HURRICANE KATRINA
BACKGROUND
- The hurricane first developed in the
Bahamas on 23 August 2005.
- It upgraded to a category 4 hurricane on
28 August, and then category 5 the
following day.
- It is the 5th most intense Atlantic basin
hurricane on record.
- The hurricane was 386km wide.
- The winds were over 140mph.
- 250mm of rain fell. IMPACTS
- The storm surge was 6m high and flooded - More than 1 million people became
the city. refugees.
- Risk assessments conducted in - People were relocated to all 50 states.
preparation for such an event had been - Most of the people left in private cars or on
published e.g. the National Geographic school buses, but 150,000 people
Magazine had run an article less than 12 remained.
months before it occurred. - 80% of the city was deluged by flood water.
- When it happened, the authorities found it - 110,000 homes were flooded,.
difficult to respond to the sheer scale of - There were 1833 fatalities.
the disaster. - 1200 people drowned. Other reasons for
- The city of New Orleans had to be death includes the shortage of food and
evacuated. lack of clean water.
- 3 million people were without electricity.
VULNERABILITY - 2 bridges collapsed.
- Since 1924 there have been 33 hurricanes - Oil installations were damaged affected the
that reached Category 5 on the Golf Coast world e.g. petrol rose to £1 per litre in the
and Katrina was the only one to hit New UK.
Orleans. - The overall financial cost was $200 billion.
- The original floor control measured had
resulted in the shrinkage of soil which RESPONSE
meant that over 50% of the land was now - The public donated $1.8 billion to the
below sea level. American Red Cross.
- The levee system built to protect the city - Reports claim that the most affected by
was not constructed to modern standards Katrina were Black American urban dwellers.
and the replacement was only 60-90% It has been alleged that the authorities
complete. would have responded differently if those
affected were white.
- President Bush claimed that the response
was slow.
- Within 4 days of Katrina’s landfall on 29
August 2005, President Bush signed a $10.4
billion aid package and ordered 7,200
National Guard troops to the region.
BACKGROUND
- The hurricane first developed in the
Bahamas on 23 August 2005.
- It upgraded to a category 4 hurricane on
28 August, and then category 5 the
following day.
- It is the 5th most intense Atlantic basin
hurricane on record.
- The hurricane was 386km wide.
- The winds were over 140mph.
- 250mm of rain fell. IMPACTS
- The storm surge was 6m high and flooded - More than 1 million people became
the city. refugees.
- Risk assessments conducted in - People were relocated to all 50 states.
preparation for such an event had been - Most of the people left in private cars or on
published e.g. the National Geographic school buses, but 150,000 people
Magazine had run an article less than 12 remained.
months before it occurred. - 80% of the city was deluged by flood water.
- When it happened, the authorities found it - 110,000 homes were flooded,.
difficult to respond to the sheer scale of - There were 1833 fatalities.
the disaster. - 1200 people drowned. Other reasons for
- The city of New Orleans had to be death includes the shortage of food and
evacuated. lack of clean water.
- 3 million people were without electricity.
VULNERABILITY - 2 bridges collapsed.
- Since 1924 there have been 33 hurricanes - Oil installations were damaged affected the
that reached Category 5 on the Golf Coast world e.g. petrol rose to £1 per litre in the
and Katrina was the only one to hit New UK.
Orleans. - The overall financial cost was $200 billion.
- The original floor control measured had
resulted in the shrinkage of soil which RESPONSE
meant that over 50% of the land was now - The public donated $1.8 billion to the
below sea level. American Red Cross.
- The levee system built to protect the city - Reports claim that the most affected by
was not constructed to modern standards Katrina were Black American urban dwellers.
and the replacement was only 60-90% It has been alleged that the authorities
complete. would have responded differently if those
affected were white.
- President Bush claimed that the response
was slow.
- Within 4 days of Katrina’s landfall on 29
August 2005, President Bush signed a $10.4
billion aid package and ordered 7,200
National Guard troops to the region.
