Tegan Wendland

It's been 15 years since Hurricane Katrina walloped New Orleans and the surrounding area. There have been many improvements since, but the storm has also exposed decades of racial inequalities.

Smoke is rising over the city from a plant complex that makes chlorine for swimming pools, according to a state official. Residents are advised to shelter in place until further notice.

In New Orleans, Bourbon Street is empty, shops on Magazine Street are closed and masses are canceled at Saint Louis Cathedral as confirmed cases of COVID-19 rise.

An industrial corridor in Louisiana is expanding again, fueled by the boom in natural gas. Residents worried about air pollution have launched new efforts to stop the factories.

Hurricane Barry last weekend was just the latest to batter Louisiana's coast. The state is trying to preserve some traditions before they disappear.

New Orleans has seen a boom of Airbnbs. What to do about it is dividing city residents and pitting two goals against each other: economic activity and preserving the culture of the city.

Last month, city officials announced they had pulled 93,000 pounds of old beads out of catch basins along the parade route. So the city created a new system of bead-blockers to keep the drains clear.

The state is losing land faster than just about anywhere else in the world, but says it can't protect everyone from flooding. It created a program to buy out 2,400 homes, but it's not funded.

The Corps, which built the levees and floodwalls that failed during Hurricane Katrina, is back to propose a new infrastructure project. It's not going over well.

Louisiana has a $90 billion plan to fight coastal erosion. Gov. John Bel Edwards says suing oil and gas firms, which have contributed to the damage, will help foot the bill. But he faces obstacles.