Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast in fall 2005, the biggest disaster in modern U.S. history. What happened to the park? What's happened since?

The Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette, the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, and the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice were not damaged by the storms but were used as staging areas for National Park Service disaster recovery teams.

The French Quarter Visitor Center in New Orleans suffered roof damage and power outages but reopened in mid-October 2005.

Long-term damage occured at the Barataria Preserve (which reopened in early October 2005). Chalmette Battlefield reopened in September 2006, but some buildings there remain closed for ongoing repairs. For more information on these sites, see the frequently updated hurricane recovery fact sheets for Chalmette Battlefield and the Barataria Preserve.