Hurricane Katrina

Most recently in class we have been watching a video that discusses the devastating hurricane that hit New Orleans in August of 2005.  Yes, it was a category five storm, but why this storm?  Why is this the one that caused the most damage?

-Inefficient protection and safety provided by the US.  The levis, which are systems used to help protect mainland from the surging water, failed.  They were not structurally sound, and in addition, they were not large enough.  The levis in New Orleans were only meant to protect to up to a category 3 hurricane, or a 9-12 foot storm surge.  Hurricane Katrina had storm surges as high as 20 feet.  The power of the category 5 storm was too much for the levis, and they failed.

- The land that the city and neighboring areas were built over used to be very loose soil, which, in the case of a hurricane, absorbs some of the water.  Because all of this soil was uprooted when the areas were developed, the water could no longer be absorbed.

-New Orleans is at an extremely low altitude, putting itself in a dangerous situation as is.  Some suggestions to help rebuild the city and protect it more efficiently was to raise the ground.

-Lack of awareness.  Unfortunately, the people of New Orleans had already faced many other hurricanes, so there was no reason to think this one was any different.  Weak structures could not survive, and people, in some cases, were trapped.

Over 1,800 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.  New Orleans is still rebuilding five years later.  Hopefully, it will be better protected in the future, but unfortunately, new levi plans still only protect up to category 3 storms.