Hurricane Katrina was one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States. The most severe loss of life and property damage occurred in New Orleans, which flooded as the levee system failed catastrophically, in many cases hours after the storm had moved inland. The hurricane caused severe destruction across the entire Mississippi coast and into Alabama, as far as 100 miles from the storm's center.

Quick Facts:

Total deaths attributed to hurricane · More than 1,600
Number of homes destroyed · More than 200,000
Number of people displaced from their home · About 1 million
Insured property damage · $25.3 billion in insurance claims

Our Partner: Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. Habitat seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in August and September of 2005 more than 50,000 people have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

Trip Description:

Teams drive down to the Gulf region to help build homes. They will also explore the city of New Orleans to see the destruction and status of rebuilding efforts there.