This month, I find myself pausing just like many of you to remember where we were twenty years ago when Hurricane Katrina changed everything. None of us who lived through it will ever forget: the lives lost, families displaced, and the weight our city carried in those uncertain days. 

At RTA, Katrina tested us in ways we could never have imagined. But what carried us through then, and what carries us still, is the dedication of our people—our operators, mechanics, dispatchers, and every member of this team. To honor them, we’ve created a short film, Riding Out the Storm: 20 Years After Katrina. It tells their stories in their own words—then and now—and shows how far we’ve come. It’s a testament to how much our agency has grown, adapted, and continues to evolve to better serve our riders every day. 

As we reflect on the past, we are reminded that the lessons of Hurricane Katrina remain vital today. With peak hurricane season underway, we continue our commitment to keeping our community safe. Our team is ready to support residents, new and long-time, by preparing evacuation plans, inspecting equipment, and coordinating with city partners. When a storm threatens, you can count on RTA to step into its role in New Orleans’ City-Assisted Evacuation (CAE) Plan and help our community get to safety. 

Thank you for riding with us. Whether it’s to work, to see friends, or across the river on the ferry, your trust inspires us to keep moving forward stronger, safer, and better prepared than we were twenty years ago.  

Stay safe. Stay ready. And know that when you need us most, RTA will be there. 

Sincerely,  

RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins joined city leaders, emergency managers, and community advocates for the Mayor’s K20 Summit, commemorating 20 years since Hurricane Katrina. As part of the panel “Emergency Preparedness: Two Decades of Disaster Response,” moderated by Camille Whitworth, CEO Hankins highlighted how RTA has strengthened its resilience since 2005. 

From improved evacuation planning and communication strategies to stronger coordination with city and federal partners, RTA’s preparedness efforts continue to evolve to ensure riders’ safety during emergencies. 

The K20 Summit reflects on the lessons learned after Katrina while charting a path toward a more resilient, evolved, and empowered New Orleans for the next two decades. 

Beginning Sunday, September 7, RTA will roll out its Fall 2025 Service Change with a few select route and schedule updates. One of the highlights: a brand-new stop at DePaul Health Center—added directly in response to community requests from riders and operators in Algiers. 

You spoke up, and we listened. After reviewing the request through our Service Standards, our team determined the change was both feasible and justified. Instead of waiting for the larger Algiers Service Improvement Plan, we acted quickly to bring better access to healthcare for our riders now. 

In addition, while routes 114A Garden Oaks–Sullen and 114B Garden Oaks–Woodland remain on detour to avoid road conditions on Vespasian Blvd., they will also serve the new DePaul stop until further notice. 

This is just one more way RTA is working together with the community to keep New Orleans moving. 

To improve accessibility for all riders, RTA is conducting a Universal Accessibility Study, and we want to hear from you! Take the survey to provide input on your experience using RTA services. Do you face any challenges using the bus, streetcar or ferry because of an impairment or other challenge?   

Share your feedback by October 7th to help make transit better for everyone. Take the survey at the link below more and visit here for more information.

Jack Miller – Bus Operator (Operations) 
Jack has been employed with RTA for 32 years as a Bus Operator, with an on-time performance of 92.6%. He consistently shows a positive attitude, always greets passengers with a smile, is patient, respectful, and extremely professional. Jack enjoys being an operator and building relationships with his co-workers.   Jack was instrumental in ensuring the community was on alert when he noticed someone starting a fire. Jack began to alert those in the community who also aided in stopping the individual from doing further harm. Jack enjoys college football, and his favorite team is Alabama – Roll Tide! He enjoys cruising, jazz music, family time with his grandchildren and daughters, and his passion is communicating with the younger new hires that RTA is the best employer in the city. Jack plans to retire from RTA. 

Betty Morgan – Maintenance (Statistical Clerk) 
Betty has been employed with the RTA for 27 years as a Statistical Clerk. Betty takes great pride in keeping a clean workspace which is an organized and safe environment. Betty is very interactive with the roadway team and committed to making sure they are helped promptly. Betty enjoys working alongside her colleagues as it is a family environment. Her favorite past times are working on her home, travelling and maintaining her lawn, which she learned to do while working in Roadway. Betty has 4 children, 9 grandchildren and plans to retire from RTA.