After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of survivors were left without homes. As refugees, they were taken in by communities across the nation. Disasters cause many people to leave their homes around the world, but millions of people have to flee their homes for another reason - violent conflicts cause them to fear for their lives.

Over 50 million people are currently victims of forced displacement. Of those, 14 million fit the international legal definition of a refugee - people who have left their country because of fear of persecution based on their political opinion, ethnic background, religion or nationality.

The United Nations set up UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency in 1951 to help the 1.2 million Europeans who were left homeless after World War II. Since then the organization has helped protect 50 million refugees.

World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to remind us about the ongoing plight of millions of refugees around the world.