Remembering Katrina, Celebrating Resilience
Hancock Whitney remembers Hurricane Katrina and celebrates the resiliency of the Gulf South 20 years later.
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John Hairston
August 29, 2025 |
When we’re born and raised in the Gulf South, a captivating regional voice becomes an inherent part of us. It’s a subconscious call that often keeps us here, brings us back, and beckons well beyond our cities and towns, telling others what we have to offer. It’s an inner refrain that tells us we’re where we ought to be, a deep-rooted sense of place accented by distinct quality of life.
It’s a voice that reminds us, too, that there are concessions to consider when we live along the Gulf Coast corridor, including the potential for hurricanes.
Leo W. Seal, Jr., one of our Hancock Whitney organization’s top executives for 45 years, believed that those who choose to live in one of the Gulf Coast states would likely face at least three major storms. He professed that possibility to be simply a part of life in the region. Leo saw the unnamed hurricane of 1947 and Camille in 1969.
Then, there was Hurricane Katrina.
Creating Hope Together
Even Leo acknowledged that Katrina proved to be no average storm. Called a Category 3 hurricane at landfall, Katrina slammed the central Gulf Coast and inland communities with relentless Category 5 fury on August 29, 2005. In 12 terrible hours, lives changed. Lives were lost. For many, life would never be the same. Leo recognized the calamity; but he also saw the hope that would come from unity.
He, like so many other leaders, knew the resilience and resolve that are simply part of the Gulf South’s character would, indeed, prevail; and, it did. In Katrina’s wake, we stood in shock. We shed tears. Then, together, we got busy with the business of recovery and rebuilding.
Within hours of the storm, our communities came together to jumpstart recovery. Within days, we worked closely with countless first responders and volunteers to clean up and keep moving forward. Within months, we had built the bright promise that things would get better.
At Hancock Whitney, our associates took charge, checking on clients and staging makeshift banking sites amid the debris of damaged or destroyed branches. They knew cash would be king in a post-storm climate. Without hesitation, they gave clients and non-clients up to $500, often based solely on handwritten IOUs. Their trust helped hundreds of storm victims survive. Those associates knew the bank’s role was to help create that hope so critical to regional recovery.
Standing Strong
Hurricane Katrina redefined life for many of us; but the storm did not defeat us. Rather, that unexpected crisis reconfirmed what we already knew: We’re tough. We’re strong. We’ll be even stronger and better. Without question, the Gulf Coast region affected by the storm rose again.
Hancock Whitney is a business that will never know completion—growing and evolving to help people, businesses, and communities succeed. Today, we consistently rate as one of America’s strongest, safest financial institutions. The Gulf South is like that, too, growing and evolving as one of the country’s most dynamic destinations, welcoming new residents and businesses hearing that call to “come home.”
Twenty years after one of America’s most devastating natural disasters, we at Hancock Bank pay tribute to the strength and determination of the Gulf South’s people, whose resilient spirit and sheer toughness took us through Hurricane Katrina. We say thanks to countless individuals and organizations from across the globe arriving to help without any ask. We salute first responders and healthcare workers whose courage and sacrifices secured our welfare and safety.
We at Hancock Whitney are proud to call the Gulf South home since 1899. We’re honored to be part of the regional renaissance that has taken place during the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina. Most important, we’re grateful to everyone, including our clients, leaders, and associates past and present who have been integral in keeping our communities and our company strong and vibrant.
Together, we rebuilt.
