On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, changing the landscape and lives of thousands of people. Homes were lost. Power and water gone. Entire neighborhoods destroyed. Our shipyard was flooded and damaged but never abandoned.
Two decades later, shipbuilders who lived through those days still remember the heat, the mud, the heartbreak—and the way we came together to bring our shipyard back to life .
These are their stories, in their own words.
We stepped up then—and still do now.
Jody Johnson, Test & Trials
“I rode out the storm on LPD 19 with another shipbuilder. I had previously ridden out Hurricane George at Ingalls but that was NOTHING compared to Katrina. It was an experience no one who was here will ever forget.
This storm was like no other. Sheets of blinding rain accompanied by gale force winds were almost non-stop. We watched in amazement and terror as entire Conex buildings and entire spools of cable were floating down the track. At one point, there were so many spools in the river it looked as if one could walk from the West Bank to the East Bank. We watched an entire pier float by the ship. Then, a barge that had broken loose barely missed our hull before hitting DDG in front of us and washing up on land near the steel yard.
We had lights, power and air conditioning on the ship until we ran out of fuel. We then sat in the medical areas that had emergency lights and made the best of a terrible situation. We went from being shipbuilders that see one another at work and hardly ever speak to knowing almost every person on the hull.
Once the storm had passed, we were briefed on how bad things were. We didn’t know how bad things were outside the yard. Vehicles, cell phones, it was all useless. That’s when reality started to sit in.
I saw the best and the worst of people during this time, and I’ve never forgotten any of it. But I still respond every time the call goes out for storm riders because, as shipbuilders, that’s what we do.”
The work was hard—but we did it.
Marcus Richardson, Supply Chain Management
“The days after Katrina were hot and devastating. Just seeing all the trees down, houses were gone off their slabs, power lines laying everywhere. I knew then we had suffered a great catastrophe. The call soon came to volunteer to return to work and help get the shipyard back operational. The first day back was mind-blowing. Mud was piled up everywhere. Buildings were moved. Trailers turned over and scattered. Being the shipbuilders we are, we laced up our boots and got this shipyard back up and running to continue building the world’s greatest ships for the U.S. Navy. It was hard work shoveling all that dirt, but we overcame it despite so many of us dealing with damage to our own homes. We showed our Ingalls pride and got right back to work.”
We came together like family.
Jenni Jones, Hull
“I can remember those days like it was yesterday. Two days after the storm, I walked into the Wet Dock building on the second floor and could see daylight shining through the end. That’s when I really understood how bad it was. Lines for food and to process payroll were already being set up. I ran food plates to the workers on the ship, delivering them breakfast and lunch. Those days were hot and miserable, but I have never seen a group come together like this shipbuilder family did. Most of us were dealing with losing everything in our homes, talking to insurance companies and FEMA, yet we came to work to get our shipyard back up and running. I will forever be grateful for the company’s support during that time. Those memories and friendships are still strong today.”
We worked as a team.
Michael Parker, Workforce Development
“For many days, we were cleaning mud out of our boxes. We cleaned so many fittings, threw away a lot of wet papers. It was hot. It was humid. We tried to save as much material as we could. But through all of that, I saw how everybody was working together to save this shipyard. People were more concerned with getting the shipyard back to normal, and we got it done as a team.”
We repaired our shipyard.
Richard Gagnon, Paint
“I remember it well, the initial shock of seeing our shipyard in such a bad way due to the power of nature just a few days after it happened. But it was awesome to see how our shipbuilders stepped up to get it all back on track. And the company’s efforts to help us were tremendous. We were served breakfast and lunch, which was a blessing since most of us were without power for weeks. The company even gave us gas, which was hard to find. Ingalls made sure we had what we needed. Because of that, we were focused on repairing America’s shipyard.”
We took care of each other.
Chris Fryfogle, Facilities
“Ingalls took good care of us while we were putting the shipyard back together. We had plenty of food, water, and anything else we needed to stay going.”
We learned how important the people around us are.
David Bendana, Law Department
“I would come back to New Orleans by myself, even during the mandatory evacuation period, to pick up the pieces of our home and those of our family and neighbors. Avondale and the West Bank of New Orleans fared better, so I would use a shower at the Rock House while staying at our house with no electricity or running water. I’m grateful for the support that Ingalls provided during those times. Ultimately, the experience taught me that if you have your family with you that’s all that really matters.”
These stories are only a few among thousands—of courage, teamwork, resilience and pride. We’ll never forget what we lost, how we rebuilt, or why we do what we do.
WE ARE INGALLS STRONG.
SEE MORE:
Watch the WLOX story featuring Ingalls Storm Riders Jody Johnson and Chris Helton: https://www.wlox.com/2025/08/20/riders-storm-ingalls-shipbuilders-relive-hurricane-katrina/