The destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, seen from the air

Thirteen years ago today (Aug. 29), Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 3 storm. It remains one of the deadliest and costliest storms in US history, claiming more than a thousand lives and causing $125 billion in damage. New Orleans, where breached levees resulted in flooding for much of the city, was hit hard.

Even as the city has slowly rebuilt, aerial photos from 13 years ago of the  devastation its people endured still have the power to shock.