Hurricane Katrina
On the 23rd of August 2005, a tropical wave merged with the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten near the Lesser Antilles. This disturbance organized into Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas by that evening. The storm strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina on the morning of August 24 as it moved toward Florida. It became a hurricane only two hours before making landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura on the morning of August 25. After weakening over land, the system regained hurricane status about one hour after entering the Gulf of Mexico. On August 27, the storm reached Category 3 intensity on the Saffir, Simpson hurricane wind scale. An eyewall replacement cycle disrupted intensification but caused the storm to nearly double in size. Thereafter, Katrina rapidly intensified over the unusually warm waters of the Loop Current. In just nine hours, the system grew from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane. On the morning of August 28, Katrina attained Category 5 status. At 1800 UTC, the storm reached its peak strength with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 902 millibars. This pressure measurement made Katrina the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record at the time. The hurricane subsequently weakened due to another eyewall replacement cycle. Katrina made its second landfall at 1110 UTC on August 29 as a high-end Category 3 hurricane near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. The eye straddled St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and Hancock County, Mississippi, on the morning of August 29 at about 9:45 am CDT. The storm maintained hurricane strength well into Mississippi before weakening to tropical storm strength more than inland near Meridian, Mississippi.
On the 29th of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina's storm surge caused 53 breaches to various flood protection structures in and around the greater New Orleans area. A June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers indicated that two-thirds of the flooding was caused by multiple failures of the city's floodwalls. The major levee breaches occurred at the 17th Street Canal levee, the London Avenue Canal, and the wide, navigable Industrial Canal. These failures left approximately 80% of the city flooded. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet breached its levees in approximately 20 places, flooding much of eastern New Orleans. Most of St. Bernard Parish and the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish were also inundated. Investigators concluded that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the breached floodwalls. Congress had tasked the Army Corps with designing and building the region's hurricane protection system under the Flood Control Act of 1965. Later, a federal appeals court ruled that the Army Corps could not be held financially liable due to the Flood Control Act of 1928. The storm surge also devastated the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, making Katrina one of the most costly natural disasters in United States history. The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $125 billion in 2005 U.S. dollars.
According to the National Hurricane Center, 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm across multiple states. One death occurred in Kentucky, two each in Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, and 14 in Florida. Two hundred thirty-eight people died in Mississippi, while 1,577 deaths occurred in Louisiana. A 2008 report by the Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal indicates that 966 deaths can be directly attributed to the storm in Louisiana. Another 20 deaths were indirect, such as firearm-related deaths or gas poisoning. An upper-bound of 1,440 is noted in the paper due to uncertain causes of death for 454 evacuees. A follow-up study by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals determined that the storm was directly responsible for 1,170 fatalities in Louisiana. Over 700 bodies were recovered in New Orleans by the 23rd of October 2005. Some survivors reported seeing dead bodies lying in city streets and floating in still-flooded sections. The advanced state of decomposition hindered efforts by coroners to identify many of the dead. Katrina displaced over one million people from the central Gulf Coast to elsewhere across the United States. This became the largest diaspora event in the history of the United States. Houston, Texas, had an increase of 35,000 people. Mobile, Alabama, gained over 24,000 residents. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received over 15,000 new inhabitants. Hammond, Louisiana, received over 10,000 people, nearly doubling its size. Chicago, Illinois, received over 6,000 people, the most of any non-southern city. By late January 2006, about 200,000 people were once again living in New Orleans, less than half of the pre-storm population.
Within days of Hurricane Katrina's August 29 landfall, public debate arose about the local, state, and federal governments' role in preparations for and response to the hurricane. Criticism was initially prompted by televised images of visibly shaken political leaders and residents stranded by floodwaters without water, food, or shelter. Deaths from thirst, exhaustion, and violence fueled the criticism. The neologism Katrinagate was coined to refer to this controversy. It was a runner-up for 2005 word of the year. Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, designated Michael D. Brown as the Principal Federal Official to lead the deployment and coordination of all federal response resources. However, President Bush and Secretary Chertoff came under harsh criticism for perceived lack of planning and coordination. Brown claimed that Governor Blanco resisted their efforts and was unhelpful. Governor Blanco and her staff disputed this claim. Eight days later, Brown was recalled to Washington. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen replaced him as chief of hurricane relief operations. Three days after the recall, Michael D. Brown resigned as director of FEMA. Politicians, activists, pundits, and journalists also directed criticism at Mayor Nagin of New Orleans and Louisiana Governor Blanco. Nagin and Blanco were criticized for failing to implement New Orleans's evacuation plan. They ordered residents to a shelter of last resort without provisions for food, water, security, or sanitary conditions. Perhaps the most important criticism of Nagin was that he delayed his emergency evacuation order until 19 hours before landfall. This delay led to hundreds of deaths of people who could not find any way out of the city. An ABC News poll conducted on the 2nd of September 2005, showed more blame being directed at state and local governments than at the Federal government.
The economic effects of the storm reached high levels. The Bush administration sought $105 billion for repairs and reconstruction in the region. Katrina damaged or destroyed 30 oil platforms and caused the closure of nine refineries. The total shut-in oil production from the Gulf of Mexico in the six-month period following Katrina was approximately 24% of annual production. Shut-in gas production for the same period was about 18%. The forestry industry in Mississippi was also affected as 600,000 acres of forest lands were destroyed. The total loss to the forestry industry from Katrina is calculated to rise to about $5 billion. Hundreds of thousands of local residents were left unemployed. Before the hurricane, the region supported approximately one million non-farm jobs. It is estimated that the total economic impact in Louisiana and Mississippi may eventually exceed $150 billion. The storm surge caused substantial beach erosion and completely devastated coastal areas. In Dauphin Island, the sand that comprised the island was transported across the island into the Mississippi Sound. The US Geological Survey has estimated that 29 square miles of land was transformed to water by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. About 20% of the local marshes were permanently overrun by water as a result of the storm. The damage forced the closure of 16 National Wildlife Refuges. Breton National Wildlife Refuge lost half its area in the storm. The storm caused oil spills from 44 facilities throughout southeastern Louisiana. Over 3 million gallons of oil leaked from these facilities. After a spill at the Murphy Oil refinery, 1,800 homes were oiled in the towns of Chalmette and Meraux.
Over seventy countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Cuba and Venezuela were the first countries to offer assistance, pledging over $1 million along with mobile hospitals, water treatment plants, canned food, bottled water, heating oil, 1,100 doctors, and 26.4 metric tons of medicine. This aid was rejected by the U.S. government. Kuwait made the largest single pledge of $500 million. Other large donations came from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, each contributing $100 million. South Korea donated $30 million, while Australia gave $10 million. India sent tarps, blankets, and hygiene kits. An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft delivered 25 tonnes of relief supplies for the victims at Little Rock Air Force Base on the 13th of September 2005. Israel sent an IDF delegation to New Orleans to transport aid equipment including 80 tons of food, disposable diapers, beds, blankets, generators, and additional equipment. The Bush administration announced that it did not need Israeli divers and physicians to come to the United States for search and rescue missions. A small team landed in New Orleans on September 10 to give assistance to operations already underway. Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Germany sent supplies, relief personnel, troops, ships, and water pumps to aid in disaster recovery. Belgium sent in a team of relief personnel. The United Kingdom's donation of 350,000 emergency meals did not reach victims because of laws regarding mad cow disease. Congress authorized a total of $62.3 billion in aid for victims on early September. FEMA provided housing assistance to more than 700,000 applicants. However, only one-fifth of the trailers requested in Orleans Parish were supplied. As of the 30th of March 2010, there were still 260 families living in FEMA-provided trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Common questions
When did Hurricane Katrina reach Category 5 status?
Hurricane Katrina attained Category 5 status on the morning of the 28th of August 2005. The storm reached its peak strength at 1800 UTC that day with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 902 millibars.
How many people died in Hurricane Katrina according to official records?
The National Hurricane Center attributes 1,836 fatalities to Hurricane Katrina across multiple states. Louisiana recorded 1,577 deaths while Mississippi accounted for 238 fatalities, with additional deaths occurring in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
What caused the flooding in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina?
A June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers indicated that two-thirds of the flooding was caused by multiple failures of the city's floodwalls. Major levee breaches occurred at the 17th Street Canal levee, the London Avenue Canal, and the Industrial Canal, leaving approximately 80% of the city flooded.
Who was responsible for designing the flood protection system breached during Hurricane Katrina?
Investigators concluded that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the breached floodwalls. Congress had tasked the Army Corps with designing and building the region's hurricane protection system under the Flood Control Act of 1965.
Which countries provided aid to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts?
Over seventy countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Cuba and Venezuela were the first countries to offer assistance, followed by Kuwait which made the largest single pledge of $500 million.