New Orleans poet Shelton “Shakespear” Alexander performs an original poem about his experience taking shelter at the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina.

FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

RELATED CONTENT

When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days later with a truckload of people and video documentation of history.

Survivors talk about the impact of Hurricane Katrina, 10 years after the historic storm devastated the Gulf Coast.

This clip from "History Uncut" provides aerial video of New Orleans, taken from a news helicopter, shortly after Hurricane Katrina. This provides a unique perspective of the devastation that Katrina wreaked on the city.

One year after Hurricane Katrina landed on the Gulf Coast, a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s helicopter crew remembers the swath of destruction he viewed from above on August 29, 2005.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Laurence Nettles describes helicopter rescues and details how the Coast Guard prepared for Hurricane Katrina.

A November 29, 2005, report of the year's hurricane season singles out Katrina, the category-3 storm that hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, as the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history.