Katrina: Come Hell and High Water - How many people died in the hurricane? Disturbing details from the 2005 devastation, revisited

The documentary series, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, looks at the devastating effects of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and the impact it left upon the survivors and the communities after twenty years. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Spike Lee, and Samantha Knowles, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water is a documentary show that premiered on Netflix on August 27, 2025.

The show is produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks and Message Pictures and is a well-researched and informative documentary that features interviews with the survivors of the storm and the ground-zero impact of the deadly natural phenomenon twenty years after it first hit the coastal regions.

Here are some details about the casualty count of Hurricane Katrina and further details about the docuseries.

Katrina: Come Hell and High Water - How many people died in the hurricane and other details about the devastation it caused

As per CNN, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, on August 29, 2005, and had wind speeds of 127 mph. The storm wreaked havoc upon cities along the Gulf Coast, which included New Orleans.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report, the number of fatalities due to the storm is as follows:

Direct deaths – 520

Indirect deaths – 565

Indeterminate cause – 307

Total number of fatalities – 1392.

According to the report, 40% of the deaths were caused by drowning, 25% by injury and trauma, and 11% by heart conditions.

According to the statistics released by CNN, more than one million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm and almost 273,000 people had to be housed in hurricane relief shelters.

Further, the population of New Orleans fell from 484,674 in April 2000 to 230,172 in July 2006, which was a decrease of over 50%. By 2022, the population had increased to 369,749, according to the Census.

More details about Katrina: Come Hell and High Water

According to Netflix’s official website, Tudum, the documentary series, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, features stories of the survivors in their own words and describes how the storm changed the city of New Orleans forever. The show is also a testament to the resilience of the people in the city. Some of the people featured in the show are Shelton Alexander, former New Orleans Mayors Marc H. Morial and Mitch Landrieu, and journalist and former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien.

New Orleans is susceptible to flooding as the city lies below sea level and is surrounded by a lake and the Mississippi River. The earthen levees and flood barriers were built in the 20th century and were not suitable for a slow-moving yet gigantic storm like Katrina. Even though the city has faced major storms before, nothing was quite like Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, therefore, packs heartfelt emotions and shocking facts, and showrunner Alisa Payne states to Netflix that,

“Twenty years later, at this moment in our history, this series feels even more urgent and relevant.”

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