Hurricane Katrina: Facts and Information

"We lost everything. Katrina didn't care if you were poor or rich; all the houses look the same now." - Mississippi resident Penny Dean (Quoted in People magazine)

One of the deadliest storms to ever hit the U.S. Coast, hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast in 2005 bringing with itself not just the strong gale winds, but also untold misery to thousands of people. It was the largest hurricane to have ever hit United States, leaving behind a trail of destruction and misery quite unlike any other. Major catastrophic damage was done to the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Due to the failure of its levee system, New Orleans in Louisiana was most severely affected. The loss of life totaled to more than 1800 people and nearly 750 people were missing in the wake of the widespread destruction. Here is a look into the facts that make up the story of the worst natural disasters in the history of United States.

Facts and Information about Hurricane Katrina

The Death Toll

The death toll post hurricane Katrina stood at 1836 which included the total number of direct and indirect deaths. This number comprises 1577 from Louisiana and 238 from Mississippi. The total number of people missing is yet to be determined.

Meteorological History of Hurricane Katrina

The result of a tropical wave and the remains of a Tropical Depression 10, hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005. It was upgraded to a tropical storm status on August 24, from where it moved to Florida as a moderate category 1 hurricane. After having gradually weakened over land, it gained intensity as it moved to the Gulf of Mexico. It grew from a category 3 hurricane to a category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph on August 28th causing severe damage along the Gulf coast due to the storm surge. The pressure measurement recorded Katrina as the fourth most intense hurricane surpassed later by hurricane Rita and Wilma. The early hours of August 29, 2005 saw the storm weakening and it was classified as a category 4 storm. Moving slowly at 12mph with winds blowing at 155 mph, Katrina caused far greater damage than a fast-moving storm would have done.

The Catastrophic Breach of the Levees in New Orleans

A primary reason for the great loss of life and property in New Orleans, was the failure of the levee system due to the system design flaws and lack of maintenance. Nearly every levee in New Orleans was breached leading to the flooding of 80% of the city and nearby parishes. The city which was subjected to hours of hurricane condition reported the maximum number of deaths and a great loss of infrastructure including all the major roads.

Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

The hurricane Katrina left in its aftermath far reaching economic, environmental, social and political effects.

This hurricane was the costliest hurricane of U.S. history with the losses amounting to more than $89.6 billion of damages. The oil and forest industries suffered a major blow with interruption in oil supply and loss to the forest industry amounting to $5 billion. The Bush administration sought $105 billion dollars for repairs and reconstruction. Several countries pledged monetary donations with Kuwait making the single largest pledge of $500 million.

There was a profound impact on the environment as well with the devastation of coastal region and the loss of breeding grounds for many animals. Many wildlife refuges were also forced to close. As the hurricane subsided, there were widespread reports of looting, theft and murder in New Orleans.

The hurricane in its aftermath exposed government's preparations for dealing with natural calamities such as these. Inability of the government to respond to and help stop the deaths due to thirst, exhaustion and violence resulted in criticism from the public and media. It is important that the countries around the world develop and maintain a proper disaster management system to deal with catastrophes like these.