In 2005, Hurricane Katrina prompted leaders to think beyond short-termism and confront deeper questions about risk, infrastructure and operational resilience. Twenty years later, Bumpy Triche, president, Southeast region, Gallagher, reflects on the storm that tested everything — from personal resilience to business continuity — and shares some of the hard-won lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Q: When you think back to Hurricane Katrina — 20 years ago now — what stands out most in your memory?
For me, the experience was something I'll always carry with me. I had moved my family to New Orleans only about a month before Hurricane Katrina. I was a young leader transitioning into a new role as branch president, and my daughter had just finished her first week of kindergarten.
When the storm entered the gulf, we had made the call to evacuate three days ahead. At that point, we honestly thought we would be back by Monday. I packed for a quick getaway: a book, a pair of swim trunks and some shorts. But as we know, the levees broke, and a true catastrophe followed.
What I remember most is the feeling of sheer uncertainty. As a leader and as an individual, I found myself facing situations I would never have imagined. It was uncharted territory — no playbooks, just a constant stream of unknowns. Navigating that uncertainty became one of the defining lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina: that leadership often means moving forward without a map.
The biggest thing weighing on my mind was who would be okay and who wouldn't. Ultimately, I realized I needed to see the situation for myself to understand what we were facing. With the help of a friend who was a FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] contractor, I was able to bypass the military blockade and drive back into the city. Our office building was located near the 17th Street canal, one of the major breach points.
We climbed 11 flights of stairs in the dark. The windows had blown out. I looked out and saw, to my left, Jefferson Parish — completely dry because the levees had held there. However, to my right, I watched Chinook helicopters dropping sandbags into the breach and rescue workers saving people from rooftops. As far as I could see, it was just water and devastation.
At that point, I concluded that most of our employees who lived in Jefferson Parish or the North Shore would likely be okay, despite some damage. However, those in New Orleans proper would be severely impacted. We began planning temporary housing for those affected employees — our first step towards planning our recovery.
Q: Through this personal upheaval, as a business affected by Hurricane Katrina, how did you keep things running smoothly in the middle of all the chaos?
When the levees broke, there were numerous questions about the impact on our clients and employees. It was also clear that our response around disaster recovery and business continuity for Hurricane Katrina had to be immediate and multi-layered.
We established a Hurricane Katrina insurance claims intake triage center in our Baton Rouge office. At the same time, we created a housing triage center by tracking down any available units for our displaced employees. Our Jackson office had secured 30 apartments, and a colleague in Baton Rouge, whose family was in real estate, helped us locate another 15.
The city itself was in rough shape, but by November, some of us were able to return home — at least those whose houses had only minor damage. Our New Orleans office wasn't usable yet, so we commuted to Baton Rouge daily for four to five months — cohabiting, leaning into remote work and just making it work, until the mold and water damage in our building could be remediated.
As one of the businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina, it wasn't easy. But we kept showing up; for each other and for our clients. Topping the list of key lessons learned was the realization that it wasn't just about getting through the event. It was about riding it out for months, kind of like what we saw later with COVID-19. That really forced us to rethink disaster recovery and business continuity for Hurricane Katrina on a different scale.
Q: What role did the insurance industry play in driving recovery and resilience from Katrina?
In catastrophes of this magnitude, when the insurance industry steps up and issues substantial payouts quickly, it makes a difference. After Katrina, the situation was complex, especially around the distinction between wind and water damage. A lot of people didn't have flood insurance, which made recovery a bit harder on an individual level.
However, many large employers, such as major assets and companies that drive the region's economy, had sophisticated, robust insurance programs in place and insurers were able to write substantial checks quickly for those Hurricane Katrina insurance claims. That infusion of capital allowed those companies to resume operations sooner, retain their people and ultimately played a major role in getting the economy moving again.
That kind of response was visible, and I think the public understood the impact of personalized policies and the industry's role in a very real way. It reminded all of us that, at its best, insurance isn't just about risk transfer, but resilience.
The rapid capital infusion from Hurricane Katrina insurance payouts helped businesses restart, retain staff and revive the economy. This visible impact reminded all of us that, at its best, insurance isn't just about risk transfer, but resilience.
Q: With extreme weather on the rise, how do you see insurance supporting disaster recovery and business continuity for Hurricane Katrina-like calamities, especially in vulnerable regions?
Last year, we had a rare snowy day in New Orleans and the entire city shut down. It was interesting, because while people here generally know how to prepare for hurricanes, no one knew what to do with snow. The snow day reminded us of a lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina: that unexpected weather of any kind can bring everything to a halt.
The truth is, without insurance, recovery is nearly impossible in climate calamities. Insurance protects the balance sheet and safeguards assets when individuals or businesses can't take on the risk themselves. A crucial part of the insurers' job is also to promote risk mitigation, whether by implementing contractual liability transfers, structuring specific risk transfer models or promoting best practices like loss control. All these significantly enhance resilience for businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina-like catastrophes, and the risks that follow.
For insurance to be sustainable, however, it has to be actuarially sound. Lately, we've seen unanticipated, unpriced events push some carriers out of entire markets. When that happens, you're not just facing higher premiums; you're facing a lack of access altogether.
This situation has been seen along the coastline and is especially concerning. Reflecting on the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina, it's important to understand that coasts like New Orleans aren't just scenic, they're also working coasts. You have vital assets out in the gulf that are essential to the economy — offshore energy infrastructure, shipping ports, etc. These cannot be easily relocated.
Q: How has New Orleans built itself back? How do lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and the past continue to shape the city today?
Hurricanes in this part of the world are nothing new. Our grandparents reminisce about them. We have experienced them. These storms have left a mark and become defining moments for our community.
What made Hurricane Katrina so impactful? The lessons learned defined our rebuilding and resiliency efforts after the storm. Since Katrina, the city has made important improvements: upgrading the levee system, drainage, stormwater pumps and building other storm-ready infrastructure. However, the biggest positive outcome of Hurricane Katrina is the resilience, unity and shared purpose among people to overcome the disaster and make things work — a rekindling of the community spirit which carries through to today.
Looking back, it's impressive how well we managed to pull it off, even if we were "winging it" a bit along the way.
Published September 2025
