Focus Activity Packet: Hurricane Photos
Photographs from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com
Photo 1: Katrina Evacuation
Drivers and passengers wait outside their vehicles as traffic snarls on the interstate highway leaving
downtown New Orleans August 28, 2005. Authorities in New Orleans ordered hundreds of thousands of
residents to flee on Sunday as Hurricane Katrina strengthened into a rare top-ranked storm and barreled
towards the vulnerable U.S. Gulf Coast city.
More than a million people fled the Gulf coast ahead of the hurricane, according to media reports.
Photo 2: Hurricane Shreds Superdome Roof
August 29, 2005—Intense winds from Hurricane Katrina tore away parts of the metal outer layer
of the roof of New Orleans' Superdome, as seen in a photo taken this morning. The 140-mile-anhour (225-kilometer-an-hour) gusts also created two minor holes that allowed rain to shower
down on some of the nearly 9,000 refugees inside.
Local government and Superdome officials say the holes, each about 15 to 20 feet (5 to 6
meters) long and 4 to 5 feet (1 to 2 meters) wide, are not large enough to cause the roof to fail.
Refugees immediately underneath the openings were moved to other parts of the stadium.
New Orleans dwellers lined up for blocks last night to take shelter in the 72,000-seat Superdome.
In addition to a rattling, leaky roof, the refugees endured an early-morning power failure that
knocked out the arena's air conditioning system. But most people seemed grateful for the safe, if
uncomfortable, haven.
"They hadn't opened up and let us in here, there'd have been a lot of people floating down river
tomorrow," city resident Merrill Rice told the Associated Press.
—Victoria Gilman
Photo 3: Katrina Smashes Gulf Coast
South Miami-Dade County as seen during a fire department aerial reconnaissance mission in the
wake of Hurricane Katrina on August 26, 2005. Hurricane Katrina bulked up in the Gulf of Mexico
on August 27, 2005 for a second and potentially more deadly assault on the U.S. coast after
killing seven people on its trek across southern Florida.
Photo 5: Fleeing New Orleans
New Orleans resident Alex Perez carries his cats to dry land after being rescued by boat from his
house near Lake Pontchartrain. Hurricane Katrina broke levees on either side of the city, allowing
surrounding water bodies to flood New Orleans, on August 30, 2005.
Devastation is widespread throughout the city, with water 12 feet (3.7 meters) high in some
areas. Hundreds of people are feared dead, and the storm left thousands homeless in Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Looting has been reported in New Orleans, which is mostly
deserted.
Photo 5: Katrina’s Aftermath
September 6, 2005—Homes in New Orleans remain surrounded by floodwaters in the aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin told reporters today, "There is still a
significant amount of water, but instead of having 80 percent of the city underwater, our
estimation is we have 60 percent of the city underwater."
Today President Bush said he would review the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, but
he refused to say whether he would fire any aides involved. "What I intend to do is to lead an
investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong," he said after a cabinet meeting.
He also noted that the response to Katrina boded ill for any response to a terrorist attack in the
future.