and details from the scene. The interactive includes layers showing population density and previous hurricane paths on a map of the Gulf. A separate New Orleans map includes layers showing population density, areas flooded in Katrina, levee locations and levees breached during Katrina. More…

A walking tour of three neighborhoods last month offered a glimpse into the uneven nature of post-Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts throughout New Orleans. Though in some estimates the city may have recovered up to 70 percent of its population, about 65,000 residences "more than a third of the total" remain blighted. More…

By now, the initial images are familiar: rows of city blocks flooded past the horizon, crowds outside the Superdome begging for help, hundreds stranded on highways looking for somewhere to go. Two years after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the story is no longer about leaving. It's about coming home. For many, that process has not been easy. Tens of thousands of houses still remain empty, a majority of them belonging to the poor. In New Orleans alone, most of the 77,000 rental units have not been rebuilt. As staggering as the numbers are, though, they cannot do justice to the emotional turmoil left in the hurricane's wake. Just what does it take for a family to start over? How does one survive not only the loss of a house, but the very real economic hardships of paltry insurance payments and lack of jobs, housing, and so many basic needs. Photojournalist Brenda Ann Kenneally, originally on assignment for The New York Times Magazine, documents the seemingly endless struggles some families face as they set about Finding the Way Home: Two Years After Katrina. More…

Videojournalist Travis Fox returns to New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina, where efforts to revive the city are slowly moving forward. More…

AP's global storm tracker features live data on wind speed, the latest storm advisories and links to related stories. More…

A risk-estimator Web site that tracks Atlantic Ocean tropical storm and hurricane activity, and helps users assess at-risk buildings and report actual damage. The database was created from public records of 8 million properties in the state. Visitors can chart a storm's path, make damage predictions and view 155 years' worth of hurricane paths and damage on an interactive map. More…

NOAA flies two Tampa-based Lockheed WP-3D Orions into storms to collect data. Slicing through the eye in a crisscross pattern, they collect three-dimensional information over the ocean where few buoys can contribute data. More…