Hurricane Katrina

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the southern coast of North America, causing ruinous damage across seven States, from central Florida to Texas, and devastatating New Orleans. Massive flooding and destructive winds devastated buildings, homes, roads, bridges and highways. The effects of Katrina were shattering and long lasting.

 

 

Fifteen hundred people were killed despite an evacuation of 90% of people from Louisiana, prior to the hurricane hitting. Those who remained in their homes – the elderly and poor – were forced to swim for their lives, or became trapped on their rooftops.

Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans bringing winds of up to 200 kph, wreaking severe damage. Heavy rains and an unprecedented storm surge caused 50 breaches in drainage canal levees, which were built to protect low lying New Orleans from flooding. Katrina’s fury caused an eight meter rise in water levels, an extreme storm surge, and 80% of New Orleans was flooded by six meters of water.

 

Faced with the need to escape the destructive hurricane, many people were forced to leave behind treasured family pets. Dogs, cats, birds, fish and valuable horses (to name a few) were left to fend for themselves against the forceful winds, rising flood waters and thunderous lightning. In the aftermath, almost 10,000 animals were recovered and an enormous effort to reunite them with their owners ensued.

 

The slow response to the ongoing infrastructure and housing crisis exposed troubling realities about the ability of governments to assist those in desperate need of help. The number of homeless people living in New Orleans doubled to 12,000 people since the hurricane. More than 200,000 homes and 200,000 vehicles were destroyed. Rebuilding New Orleans has had mixed success. Many important elements of the city’s infrastructure were destroyed, including police and fire stations, transport systems, roads and bridges, schools, and hospitals. Most of the major roads traveling into and out of the city were damaged. The poor and the elderly, who lack the insurance or personal savings to rebuild, are particularly vulnerable.

 

There is no doubt that urban development and destruction of the Gulf Coast ecology compounded this natural disaster. To enable development of low-lying areas, levees and canals were constructed and coastal wetlands, which act as a natural barrier to storm surges, were destroyed. Since 1930, an estimated 5000 square kilometers of coastal wetland has been destroyed along the Gulf Coast, adding significantly to storm surges.