Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region 10 years ago, severely flooding New Orleans and leaving 1,833 people dead. Since then, local communities in the city have been rebuilding -- where there were once flooded houses, there are now new buildings and neighborhoods.
In May of this year, Getty Images photojournalist Mario Tama visited the region to take dramatic before-and-after photos. His images show that the future of New Orleans is hopeful, but there is still work to be done.
WARNING: Some images contain disturbing content.
THEN: Robert Fontaine walks past a burning house fire in the 7th Ward on Sept. 6, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: Houses stand in the 7th Ward on May 12, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,836 and is considered the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, is August 29.
THEN: Water floods an above-ground cemetery outside Saint Patrick's Church in Plaquemines Parish on Sept. 11, 2005, in Port Sulphur, Louisiana.
NOW: The cemetery outside Saint Patrick's Church stands in Plaquemines Parish on May 16, 2015, in Port Sulphur, Louisiana.
THEN: Two men paddle in high water on Aug. 31, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: A school bus drops off a student in front of the Claiborne Bridge in the Lower 9th Ward on May 12, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
THEN: The body of a female victim of Hurricane Katrina floats in the water surrounding the Superdome on Sept. 2, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: A woman walks along the perimeter of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on May 18, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
THEN: A lightning bolt strikes above a destroyed church in the Lower 9th Ward on Aug. 5, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: New homes stand in the Lower 9th Ward on May 15, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
THEN: A group of Amish student volunteers tour the devastated 9th Ward on Feb. 24, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: New homes stand in a development built by the Make It Right Foundation for residents whose homes were destroyed in the Lower 9th Ward on May 16, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
THEN: A man rides in a canoe in high water after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area on Aug. 31, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: A woman walks with a dog in the Lower Ninth Ward on May 16, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
THEN: B.W. Cooper housing project residents practice flips using mattresses on June 10, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NOW: Rubble remains at the former B.W. Cooper housing projects on May 12, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The low-income housing development, which was plagued by crime, has been replaced by two-story, townhouse-style buildings.