[2] Hurricane Katrina devastated Salmen, pushing a storm surge of over eight feet through the area.

In mid January, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's assessment showed that more than 51% of the Salmen campus was damaged beyond repair, meaning that everything except the science building would have to be demolished and rebuilt.

On January 17, 2006, Salmen moved into the rebuilt St. Tammany Jr. High School, and finished the year there.

The new school was completed in the summer of 2010 and in August, the staff moved into the new building permanently.

The new school that was finished in 2010 is elevated 15 ft to feature tuck-under parking.Sources: The New Orleans Times Picayune[which?]