New Orleans: The Impacts Of Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina Sometimes in life we prepare for the worst even though the worst usually never comes. However, in 2005, the worst undoubtedly came. Hurricane Katrina not only affected much of the southeastern part of the United States and left a death toll of around 2,000 people, but it also flooded more than half of New Orleans and left more than 100,000 people homeless. In New Orleans, the Coast Guard had to help more than 30,000 people who were stranded by the storm. The effects of the storm proved to be incredible. Since Hurricane Katrina was such a devastating storm with a tremendous aftermath, it is undoubtedly one of the worst natural disasters in American history. On August 24, 2005, the ocean surrounding the Bahamas was about 85°F. …show more content…
However, many places were affected including Mobile, Alabama and several cities in Mississippi. In Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, the winds damaged many buildings and even destroyed some, which left many people jobless and homeless. In Mobile, several feet of water filled the city. However, New Orleans was affected the most. The storm surges caused by the hurricane were incredible. A storm surge is a large amount of water that is moved by wind that comes before the hurricane actually hits. The storm surges in Mississippi reached almost thirty feet high, breaking the record ever recorded in the United States. These storm surges proved too much for the fragile structure of New Orleans. On August 29, the storm destroyed the levees of New Orleans and about eight feet of water made its way into the city. In the poor neighborhoods, the water could not be removed fast enough, and people were stranded. Worse yet, in areas low-to-the-ground, people had to go to their attics and rooftops to avoid the water. About 80 percent of the city had floodwater in its streets. Tens of thousands of citizens took shelter in the Louisiana Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints. However, no one was prepared for the amount of refugees and about six people died there. The nation knew this was one of the most destructive storms in our history as a …show more content…
About 2,000 people had died and about 80 billion dollars of damage was done, which is the most ever caused by natural disaster. Also, over one 100,000 people were left homeless. The rebuilding after the storm proved to be bigger than the nation has ever seen and also proved to be chaotic. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not prepared for the devastation that occurred in New Orleans and received much criticism. The head of FEMA was actually fired from his position. The situation proved to be so difficult that New Orleans needed to receive help from about 70 countries and many organizations around the world such as American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. By September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had finally provided housing for many homeless. Then, the job of rebuilding a whole city began. It took over six months for electricity to be returned to the city and removing water from the affected areas was very challenging. The first job was to rebuild all of the levees that were destroyed and to get rid of all the water. With most of the city being affected by flooding, this was not an easy task. However, once the water was removed, people began to work to rebuild the city. Volunteers and celebrities began to build homes for the homeless. As a nation, we came together and worked to help the city of New Orleans to get back on its feet. People sent supplies and money to
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