liz mccartney became the first cnn hero of the year in 2008, recognition for her work in new orleansrricane katrina. >> i was so really happy for the people of new orleans and louisiana to shine the spotlight on people and problems post-katrina was a really important moment and support came pouring in. a lot of donations, a lot of new volunteers. >> since then her nonprofit known as sbp has expanded its reach far beyond new orleans. >> we were in joplin, missouri, responding to a tornado, to sandy, hurricane harvey in houston, in the bahamas. we are responded to hurricane dorian, and in puerto rico as well. since 2006, sbp has rebuilt more than 3,000 homes in more than 15 communities. >> now liz and her team also work to reduce the impact of storms before they strike. >> we want to make sure that people have the right insurance, and that homes are built resiliently. we want to make sure that people don't have to endure what many families had to after katrina. >> this year on august 29th, exactly 16 years after katrina hit new orleans, another storm barreled towards louisiana. >> a mo