Running head: NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
Natural Disaster:
Hurricane Katrina
Michelle Klenk, Stefanie Lombard, Lisa Sage, and Brittany Tersigni
Ferris State University
1
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
Abstract
In August of 2005 a devastating natural disaster struck New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina
hit Louisiana with such force that the levees were breeched and the city flooded. Major hospitals
in the area sustained severe damage, disabling them from helping those in need. Since Katrina,
there have been numerous hurricanes that are listed as a category three or greater. Some of these
made landfall within the United States causing severe damage. With the damage from these
hurricanes come the threat of injury and even mortality. The health implications caused by the
damage can be numerous, ranging from an exacerbation of chronic illness to mental disorders.
Those who are affected the worst by hurricanes are the elderly and sick mainly due to lack of
mobility. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has come up with many ways
in which to minimize the risks associated with hurricanes and their devastating destruction. It is
their goal to reduce the loss of both life and property during and after these events. Even though
Hurricane Katrina brought about devastating destruction, it has taught us all something more
about how nature can create such storms. With this knowledge we are able to prepare for future
storms that are similar to Hurricane Katrina.
2
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
Natural Disaster: Hurricane Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, it not only devastated the land it also
destroyed and changed the lives of those involved forever. Over 1,100 individuals were killed
during and or after the hurricane, while many others were injured. Unfortunately this is
becoming a growing epidemic throughout the world. Hurricanes are gaining strength and
causing more damage than in previous years. FEMA is now looking at different ways in which
to prevent future destruction and death due to these violent storms. By doing so, there are hopes
that we can be more prepared prior to these storms making landfall. No one was prepared for the
amount of devastation and destruction that Louisiana felt after Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Damages
On August 29th, 2005 Louisiana and its surrounding areas were devastated by a category
five storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 160 miles per hour. Prior to making landfall in
Louisiana the hurricane was downgraded to a category three. Hurricane Katrina was one of the
strongest storms ever to hit the coast of the United States. According to American Society of
Civil Engineers:
Hurricanes are intense low-pressure areas that form over warm ocean waters
in the summer and early fall. As warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface
into cooler air above, the water vapor condenses to form droplets and clouds.
This condensation releases heat, boosting the rise of the air, lowering the
central pressure, and drawing more warm, moist air into the storm. In this
manner, the energy builds up and the wind speed increases. The low pressure
causes wind to spiral inward toward the center of the low-pressure area,
creating the hurricane (2006).
3
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
With the surges of wind inducing the motion of water, it reduced pressure of the storm and the
timing of high and low tides causing havoc. According to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Katrina produced waves approximately 100
feet high in the Gulf of Mexico.
Those who survived the storm became a part of the largest mass migration in the United
States since the Civil War. The deceased totaled 1,118 with 135 people still missing who are
presumed to be dead. The sewage like waters caused increased incidences of gastrointestinal
illness, skin infections, and upper-respiratory complications. Direct damage to residential and
non-residential capital (commercial, industrial, and public buildings) reached approximately $21
billion, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Total employment in the New
Orleans metro area plummeted 25 percent from 512,000 jobs to approximately 388,000 after
September of 2005. As of June 2006, the population of New Orleans was still half of what it was
prior to Hurricane Katrina.
Almost every hospital in the New Orleans area was crippled in some way from the
floodwaters. As of March 2006, only 456 staffed hospital beds were available, one-fifth the preKatrina number. Less than half the adult acute care facilities remained open. The Medical
Center of Louisiana at New Orleans sustained the most amount of damage forcing them to close
their doors. This left a significant gap in health-care services for Medicaid patients and the
uninsured. It also and removed a Level I Trauma Center from the Gulf Coast region. Because
many jobs were lost and businesses closed citizens of Louisiana lost their health benefits.
Without health insurance many individuals are not seeking treatment or they are traveling to
other surrounding medical centers.
4
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
The future recovery of Louisiana post Hurricane Katrina affects is still a mystery.
Secretary Stephen Moret states "We're pleased with our recent progress, but our state needs to do
more to position itself to outperform the South and the U.S. on a regular basis", (Louisiana,
2013). Ongoing efforts to re-build the state are happening as we speak. Areas with the least
amount of damages are being worked on first and day to day life is being put back together by
the locals.
Hurricane Occurrences
Many wonder if hurricanes are increasing in size and devastation or are there just more
storms being produced. Global warming is an answer that seems to surface numerous times. A
research study performed by the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech and
the National Center for Atmospheric Research showed the number of category four and five
hurricanes has doubled worldwide over the last 35 years. Since 1990 the total number of
hurricanes though has dropped. The occurrence of category four and five hurricanes has grown
from ten a year in the 1970’s to eighteen a year since 1990. In 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina
struck, there were 31 tropical cyclones of which 27 were given names. There were four
hurricanes that hit the United States, three of these were category five hurricanes (Eilperin,
2005).
The disasters today are created by a mix of factors including routine climate change and
global warming influenced by human behavior. These factors are playing a major role in the
increasing events of hurricanes. Experts believe the world is in the midst of a routine climate
change. The climate change causes the Caribbean to heat up and increase the frequency of
powerful storms. This effect can be far greater than global warming (Braine, 2006). The
5
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
average tropical sea surface temperature has increased as much as one degree Fahrenheit during
1970 to 1990 (Eilperin, 2006).
The question still remains if hurricanes are increasing or just gaining strength. Some
blame global warming increasing the temperature in the ocean. Others believe the increase of
hurricanes results from the natural change in climate. The climate change can last 30 to 50
years. If the reason for the increase is global warming, the increase in hurricanes will only grow
in numbers throughout the coming years.
Health Implications
The effects of Hurricane Katrina were felt everywhere. With the levees breeched the city
began to flood. As the flood waters rose, they began to take over waste disposal areas
throughout the city. This spill caused sewage and other contaminates to enter the water and
spread throughout the city. In addition, one of the major water mains ruptured in the city,
causing the contaminated water to leak into the water lines of New Orleans. This flooding
caused all types of health concerns both in the immediate time frame and months to follow.
During this disaster many individuals feared the health implications that may happen due
to flood waters and contamination. With the flooding came all new types of bacteria from the
open water, leaving New Orleans with little to defend itself (Frank, 2012). The contamination
brought on threats of typhoid, cholera, E. coli, hepatitis A, viral gastroenteritis, salmonella, and
skin infections. The threat of West Nile from mosquitoes was another concern of Infectious
Disease specialists. Once the waters began to recede, the threat of mold began to emerge. The
different types of spores made this a huge threat to those who were working during the clean-up
process. Respiratory complications became a concern also due to the mold and other
6
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
contaminates that could become airborne. Various forms of mental illness were another health
concern that struck New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The contaminated flood waters brought on many problems for those in the New Orleans
area. Hand washing is the best way to prevent disease, but even hand washing is difficult in the
absence of clean water (DeNoon, 2005). Some people were able to boil water so that they could
have something to drink and cook with. But for those without power, that was not an option.
The only way that they could attempt to sterilize the water was to add small amount of chlorine
bleach to the water and let it stand for thirty minutes (DeNoon, 2005). The lack of clean water
made individuals vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and dehydration (Weaver, 2005). With so
many individuals having to evacuate their homes, many were brought to shelters and offered
support and care if needed. Inside these shelters many diseases were spread from one person to
another due to the contaminated waters and the close proximity to those that were ill.
When the contaminated flood waters receded it left numerous areas with growing mold.
The furry fungi that thrive in damp environments, reproducing by means of spores covered
carpets and walls in many homes and office buildings and has required the destruction of many
structures already, and potentially many more (Wilson, 2006). It was thought that the mold was
the most pressing respiratory contaminate post Hurricane Katrina. The Centers for Disease
Control recommended the use of personal protective equipment for all individuals who were
required to enter households for clean-up. Since mold carries many different allergens it can not
only cause complications for healthy individuals, it can worsen problems for those who already
have respiratory illnesses.
In the course of demolition and clean up, many individuals came to Louisiana to help
those who had lost everything. These workers were at risk for inhalation exposures to dust
7
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
containing microbial and other agents during demolition, remove, and repair of flood damaged
and contaminated infrastructure and building materials (Freyder, 2012). Individuals with
existing pulmonary complications found themselves with worsening symptoms and others
developed a new onset of asthma like symptoms. In a study published by the Journal of
Environmental and Public Health, 3.7 percent(n=791) of the cohort reported having pneumonia
after Hurricane Katrina while 4.5 percent reported new onset of asthma (Freyder, 2012). Due to
the exposure to microbial-contaminated dust and debris, those living and working in the
Louisiana were at greater risk for developing various degrees of respiratory illnesses following
Hurricane Katrina.
Those individuals who stayed in the New Orleans area during the hurricane and survived
now have many obstacles in which they have to face. Besides the obvious reasons of destruction
and death, about half of the individuals now suffer from some type of mental illness. Survivors
continue to suffer from poor mental and physical health for prolonged periods of time after the
initial impact (Blackwell, 2008). Depression and anxiety are the highest listed mental disorders
which survivors face. Some also relive the memories and suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). Unfortunately these mental health concerns were forced to the back burner
causing many to never seek treatment or counseling for their condition. With everything that
they had been through, having someone to talk to might have been the easiest thing that could
have been done.
When looking at the casualties from Hurricane Katrina there was a noted correlation for
those that did not survive. Out of the 1,118 deaths over 60 percent of them were individuals over
the age of 65. Two-thirds of the deaths were blamed on direct physical impacts from the
flooding (drowning) while the other one-third was related to health conditions. The mortality
8
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
was noted to be higher in areas which were breeched by the levees and found to have the deepest
waters. Those that stayed behind were found to be the ones who could either not get
transportation out of the city or did not want to leave their personal belongings. When
researchers looked further into the morbidity caused by Katrina, it was found that out of 829
victims 85 percent were over the age of 51. The elderly and disabled were the hardest hit
populations when it came to casualties.
Hurricane Katrina affected all individuals who worked in the healthcare system. The
hurricane destroyed doctor's offices as well as area hospitals. This put many from the health care
team out of work and unable to help others. Because of debris, healthcare workers from outlying
areas were unable to gain access to facilities that needed help. In some of the shelters, facilities
set up little 'satellite' medical stations where they were able to treat individuals who needed
medical attention. Staff from these shelters found that they had to treat many individuals for
acute and chronic illnesses. Since little supplies and medications were available they had to
ration what they had to treat those who truly needed attention. Treating those patients in the
shelters was difficult and often labor intensive without all the necessary medical equipment to
perform the desired tasks.
Prevention and Mitigation
The size and devastation of Hurricane Katrina resulted in one of the biggest natural
disasters in this nation’s history. It raised major questions about the nation’s readiness and
overall ability to respond to such shattering disasters. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
highlighted the many flaws in the hurricane protection and preparedness systems of New Orleans
showing much needed room for improvement. New Orleans presents a unique and complex
situation in regards to hurricane preparedness and planning due to the large areas and structures
9
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
across the city near or below sea level. At one time, modern protective structures were thought
of as a fail proof measure to protect against the surge of a hurricane. Structures alone do not
provide fail proof protection during this time. In the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the
weighty reliance on structures alone, led to the creation of a false security for those living,
working or seeking to build areas behind such “safe” structures (National Academy of
Engineering and National Research Council, 2009).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), published a Best Practices book
representing mitigation activities resulting from lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina.
According to FEMA, it is an invaluable resource to communicate the importance of identifying
hazard risks and ways to minimize risks, identify mitigation ideas to show how it is both
effective and affordable, and to demonstrate how mitigation makes communities more stable and
productive (FEMA, 2012). The Louisiana State University Agriculture Center (AgCenter)
highlighted the need for Louisiana residents to learn more about mitigation and the rebuilding
process. “Build Safer, Stronger, and Smarter” became the campaign theme for the Katrina
recovery efforts. The unit has created mitigation task forces in fifteen southeast Louisiana
parishes, bringing together local floodplain administrators and planners, AgCenter Extension
specialists and nonprofit representatives from agencies to work and train others (FEMA, 2012).
One way to reduce and avoid repetitive flood damage from hurricane surges was to build
elevated homes. The key when building was to build at least two feet above the base water
elevation, constructing an energy efficient home and making sure it was cost effective. Many
residents in Louisiana were able to do this as it was made possible through a government based
grant program called the Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) grant, part of the Bunning-BereuterBluenauer Flood Insurance Report Act of 2004. Funds are provided to assist states and
10
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
communities to reduce flood damages to insured properties. Up to $10 million in funds are
available annually for FEMA to provide RFC funds to assist those communities in need (FEMA,
2012). Another program through FEMA is the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
which pays up to 75 percent of the cost of approved public or private projects, which will prevent
or reduce damage related to storms and other natural hazards. As part of the program, it aims to
move residents and their homes away from danger and end the cycle of destruction (FEMA,
2012).
Louisiana’s wetlands make up about 40 percent of the continental U.S. wetlands. These
swamps and marshes provide a natural buffer against waves and storm surges, but after Katrina,
217 miles of marsh were transformed into open water. The AgCenter’s research program
focused on the key components of saving the wetlands. The program’s primary objective was to
develop improved varieties of plants used for the costal restoration. According to Carrie Knott,
the assistant professor at the School of Plant, “Smooth cordgrass found in the salt marshes, has
proven to be effective in slowing down surges and hurricanes. It is an ideal plant that spreads
quickly and forms a dense canopy,” (FEMA, 2012). Another plant that has been noted as crucial
for wetland restoration is sea oats. Knott said, “The beauty of the plants is that you can put them
in, and after a few years huge sand dunes develop around them,” (FEMA, 2012). The program
has explored several varieties of plants, and is the only program in the nation developing
improved plant varieties for coastal restoration. Plants are the key to restoring natural
ecosystems and saving the wetlands (FEMA, 2012).
Drainage pump systems are a network of pumps that suck up flood water and divert it to
a specified area. The electric powered systems start up automatically, and most have an
automatic shut off system and backup generator. Although costly and requiring ongoing
11
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
attention, a pump motor generally lasts 10 years and can pump for about 20 years. The pumps
have proven to be invaluable even when levels are well above the highest flood marks. For
example, in one area 60 miles west of New Orleans, a parish just south of the Mississippi River
had minimal damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita as the pumps ensured the parish was
protected. Jim Stark the former director of FEMA’s then-Transitional Recovery Office in New
Orleans stated, “Drainage pump stations play a critical role in flood prevention,” (FEMA, 2012).
In Louisiana, residents in cities of flood prone areas have had to deal with the sewage that
backs up through drain pipes into homes and local businesses. Not only is this an unpleasant
situation but can also pose serious health hazards. The requirement to install backflow valves
protects homes from such sewer backups. The valves temporarily block the pipes preventing
flow inside. The installation is simple for any plumber and inexpensive to homeowners, less
than thirty dollars. All new construction is to have backflow valves according to the city’s
ordinance (FEMA, 2012). Since the implementation of the valves in old and newer construction
houses, a lot of damage has been prevented.
New Orleans was changed forever when Hurricane Katrina hit. Those individuals who
were fortunate to survive are now forced to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. The
presence of hurricanes throughout the world is on a rise. These storms are unpredictable,
causing destruction and devastation along the way. We as a nation are learning more about these
storms and creating ways to prevent further losses. As we gain this knowledge we will be better
prepared for major hurricanes, and the thought of another Katrina will be non-existent.
12
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
References
Andersen, C., Battjes, J., Daniel, D., Edge, B., & Espey, W. (2007). The New Orleans hurricane
protection program what went wrong and why. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil
Engineers.
Blackwell, W. (2008). Hurricane Katrina increased mental and physical health problems in New
Orleans by up to three times. Science Daily. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903075614.htm
Braine,T. (2006). Was 2005 the year of natural disasters? World Health Organization. 84(1), 180.
DeNoon, D. (2005). What to expect, how to cope. WebMD Health News. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/news/20050831/hurricane-kartina-health-aftermath
Eilperin,J. (2005). Severe hurricanes increasing, study finds. The Washington Post. Retrieved
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091502234.html
Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA (2012). Best practices- Promoting
successful mitigation in Louisiana, post Hurricane Katrina. U.S. Department of
Homeland Security. Retrieved from
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=6722
Frank, B. (2012). The health effects of Hurricane Katrina. The Science Education Resource
Center at Carleton College. Retrieved from
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/hurricane_Kartina.html
13
NATURAL DISASTER: HURRICANE KATRINA
Freyder, L., Jones, R., Lefante, J., Rando, R. (2012). Respiratory health effects associated with
restoration work in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Journal of Environmental and
Public Health. 2012(462478), 1-8.
Louisiana Economic Development. (2013). Louisiana’s strategy for the future. Retrieved from
http://www.louisianaeconomicdevelopment.com/led-news/articles/louisiana's-strategyfor-the-future.aspx
National Research Council. (2009). The New Orleans hurricane protection system: Assessing
pre-Katrina vulnerability and improving mitigation and preparedness. Washington, DC:
National Academies Press.
Graumann, A., Houston, T., Levinson, D. (2006). Hurricane Katrina, a climatological
perspective. Asheville, NC: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Weaver, J. (2005). Katrina health risks rise with flooding. MSNBC. Retrieved from
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9109689/ns/health-health_care/katrina-health-risks-riseflooding/
Wilson, J. (2006). Health and the environment after hurricane Katrina. Annals of Internal
Medicine. 144(2), 153-156.
14