20 Years Later, How Hurricane Katrina Forever Changed MusiCares’ Approach to Disaster Recovery (Guest Column)

Perhaps more than any other city, New Orleans is a music town. In the Big Easy, music is more than an economic or cultural factor; it’s atmospheric and generational in the way it defines and binds communities. When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans two decades ago, it shattered our perceptions of how destructive natural disasters could be. It didn’t just wash away homes and businesses, though; it paused the city’s music, its lifeblood. In New Orleans, brass bands, jazz clubs, second lines and neighborhood gigs are not just entertainment; they are part of the social fabric.

It was also a pivotal moment in recognizing the role of music in disaster recovery. While we don’t always appreciate the power of music when we have it, we know and feel when it is gone. After Katrina, the silence across the city was nearly as haunting as the wreckage itself, and it became clear just how much communities rely on music to heal and come together.

For musicians, the devastation was personal and immediate: entire collections of instruments were lost to floodwaters, vintage and one-of-a-kind gear gone, and the venues that sustained them shuttered indefinitely. More than half of New Orleans’ 5,000 musicians were displaced. In 2005, MusiCares, the leading non-profit supporting music professionals, was one of the first responders in New Orleans. At the time, we had no apparatus for disaster response, but knew our community was hurting. Our staff handed out cash and essential supplies from their cars to music people in need. In the days and weeks after the storm, MusiCares provided more than $1.7 million in direct assistance to 2,400 music professionals and their families.  While our contribution was a very small fraction of the aid that rebuilt New Orleans, by investing in the recovery of music, our efforts had considerable ripple effects on the economic and social well-being of communities. MusiCares’ work was one piece of a larger recovery, getting music people what they needed so they could keep the music playing, and in turn provide a soundtrack to the city’s revival.

Katrina was our first true lesson in disaster response and marked the beginning of a new approach for how we prepare for and respond to disasters that threaten the music community.

It was also a turning point in understanding that for communities to recover, music needs to recover. Disasters, whether natural or economic, have unique and devastating effects on the millions of people in the U.S. who work in music. Many people who work in music live paycheck to paycheck. After 35 years of support for music professionals, we know that as little as one gig can mean the difference between making rent or not. The livelihoods of so many in music are also dependent on highly specialized gear and instruments. The loss of income after a disaster can be immediate if their gear is damaged or venues and studios are destroyed. For music professionals, a lost gig is not just lost income. It can mean lost connection, lost purpose, and often, lost hope.

The mental health needs of music professionals are also unique. Our research shows that suicidal ideation among music professionals is two to three times higher than that of the general population. Disasters can have devastating consequences for this community in the absence of immediate and long-term mental health support.

The challenges of Katrina set the stage for how disasters affect music communities everywhere.  Over the past two decades, similar patterns have emerged during crises: Musicians and crews face immediate financial and emotional strain, and communities feel the ripple effects when critical spaces are destroyed. Since Katrina, MusiCares has built a robust and comprehensive disaster safety net for music professionals. We have provided over $45 million in emergency and long-term recovery assistance to tens of thousands of music people impacted by dozens of natural and economic disasters.

Through our data and collaborations, we continue to learn and better understand how comprehensive and far-reaching the impact of disasters is on music people. In the early days of our response, our priority was the essentials: financial assistance for basic living needs — the first step in helping music professionals get back on stage, back in studios and back to fueling the communities that rely on them.

During the COVID pandemic, we saw how financial insecurity impacted mental health and substance use and substantially scaled our support in these areas. And the effects of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 demonstrated how essential it is to marshal a comprehensive and long-term response. While MusiCares has provided over $7 million in assistance already, we know that our support to those directly and indirectly impacted by the fires will continue for years to come.

The recovery of New Orleans showed us what’s truly at stake. Katrina taught us that music isn’t a luxury, it’s essential infrastructure. When music professionals can return to their work, people gather, communities heal and resilience emerges. As large-scale disasters and crises become more frequent, destructive and far-reaching, investing in people who make music possible is one of the most powerful ways to help communities recover and thrive. Investing in music professionals to rebuild and recover isn’t just good for music; it’s good for all of us.

Theresa Wolters is executive director of MusiCares and Harvey Mason Jr. is CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares.