Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, the United
States was hit by one of the deadliest
hurricanes to ever hit land, Hurricane
Katrina. An estimated 1,836 people died in
the hurricane while millions of others
were left homeless along the Gulf Coast
and in New Orleans.
Katrina was first only a category 1
hurricane, which is the lowest that a
hurricane can be classified as. The
hurricane then quickly started gaining
strength and became a Category five storm by August 28. Katrina’s winds were
blowing about 175 mph.
Coping with the Hurricane
As Katrina made it’s way to
New Orleans it caused the
collapse of the levees, which was
built only to prevent flooding for
a category 3 hurricane. Due to
this, about 80% of the city of
New Orleans was flooded. After
the levees broke, the government
did not have any plans put into
effect that tried to resolve this issue.
Although in New Orleans, the government
asked the people to evacuate, this only occurred a
day before the hurricane hit land. More than a
million people fled the Gulf coast ahead of the
hurricane. However, because of the short notice
all the highways were jammed packed with cars
trying to leave causing major traffic on all
highways trying to leave the city. Those
residents that did not have cars were not
able to evacuate the city and had to go to
the shelters provided. Many residents did
not respond to the warnings to evacuate,
which resulted in many rescue teams
having to look out for people in their
houses.
Thousands of people sought refuge
in the New Orleans Convention Center. In
these shelters, there was limited access to
clean water, medical supplies, and other
emergency supplies.
Those who were not able to evacuate found shelter
in the New Orleans Convention Center.
Due to the flooding, those people
who didn’t evacuate were walking in
dirty water and other hazardous
substances. These people were in danger because of the fires and explosions
that were occurring due to the electricity wires. The total property damage
from Katrina was estimated to be $81 billion.
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Federal Emergency Management Agency Guidelines: Hurricanes
Build an Emergency Kit, which includes food, water, and other supplies
that are needed.
Identify levees in your area and determine if they are in danger.
Learn community evacuation routes.
If in a high-rise building, be prepared to take shelter.
If an emergency evacuation is put into place make sure you evacuate.
In case of an evacuation, make sure you and your family leave early
enough.
Take your pets with you and check on any elderly neighbors that may
need a ride to evacuate.