Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina hit south-eastern USA in August 2005. The
damage caused ($300 billion) was the most costly disaster ever to
strike the USA. It was one of the strongest storms ever to hit the USA
with winds of 127 miles per hour. It is believed to have killed 1,500
people.
Map of south-east USA
Diagram of a Storm Surge
Satellite photograph of Katrina
Storm Surges - During a hurricane, sea levels can rise.
Almost like a tidal wave, this is often a hurricane’s most
dangerous part. New Orleans, most of which is below sea level, saw waves of about 8 metres. Levees (coastal
defences), which had helped New Orleans escape previous damage were broken. 80% of New Orleans city was
flooded. Hurricane Katrina also produced a lot of rainfall.
Strong winds - Although the winds did not directly kill many people,
they did produce the storm surge over the ocean, which led to flooding
and many deaths.
Tornadoes - Hurricanes can create tornadoes. Hurricane Katrina
produced thirty-three tornadoes over the five-day period, although
only one person died due to a tornado.
Strong Winds
So what exactly is a hurricane?
It is a very powerful area of low pressure that has very strong winds (over 74 miles per hour). Hurricanes, typhoons
and cyclones are all kinds of tropical storm. A Hurricane is the term given to tropical cyclones, usually forming in the
tropical Atlantic Ocean and then affects the Caribbean and the southeastern part of the USA.
Effect on Humans
Boats thrown ashore by the
wind and storm surge.

1,500 deaths.

$300 billion worth of damage.

1000s of homes and businesses destroyed.

Thousands of jobs lost.

3 million people were left without electricity.

Farms were damaged by tornadoes and flooding.

Tourist areas were badly affected, people won’t go back for years.

Major highways were disrupted and some major road bridges were destroyed.
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Many people have moved to live in other parts of the USA and many may never return to their homes.
Responses
Evacuation begins…
There were several responses to the Hurricane, both short and long term, in the
southeast USA. For example, there was the immediate evacuation of hundreds
of thousands of people, taking as many possessions as possible with them.
People boarded up windows and doors to reduce damage to their houses and
businesses.
Around 20,000 people in New Orleans sheltered in the Superdome American
Football stadium when warned the hurricane was about to strike. But here they
were without water or toilets. Eventually a convoy of 475 buses transported
many of these people to the Astrodome stadium in nearby Houston, Texas.
Lawlessness broke out and emergency services (Police and Fire) could not operate properly because of the floods.
Criminal gangs roamed the streets, stealing from homes and businesses and committing other crimes. Army and
police had to try with difficulty to maintain order when living conditions became intolerable and there was little
food and drink. Some looters were shot on sight, home and business owners took the law into their own hands and
defended their properties.
Repairing the levees - The flooding caused most of the deaths in
New Orleans. The broken levees were repaired by engineers and the
flood water in the streets of New Orleans took several months to
drain away. Materials, such as sandbags, were airlifted in by the
Army and Air Force and the levees were eventually repaired and
strengthened.
Although the USA is one of the wealthiest developed
countries in the world, Katrina highlighted that when a
disaster is large enough, even very developed countries
struggle to cope with natural disasters, particularly the
poorest people.
Disastrous Flooding in New Orleans
Solutions

Earlier hurricane warning so that people are given more time to evacuate.

Education into the need to evacuate (for people unwilling to leave their homes)

Higher Sea Walls and Flood Barriers (Levees)

Flood defences in certain areas of the city of New Orleans

Better emergency supplies (food, water, medicine, clothing/blankets) in reserve for such a disaster