Instructions: Below are examples of each of the types of paragraphs that you’ll have to write for you essay. Use the
paragraphs as a guide but be sure to use your own words when constructing your essay.
Example Introduction Paragraph
Kacey Miller
Mr. Miller
Seventh-Grade Language Arts
06 December 2012
Hurricane Katrina: Eyeing the Storm from a Geographical Perspective
“I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like sixty years ago” (Satchell 4). Mississippi governor Haley
Barbour made this observation after viewing the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. For a country in the middle of two wars,
Hurricane Katrina’s vicious attack along the Gulf Coast gave validity to Barbour’s comparison. In late August 2005, the storm
invaded the southern coast of the United States and left a historic wake of destruction that resounded across the country. As
evacuees retreated to various parts of the nation, entire regions screamed for help. Cities were immersed not only in a sea of
water but also in a wave of chaos. Why had their defenses failed, and who would restore order? Travel and transportation of
goods and resources became laborious, and people daily learned difficult lessons from their environment (Allen 13). In short,
Hurricane Katrina did not leave until it had infiltrated all aspects of the common geographic themes: location and place,
human-environment interaction and movement, and regions.
Example Body Paragraph
As mentioned, the entire nation felt Katrina’s intrusion, but the storm laid siege to some particular locations and places,
thus altering significantly the human and physical characteristics of these areas. New Orleans, Louisiana, at 29.9728° N,
90.0590° W; Biloxi, Mississippi, at 30.3958° N, 88.8853° W; and Mobile, Alabama, at 30.6942° N, 88.0431° W, were among
the most notable locations that suffered the brunt of Katrina’s wrath: “These cities were entirely unprepared for the amount of
water that assaulted their levees, flood walls, and bridges; moreover, the average resident’s low socioeconomic status curtailed
efforts to seek harbor elsewhere” (Satchell 7). “Now,” according to Satchell, “even after several years, certain neighborhoods
still show signs of the storm’s destruction, many once sandy and popular beaches are still underwater, and concerns regarding
preparations for future storms remain a part of everyday conversations” (7). This evidence reveals that though Hurricane
Katrina’s effects were far reaching, its initial assault on certain coastal cities such as New Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile
overwhelmed defenses and stranded residents without the means to escape. This coastal onslaught impacted the human and
physical characteristics of these areas to such a degree that people still feel the effects today. Questions still lurk inside the
minds of residents as to whether the southern coast of the U.S. will be prepared for another Katrina-like storm and whether
many of the less fortunate citizens will find any more protection and aid than they did seven years ago.
Example Conclusion Paragraph
Miller 2
In conclusion, Hurricane Katrina invaded the southern coast of the United States in terms of all the geographic themes:
location and place, human-environment interaction, and regions. Katrina’s fury displaced thousands of residents, disrupted
travel and transportation, flooded functional regions—school districts, mail-and-newspaper circulation areas, etc.—with
unanticipated patrons, and sparked debates across the country concerning how to aid the victims, and regarding who was
responsible for what seemed to many as a failure in preparation for such a storm. Moreover, people were forced to interact
with their environmental circumstances, to rebuild or relocate, to communicate concerns, and to prepare for future storms.
Although not a nuclear bomb, Katrina’s power was no less explosive, no less devastating, and no less intrusive into the
geographical region on which she stormed.
Example Works Cited Page
Miller 3
Works Cited
Allen, Janet. The World of Geography. New York: Random House, 2011.
Satchell, Marcus. “Hurricane Katrina: A Lasting Impact” New York Times 26.7 (2010): 4-8.