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Hurricane Katrina

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Storms

   CAPTION: Hurricane Katrina

   Category 5 hurricane ( SSHS)
   Hurricane Katrina near peak strength on August 28, 2005
   Hurricane Katrina near peak strength on August 28, 2005
     __________________________________________________________________

   Formed August 23, 2005
   Dissipated August 31, 2005
   Highest
   winds
   175  mph (280  km/h) (1-minute sustained)
   Lowest pressure 902  mbar ( hPa; 26.6  inHg)
   Damage $81.2 billion (2005  USD)
   $84 billion (2006 USD) (costliest Atlantic hurricane in history)
   Fatalities ≥1,833 total
   Areas
   affected Bahamas, South Florida, Cuba, Louisiana (especially Greater
   New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida Panhandle, most of eastern
   North America
   Part of the
   2005 Atlantic hurricane season
            Hurricane Katrina

   2005 Atlantic hurricane season

   General
     * Timeline
     * Meteorological history
     * Preparations
          + New Orleans preparedness

   Impact
     * Economic effects
     * Political effects
     * Criticism of gov't response
     * Social effects
     * Effects by region
          + Effects on Mississippi
          + Effects on New Orleans
               o Levee failures
               o Infrastructure repairs
               o Reconstruction

   Relief
     * Disaster relief
     * International response

   Analysis
     * Alternative theories
     * Historical context
     * Media involvement

   Other wikis
     * Commons: Katrina images
     * Wikinews: Katrina stories
     * Wikisource: Katrina sources

   Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes
   in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest
   Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest landfalling
   U.S. hurricane on record. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005
   Atlantic hurricane season and caused devastation along much of the
   north-central Gulf Coast of the United States. Most notable in media
   coverage were the catastrophic effects on the city of New Orleans,
   Louisiana, and in coastal Mississippi. Due to its sheer size, Katrina
   devastated the Gulf Coast as far as 100 miles (160 km) from the storm's
   centre. Katrina is the third major hurricane, and second Category 5
   hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season. It formed over the Bahamas on
   August 23, 2005, and crossed southern Florida as a moderate Category 1
   hurricane, causing some deaths and flooding there, before strengthening
   rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and becoming one of the strongest
   hurricanes on record. The storm weakened considerably before making its
   second and third landfalls as a Category 3 storm on the morning of
   August 29 in southeast Louisiana and at the Louisiana/Mississippi state
   line, respectively.

   The storm surge caused severe and catastrophic damage along the Gulf
   coast, devastating the cities of Mobile, Alabama, Waveland and Biloxi/
   Gulfport in Mississippi, and New Orleans and other towns in Louisiana.
   Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New
   Orleans were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding 80% of the city
   and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks. Severe wind damage
   was reported well inland.

   At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in the
   subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the
   1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. The storm is estimated to have been
   responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars) in damage, making it
   the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Criticism of the
   federal, state and local governments' reaction to the storm was
   widespread and resulted in an investigation by the United States
   Congress and the resignation of FEMA director Michael Brown.

Storm history

   Storm path
   Enlarge
   Storm path

   Hurricane Katrina formed as Tropical Depression Twelve over the
   southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005 as the result of an interaction
   of a tropical wave and the remains of Tropical Depression Ten. The
   system was upgraded to tropical storm status on the morning of August
   24 and at this point, the storm was given the name Katrina. The
   tropical storm continued to move towards Florida, and became a
   hurricane only two hours before it made landfall between Hallandale
   Beach and Aventura, Florida on the morning of August 25. The storm
   weakened over land, but it regained hurricane status about one hour
   after entering the Gulf of Mexico.

   The storm rapidly intensified after entering the Gulf, partly because
   of the storm's movement over the warm waters of the Loop Current. On
   August 27, the storm reached Category 3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson
   Hurricane Scale, becoming the third major hurricane of the season. An
   eyewall replacement cycle disrupted the intensification, but caused the
   storm to nearly double in size. Katrina again rapidly intensified,
   attaining Category 5 status on the morning of August 28 and reached its
   peak strength at 1:00 p.m. CDT that day, with maximum sustained winds
   of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 902  mbar. The
   pressure measurement made Katrina the fourth most intense Atlantic
   hurricane on record at the time, only to be surpassed by Hurricanes
   Rita and Wilma later in the season; it was also the strongest hurricane
   ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico at the time (a record also later
   broken by Rita).

   Katrina made its second landfall at 6:10 a.m. CDT on August 29 as a
   Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) near
   Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. At landfall, hurricane-force winds extended
   outward 120 miles (190 km) from the centre and the storm's central
   pressure was 920 mbar. After moving over southeastern Louisiana and
   Breton Sound, it made its third landfall near the Louisiana/Mississippi
   border with 120 mph (195 km/h) sustained winds, still at Category 3
   intensity.

   Katrina maintained hurricane strength well into Mississippi, but
   weakened thereafter, finally losing hurricane strength more than
   150 miles (240 km) inland near Meridian, Mississippi. It was downgraded
   to a tropical depression near Clarksville, Tennessee, but its remnants
   were last distinguishable in the eastern Great Lakes region on August
   31, when it was absorbed by a frontal boundary. The resulting
   extratropical storm moved rapidly to the northeast and affected Ontario
   and Quebec.

Preparations

Florida

   Many people living in the area were unaware of when Katrina
   strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane in one day and struck
   southern Florida near the Miami-Dade– Broward county line. The
   hurricane struck between the cities of Aventura, in Miami-Dade County,
   and Hallandale, in Broward County, on August 25, 2005. However,
   National Hurricane Centre (NHC) forecasts had correctly predicted that
   Katrina would intensify to hurricane strength before landfall, and
   hurricane watches and warnings were issued 31.5 hours and 19.5 hours
   before landfall, respectively — only slightly less than the target
   thresholds of 36 and 24 hours.

   Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency on August 24 in
   advance of Katrina's landfall in Florida. Shelters were opened and
   schools closed in several counties in the southern part of the state. A
   number of evacuation orders were also issued, mostly voluntary,
   although a mandatory evacuation was ordered for at-risk housing in
   Martin County.

Federal government

   Flanked by Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, left, and
   Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush meets
   with members of the White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina
   Recovery on August 31, 2005, in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
   Enlarge
   Flanked by Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, left, and
   Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush meets
   with members of the White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina
   Recovery on August 31, 2005, in the Cabinet Room of the White House.

   On the morning of August 26, at 10 a.m. CDT (1500  UTC), Katrina had
   strengthened to a Category 3 storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Later that
   afternoon, the NHC realized that Katrina had yet to make the turn
   toward the Florida Panhandle and ended up revising the predicted track
   of the storm from the panhandle to the Mississippi coast. The NHC
   issued a hurricane watch for southeastern Louisiana, including the New
   Orleans area at 10 a.m. CDT August 27. That afternoon the NHC extended
   the watch to cover the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines as well as
   the Louisiana coast to Intracoastal City.

   The United States Coast Guard began pre-positioning resources beyond
   the expected impact zone starting on August 26, and activated more than
   400 reservists. Aircrews from the Aviation Training Centre, in Mobile,
   staged rescue aircraft from Texas to Florida. All aircraft were
   returning back towards the Gulf of Mexico by the afternoon of August
   29. Air crews, many who lost their homes during the hurricane, began a
   round-the-clock rescue effort in New Orleans, and along the Mississippi
   and Alabama coastlines.

   President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana,
   Alabama, and Mississippi two days before the hurricane made landfall.
   That same evening, the NHC upgraded the section of the hurricane watch
   from Morgan City, Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border to a
   hurricane warning, 12 hours after it was issued, and also issued a
   tropical storm warning for the westernmost Florida Panhandle.

   On August 28, as the sheer size of Katrina became clear, the NHC
   extended the tropical storm warning zone to cover most of the Louisiana
   coastline and a larger proportion of the Florida Panhandle. The
   National Weather Service's New Orleans/Baton Rouge office issued a
   vividly-worded bulletin predicting that the area would be
   "uninhabitable for weeks" after "devastating damage" caused by Katrina,
   which at that time rivaled the intensity of Hurricane Camille.

   Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were issued for large areas of
   southeast Louisiana as well as coastal Mississippi and Alabama. About
   1.2 million residents of the Gulf Coast were covered under a voluntary
   or mandatory evacuation order.

Gulf Coast

   Radar image of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in Louisiana
   Enlarge
   Radar image of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in Louisiana

   On August 26, the state of Mississippi activated its National Guard in
   preparation of the storm's landfall. Additionally, the state government
   activated its Emergency Operations Centre the next day, and local
   governments began issuing evacuation orders. By 7:00 p.m. EDT on August
   28, 11 counties and eleven cities issued evacuation orders, a number
   which increased to 41 counties and 61 cities by the following morning.
   Moreover, 57 emergency shelters were established on coastal
   communities, with 31 additional shelters available to open if needed.
   Louisiana's hurricane evacuation plan calls for local governments in
   areas along and near the coast to evacuate in three phases, starting
   with the immediate coast 50 hours before the start of tropical storm
   force winds. Persons in areas designated Phase II begin evacuating 40
   hours before the onset of tropical storm winds and those in Phase III
   areas (including New Orleans) evacuate 30 hours before the start of
   such winds.

   However, many private care-taking facilities that relied on bus
   companies and ambulance services for evacuation were unable to evacuate
   their charges. Fuel and rental cars were in short supply and many forms
   of public transportation had been shut down well before the storm
   arrived. Some estimates claimed that 80% of the 1.3 million residents
   of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area evacuated, leaving behind
   substantially fewer people than remained in the city during the
   Hurricane Ivan evacuation.

   By Sunday, August 28, most infrastructure along the Gulf Coast had been
   shut down, including all Canadian National Railway and Amtrak rail
   traffic into the evacuation areas as well as the Waterford Nuclear
   Generating Station. The NHC maintained the coastal warnings until late
   on August 29, by which time Hurricane Katrina was over central
   Mississippi.

Greater New Orleans area

   Vertical cross-section of New Orleans, showing maximum levee height of
   23 feet (7 m).
   Enlarge
   Vertical cross-section of New Orleans, showing maximum levee height of
   23 feet (7 m).

   By August 26, the possibility of unprecedented cataclysm was already
   being considered. Many of the computer models had shifted the potential
   path of Katrina 150 miles westward from the Florida Panhandle, putting
   the city of New Orleans right in the centre of their track
   probabilities; the chances of a direct hit were forecast at 17%, with
   strike probability rising to 29% by August 28. This scenario was
   considered a potential catastrophe because 80% of the city of New
   Orleans and the Metro area on the southern shore is below sea level
   along Lake Pontchartrain. Since the storm surge produced by the
   hurricane's right-front quadrant (containing the strongest winds) was
   forecast to be 28 feet (8.5 m), emergency management officials in New
   Orleans feared that the storm surge could go over the tops of levees
   protecting the city, causing major flooding. This risk of devastation
   was well known; previous studies by FEMA and the Army Corps of
   Engineers had warned that a direct hurricane strike on New Orleans
   could lead to massive flooding, which would lead to thousands of
   drowning deaths, as well as many more suffering from disease and
   dehydration as the flood waters slowly receded from the city.

   At a news conference at 10:00 a.m. on August 28, shortly after Katrina
   was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered
   the first ever mandatory evacuation of the city, calling Katrina "a
   storm that most of us have long feared." The city government also
   established several "refuges of last resort" for citizens who could not
   leave the city, including the massive Louisiana Superdome, which
   sheltered approximately 26,000 people and provided them with food and
   water for several days as the storm came ashore.

Impact

          Deaths by state
   Alabama       2
   Florida       14
   Georgia       2
   Kentucky      1
   Louisiana     1,577*
   Mississippi   238
   Ohio          2
       Total          1,836
   Add'l missing 705
   *Includes out-of-state evacuees
   counted by Louisiana

   On August 29, Katrina's storm surge caused several breaches in levees
   around New Orleans. Most of the city was subsequently flooded, as the
   breached drainage and navigation canals allowed water to flow from the
   lake into low areas of the city and Saint Bernard Parish. Storm surge
   also devastated the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, making Katrina
   the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of
   the United States, and the deadliest hurricane since the 1928
   Okeechobee Hurricane. The total damage from Katrina is estimated at
   $81.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars), nearly double the cost of the
   previously most expensive storm, Hurricane Andrew, when adjusted for
   inflation.

   As of May 19, 2006, the confirmed death toll (total of direct and
   indirect deaths) stood at 1,836, mainly from Louisiana (1,577) and
   Mississippi (238). However, 705 people remain categorized as missing in
   Louisiana, so this number is not final even a year after the storm.
   Many of the deaths are indirect, but it is almost impossible to
   determine the exact cause of some of the fatalities.

   Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000  square miles (
   233,000 km²) of the United States, an area almost as large as the
   United Kingdom. The hurricane left an estimated three million people
   without electricity. On September 3, 2005, Homeland Security Secretary
   Michael Chertoff described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as
   "probably the worst catastrophe, or set of catastrophes," in the
   country's history, referring to the hurricane itself plus the flooding
   of New Orleans.

South Florida and Cuba

   Damage to a mobile home in Davie, Florida following Hurricane Katrina.
   Enlarge
   Damage to a mobile home in Davie, Florida following Hurricane Katrina.

   Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on August 25 in South Florida
   where it hit as a Category 1 hurricane, with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds.
   Rainfall was heavy in places and exceeded 14 inches (350 mm) in
   Homestead, Florida, and a storm surge of 3–5 feet was measured in parts
   of Monroe County. More than 1 million customers were left without
   electricity, and damage in Florida was estimated at between 1 and 2
   billion dollars, with most of the damage coming from flooding and
   overturned trees. There were 11 fatalities reported in Florida as a
   result of Hurricane Katrina.

   Most of the Florida Keys experienced tropical-storm force winds from
   Katrina as the storm's centre passed to the north, with hurricane force
   winds reported in the Dry Tortugas. Rainfall was also high in the
   islands, with 10 inches (250 mm) falling on Key West. On August 26, a
   strong F1 tornado formed from an outer rain band of Katrina and struck
   Marathon. The tornado damaged a hangar at the airport there and caused
   an estimated 5 million dollars in damage.

   Although Hurricane Katrina stayed well to the north of Cuba, on August
   29 it brought tropical-storm force winds and rainfall of over 8 inches
   (200 mm) to western regions of the island. Telephone and power lines
   were damaged and around 8,000 people were evacuated in the Pinar del
   Río Province. According to Cuban television reports the coastal city of
   Surgidero de Batabano was 90% underwater.

Louisiana

   Flooding in Venice, Louisiana.
   Enlarge
   Flooding in Venice, Louisiana.

   On August 29 Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana with
   125 mph (205 km/h) winds, as a strong Category 3 storm. However, as it
   had only just weakened from Category 4 strength and the radius of
   maximum winds was large, it is possible that sustained winds of
   Category 4 strength briefly impacted extreme southeastern Louisiana.
   Although the storm surge to the east of the path of the eye in
   Mississippi was higher, a very significant surge affected the Louisiana
   coast. The height of the surge is uncertain because of a lack of data,
   although a tide gauge in Plaquemines Parish indicated a storm tide in
   excess of 14 feet (4.3 m) and a 12 foot (3 m) storm surge was recorded
   in Grand Isle.

   Hurricane Katrina also brought heavy rain to Louisiana, with
   8-10 inches (200-250 mm) falling on a wide swath of the eastern part of
   the state. In the area around Slidell, the rainfall was even higher,
   and the highest rainfall recorded in the state was approximately
   15 inches (380 mm). As a result of the rainfall and storm surge the
   level of Lake Pontchartrain rose and caused significant flooding along
   its northeastern shore, affecting communities from Slidell to
   Mandeville. Several bridges were destroyed, including the I-10 Twin
   Span Bridge connecting Slidell to New Orleans. Almost 900,000 people in
   Louisiana lost power as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

   In hard-hit St. Bernard Parish, which was entirely flooded by Katrina,
   the search for the missing was slow. According to an interview in the
   New Orleans Times-Picayune, the coroner was still trying to get a list
   of missing from the Red Cross in November 2005. While there were some
   victims on this list whose bodies were found in their homes, the vast
   majority were tracked down through word-of-mouth and credit card
   records. As of December 2005, the official missing list in the Parish
   stood at 47.

New Orleans

   Flooded I-10/I-610/West End Blvd. interchange and surrounding area of
   northwest New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana
   Enlarge
   Flooded I-10/I-610/West End Blvd. interchange and surrounding area of
   northwest New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana

   As the eye of Hurricane Katrina swept to the northeast, it subjected
   the city to hurricane conditions for hours. Although power failures
   prevented accurate measurement of wind speeds in New Orleans, there
   were a few measurements of hurricane-force winds. From this the NHC
   concluded that it is likely that much of the city experienced sustained
   winds of Category 1 or Category 2 strength. However, wind speeds
   increase with height, and therefore the winds experienced on upper
   floors of high rise structures were likely to have been significantly
   higher.

   The heavy winds and storm surges from Katrina severely weakened the
   city's levee system, and there were reports of extensive failures of
   the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans, Louisiana and
   surrounding communities. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR-GO)
   breached its levees in approximately 20 places, flooding much of east
   New Orleans(EAST SIDE), most of Saint Bernard Parish and the East Bank
   of Plaquemines Parish. The major levee breaches in the city included
   breaches at the 17th Street Canal levee, the London Avenue Canal, and
   the wide, navigable Industrial Canal, which left approximately 80% of
   the city flooded.

   Most of the major roads traveling into and out of the city were
   damaged. The only routes out of the city were the westbound Crescent
   City Connection and the Huey P. Long Bridge, as the I-10 Twin Span
   Bridge traveling eastbound towards Slidell, Louisiana had collapsed.
   The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway only carried emergency traffic.

   On August 29, at 7:40 a.m. CDT, it was reported that most of the
   windows on the north side of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans had been
   blown out, and many other high rise buildings had extensive window
   damage. The Hyatt was the most severely damaged hotel in the city, with
   beds reported to be flying out of the windows. Insulation tubes were
   exposed as the hotel's glass exterior was completely sheared off.
   A U.S. Coast Guardsman searches for survivors in New Orleans in the
   aftermath of Katrina.
   Enlarge
   A U.S. Coast Guardsman searches for survivors in New Orleans in the
   aftermath of Katrina.

   The Superdome, which was sheltering a large number of people who had
   not evacuated, sustained significant damage. Two sections of the
   Superdome's roof were compromised and the dome's waterproof membrane
   had essentially been peeled off. Louis Armstrong New Orleans
   International Airport was closed before the storm but did not flood. On
   August 30, it was reopened to humanitarian and rescue operations.
   Limited commercial passenger service resumed at the airport on
   September 13 and regular carrier operations resumed in early October.

   Katrina also caused widespread loss of life, with over 700 bodies
   recovered in New Orleans by October 23. Some survivors and evacuees
   reported seeing dead bodies lying in city streets and floating in
   still-flooded sections, especially in the east of the city. The
   advanced state of decomposition of many corpses, some of which were
   left in the water or sun for days before being collected, hindered
   efforts by coroners to identify many of the dead.

   The first deaths reported from the city were reported shortly before
   midnight on August 28, as three nursing home patients died during an
   evacuation to Baton Rouge, most likely from dehydration. While there
   were also early reports of fatalities amid mayhem at the Superdome,
   only six deaths were confirmed there, with four of these originating
   from natural causes, one from a drug overdose, and one a suicide. At
   the Convention Centre, four bodies were recovered. One of the four is
   believed to be the result of a homicide.

Mississippi

   U.S. Highway 90's Bay St. Louis Bridge on Pass Christian was destroyed
   as a result of Katrina.
   Enlarge
   U.S. Highway 90's Bay St. Louis Bridge on Pass Christian was destroyed
   as a result of Katrina.

   The Gulf coast of Mississippi suffered massive damage from the impact
   of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, leaving 238 people dead, 67 missing,
   and billions of dollars in damages. Afterwards, the lower 47 counties
   in Mississippi were declared disaster areas for federal assistance.
   After making a brief initial landfall in Louisiana, Katrina made its
   final landfall near the state line and the eyewall passed over the
   cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland as a Category 3 hurricane with
   sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Katrina's powerful right-front
   quadrant passed over the west and central Mississippi coast causing a
   powerful 27 foot (8.2 m) storm surge, which penetrated 6 miles (10 km)
   inland in many areas and up to 12 miles (20 km) inland along bays and
   rivers; in some areas, the surge crossed Interstate 10 for several
   miles. Hurricane Katrina brought strong winds to Mississippi which
   caused significant tree damage throughout the state. The highest
   unofficial reported wind gust recorded from Katrina was one of 135 mph
   (217 km/h) in Poplarville, in Pearl River County.
   Damage to Long Beach, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.
   Enlarge
   Damage to Long Beach, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.

   The storm also brought heavy rains with 8-10 inches (200-250 mm)
   falling in southwestern Mississippi and rain in excess of 4 inches
   (100 mm) falling throughout the majority of the state. Katrina caused
   eleven tornadoes in Mississippi on August 29, some of which damaged
   trees and power lines.

   Battered by wind, rain and storm surge, some beachfront neighborhoods
   were completely leveled. Preliminary estimates by Mississippi officials
   calculated that 90% of the structures within half a mile of the
   coastline were completely destroyed, and that storm surges traveled as
   much as six miles inland in portions of the state's coast. One
   apartment complex with approximately thirty residents seeking shelter
   inside collapsed. More than half of the 13 casinos in the state, which
   were floated on barges to comply with Mississippi land-based gambling
   laws, were washed hundreds of yards inland by waves.
   Surge damage in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
   Enlarge
   Surge damage in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

   A number of streets and bridges were washed away. On U.S. Highway 90
   along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, two major bridges were completely
   destroyed: the Bay St. Louis - Pass Christian bridge, and the Biloxi -
   Ocean Springs bridge. In addition, the eastbound span of the I-10
   bridge over the Pascagoula River estuary was damaged. In the weeks
   after the storm, with the connectivity of the coastal U.S. Highway 90
   shattered, traffic traveling parallel to the coast was reduced to two
   lanes on the remaining I-10 span.

   All three coastal counties of the state were severely affected by the
   storm. Katrina's surge was the most extensive, as well as the highest,
   in the documented history of the United States; large portions of both
   Hancock and Jackson Counties were inundated by the storm surge, in both
   cases affecting most of the populated areas. Surge covered almost the
   entire lower half of Hancock County, destroying the coastal communities
   of Clermont Harbour and Waveland, much of Bay St. Louis, and flowed up
   the Jourdan River, flooding Kiln. In Harrison County, Pass Christian
   was completely inundated, along with a narrow strip of land to the east
   along the coast, which includes the cities of Long Beach and Gulfport;
   the flooding was more extensive in communities such as D'Iberville,
   which borders Back Bay. Biloxi, on a peninsula between the Back Bay and
   the coast, was particularly hard hit, especially the low-lying Point
   Cadet area. In Jackson County, storm surge flowed up the wide river
   estuary, with the combined surge and freshwater flooding cutting the
   county in half. Remarkably, over 90% of Pascagoula, the easternmost
   coastal city in Mississippi, and about 75 miles east of Katrina's
   landfall near the Louisiana-Mississippi border, was flooded from surge
   at the height of the storm. Other Jackson County communities such as
   Porteaux Bay and Gulf Shores were destroyed, and St. Martin was hard
   hit; Ocean Springs, Moss Point, Gautier, and Escatawpa also suffered
   major surge damage.

   Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials also recorded deaths
   in Hinds, Warren, and Leake counties. Over 900,000 people throughout
   the state experienced power outages.

Southeast United States

   Although Hurricane Katrina made landfall well to the west, Alabama and
   the Florida Panhandle were both affected by a significant storm surge
   and tropical-storm force winds. Sustained winds of 67 mph (107 km/h)
   were recorded in Mobile, Alabama and the storm surge there was
   approximately 10 feet (3 meters). The surge caused significant flooding
   several miles inland along Mobile Bay. Four tornadoes were also
   reported in Alabama.

   An oil rig under construction along the Mobile River broke its moorings
   and floated 1.5 miles (2 km) northwards before striking the Cochrane
   Bridge just outside Mobile. No significant damage resulted to the
   bridge and it was soon reopened. The damage on Dauphin Island was
   severe, with the surge destroying many houses and cutting a new canal
   through the western portion of the island. An offshore oil rig also
   became grounded on the island. As in Mississippi, the storm surge
   caused significant beach erosion along the Alabama coastline. More than
   600,000 people lost power in Alabama as a result of Hurricane Katrina
   and two people died in a traffic accident in the state.

   Along the Florida Panhandle the storm surge was typically about
   five feet (1.5 m) and along the west-central Florida coast there was a
   minor surge of 1-2 feet (0.3-0.6 m). In Pensacola, Florida 56 mph
   (90 km/h) winds were recorded on August 29. The winds caused damage to
   some trees and structures and there was some minor flooding in the
   Panhandle. There were two indirect fatalities from Katrina in Walton
   County as a result of a traffic accident. In the Florida Panhandle,
   77,000 customers lost power.

   Northern and central Georgia were affected by heavy rains and strong
   winds from Hurricane Katrina as the storm moved inland, with more than
   3 inches (75 mm) of rain falling in several areas. At least 18
   tornadoes formed in Georgia on August 29, the most on record in that
   state for one day in August. The most serious of these tornadoes was a
   F2 tornado which affected Heard County and Carroll County. This tornado
   caused 3 injuries and one fatality and damaged several houses. In
   addition this tornado destroyed several poultry barns, killing over
   140,000 chicks. The other tornadoes caused significant damages to
   buildings and agricultural facilities. In addition to the fatality
   caused by the F2 tornado, there was another fatality in a traffic
   accident.

Other U.S. States and Canada

   Total rainfall from Katrina in the United States. Data for the New
   Orleans area are not available.
   Enlarge
   Total rainfall from Katrina in the United States. Data for the New
   Orleans area are not available.

   Hurricane Katrina weakened as it moved inland, but tropical-storm force
   gusts were recorded as far north as Fort Campbell, Kentucky on August
   30, and the winds damaged trees in New York. The remnants of the storm
   brought high levels of rainfall to a wide swath of the eastern United
   States, and rain in excess of 2 inches (50 mm) fell in parts of 20
   states. A number of tornadoes associated with Katrina formed on August
   30 and August 31, which caused minor damages in several regions. In
   total, 62 tornadoes formed in eight states as a result of Katrina.

   Eastern Arkansas received light rain from the passage of Katrina. Gusty
   winds downed some trees and power lines, though damage was minimal. In
   Kentucky, a storm that had moved through the weekend before had already
   produced flooding and the rainfall from Katrina added to this. As a
   result of the flooding, Kentucky's Governor Ernie Fletcher declared 3
   counties disaster areas and a statewide state of emergency. One person
   was killed in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and part of a high school
   collapsed. Flooding also prompted a number of evacuations in West
   Virginia and Ohio, the rainfall in Ohio leading to two indirect deaths.
   Katrina also caused a number of power outages in many areas, with over
   100,000 customers affected in Tennessee, primarily in the Memphis and
   Nashville areas.

   The remnants of Katrina merged with a frontal system over Ohio, but the
   moisture continued north and affected Canada on August 31. In Ontario
   there were a few isolated reports of rain in excess of 100 mm
   (4 inches) and there were a few reports of damage from fallen trees.
   Flooding also occurred both in Ontario and Quebec, cutting off a number
   of isolated villages in Quebec.

Aftermath

Economic effects

   The economic effects of the storm were far-reaching. As of April 2006,
   the Bush Administration has sought $105 billion for repairs and
   reconstruction in the region, and this does not account for damage to
   the economy caused by potential interruption of the oil supply,
   destruction of the Gulf Coast's highway infrastructure, and exports of
   commodities such as grain. 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 the annual production and
   the shut-in gas production for the same period was about 18%. The
   forestry industry in Mississippi was also affected, as 1.3 million
   acres of forest lands were destroyed. The total loss to the forestry
   industry from Katrina is calculated to rise to about $5 billion.
   Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of local residents were left
   unemployed, which will have a trickle-down effect as fewer taxes are
   paid to local governments. Before the hurricane, the region supported
   approximately one million non-farm jobs, with 600,000 of them in New
   Orleans. It is estimated that the total economic impact in Louisiana
   and Mississippi may exceed $150 billion.

   Katrina redistributed New Orleans' population across the southern
   United States. Houston, Texas, had an increase of 35,000 people;
   Mobile, Alabama, gained over 24,000; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, over
   15,000; and Hammond, Louisiana received over 10,000, nearly doubling
   its size. Chicago received over 6,000 people, the most of any
   non-southern city. In late January 2006, about 200,000 people were once
   again living in New Orleans, less than half of the pre-storm
   population. Additionally, insurance companies have stopped insuring the
   area because of the high costs from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, or
   have raised insurance premiums to cover their risk.

Environmental effects

   The Chandeleur Islands, before Katrina (left) and after (right),
   showing the impact of the storm along coastal areas.
   Enlarge
   The Chandeleur Islands, before Katrina (left) and after (right),
   showing the impact of the storm along coastal areas.

   Katrina also had a profound impact on the environment. The storm surge
   caused substantial beach erosion, in some cases completely devastating
   coastal areas. In Dauphin Island, approximately 90 miles (150  km) to
   the east of the point where the hurricane made landfall, the sand that
   comprised the barrier island was transported across the island into the
   Mississippi Sound, pushing the island towards land. The storm surge and
   waves from Katrina also obliterated the Chandeleur Islands, which had
   been affected by Hurricane Ivan the previous year.

   The lands that were lost were also breeding grounds for marine mammals,
   brown pelicans, turtles, and fish, as well as migratory species such as
   redhead ducks. Overall, about 20% of the local marshes were permanently
   overrun by water as a result of the storm.

   Katrina also forced the closure of 16 National Wildlife Refuges, of
   which Breton National Wildlife Refuge received the worst damage, as
   half of its area was swept off. As a result, the hurricane affected the
   habitats of sea turtles, Mississippi sandhill cranes, Red-cockaded
   woodpeckers and Alabama Beach mice.

   Finally, as part of the cleanup effort, the flood waters that covered
   New Orleans were pumped into Lake Pontchartrain, a process that took
   43 days to complete. These residual waters contained a mix of raw
   sewage, bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, toxic chemicals, and about
   6.5 million U.S. gallons (24.6 million L) of oil, which has sparked
   fears in the scientific community of massive numbers of fish dying.

Looting and violence

   A Border Patrol Special Response Team searches a hotel room-by-room in
   New Orleans in response to Hurricane Katrina.
   Enlarge
   A Border Patrol Special Response Team searches a hotel room-by-room in
   New Orleans in response to Hurricane Katrina.

   Shortly after the hurricane moved away on August 30, some residents of
   New Orleans who remained in the city began looting stores, as did some
   Mississippi residents in their local stores and casinos. Many looters
   were in search of food and water that were not available to them
   through any other means.

   Reports of carjacking, murders, thefts, and rapes in New Orleans
   flooded the news. Several news media later determined that most reports
   were based on rumors. Thousands of National Guard and federal troops
   were mobilized and sent to Louisiana along with numbers of local law
   enforcement agents from across the country who were temporarily
   deputized by the state. "They have M16s and are locked and loaded.
   These troops know how to shoot and kill and I expect they will,"
   Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said. Congressman Bill Jefferson
   (D-LA) told ABC News: "There was shooting going on. There was sniping
   going on. Over the first week of September, law and order was gradually
   restored to the city." Several shootings were between police and New
   Orleans residents, including the fatal incident at Danziger Bridge.

   A number of arrests were made throughout the affected area, including
   near the New Orleans Convention Centre. A temporary jail was
   constructed of chain link cages in the city train station.

   In Texas, where more than 300,000 evacuees are located, local officials
   have run 20,000 criminal background checks on the evacuees, as well as
   on the relief workers helping them and people who have opened up their
   homes. Most of the checks have found little for police to be concerned
   about. The number of homicides in Houston from September 2005 through
   February 22, 2006 went up by 23% relative to the same period a year
   before; 29 of the 170 murders involved displaced Louisianans as a
   victim, a suspect, or both.

Government response

   President Bush stands with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
   Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Secretary of Health and Human
   Services Mike Leavitt during a press conference from the Rose Garden,
   regarding the devastation along the Gulf Coast caused by Katrina.
   Enlarge
   President Bush stands with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
   Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Secretary of Health and Human
   Services Mike Leavitt during a press conference from the Rose Garden,
   regarding the devastation along the Gulf Coast caused by Katrina.

   Within the United States and as delineated in the National Response
   Plan, disaster response and planning is first and foremost a local
   government responsibility. When local government exhausts its
   resources, it then requests specific additional resources from the
   county level. The request process proceeds similarly from the county to
   the state to the federal government as additional resource needs are
   identified. Many of the problems that arose developed from inadequate
   planning and back-up communications systems at various levels.

   Some disaster recovery response to Katrina began before the storm, with
   Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparations that ranged
   from logistical supply deployments to a mortuary team with refrigerated
   trucks. A network of volunteers began rendering assistance to local
   residents and residents emerging from New Orleans and surrounding
   Parishes as soon as the storm made landfall, and has continued for more
   than six months after the storm.

   Of the 60,000 people stranded in New Orleans, the Coast Guard rescued
   over 33,500. Congress recognized the Coast Guard's response with an
   official entry in the Congressional Record, and the Armed Service was
   awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

   The United States Northern Command established Joint Task Force (JTF)
   Katrina based out of Camp Shelby, Mississippi, to act as the military's
   on-scene command on Sunday, August 28. Approximately 58,000 National
   Guard personnel were activated to deal with the storm's aftermath, with
   troops coming from all 50 states. The Department of Defense also
   activated volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol.

   Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,
   decided to take over the federal, state, and local operations
   officially on August 30, 2005, citing the National Response Plan. Early
   in September, Congress authorized a total of $62.3 billion in aid for
   victims. Additionally, President Bush enlisted the help of former
   presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to raise additional
   voluntary contributions, much as they did after the 2004 Indian Ocean
   earthquake and tsunami.

   FEMA provided housing assistance (rental assistance, trailers, etc.) to
   over 700,000 applicants - families and individuals. However, only
   one-fifth of the trailers requested in Orleans Parish have been
   supplied resulting in an enormous housing shortage in the city of New
   Orleans. To provide for additional housing, FEMA has also paid for the
   hotel costs of 12,000 individuals and families displaced by Katrina
   through February 7, 2006, when a final deadline was set for the end of
   hotel cost coverage. After this deadline, evacuees were still eligible
   to receive federal assistance, which could be used towards either
   apartment rent, additional hotel stays, or fixing their ruined homes,
   although FEMA no longer paid for hotels directly. As of early July
   2006, there are still about 100,000 people living in 37,745
   FEMA-provided trailers.

   Law enforcement and public safety agencies, from across the United
   States, provided a " mutual aid" response to Louisiana and New Orleans
   in the weeks following the disaster. Many agencies responded with
   manpower and equipment from as far away as California, Michigan,
   Nevada, New York, and Texas. This response was welcomed by local
   Louisiana authorities as their staff were either becoming fatigued,
   stretched too thin, or even quitting from the job.
   USNS Comfort takes on supplies at Mayport, Florida en route to the Gulf
   Coast.
   Enlarge
   USNS Comfort takes on supplies at Mayport, Florida en route to the Gulf
   Coast.

   Two weeks after the storm, over half of the states were involved in
   providing shelter for evacuees. By four weeks after the storm, evacuees
   had been registered in all 50 states and in 18,700 zip codes - half of
   the nation's residential postal zones. Most evacuees had stayed within
   250 miles (400 km), but 240,000 households went to Houston and other
   cities over 250 miles away and another 60,000 households went over 750
   miles (1,200 km) away.

International response

   Over seventy countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance.
   Kuwait made the largest single pledge, $500 million; other large
   donations were made by Qatar ($100 million), South Korea ($30 million),
   India, China (both $5 million), Pakistan ($1.5 million), and Bangladesh
   ($1 million).

   Cuba and Venezuela were the first countries to offer aid, in the form
   of $1 million, 1,100 doctors, 26.4 metric tons of medicine, two mobile
   hospitals, 10 water purifying plants, 18 generators, 20 tons of bottled
   water, 50 tons of canned food and 66,000 barrels of heating oil. Their
   offers were refused by the U.S. government.

   Countries like Sri Lanka, which was still recovering from the Indian
   Ocean Tsunami, also offered to help. Countries including Canada,
   Mexico, Singapore, and Germany sent supplies, relief personnel, troops,
   ships and water pumps to aid in the disaster recovery. Britain's
   donation of 350,000 emergency meals did not reach victims because of
   laws regarding mad cow disease. Russia's initial offer of two jets was
   declined by the U.S. State Department but accepted later. The French
   offer was also declined and requested later.

   Despite receiving aid from around the world, there was also a heavy
   dose of criticism from around the world including accusations of racism
   that were revealed at the international level across global press.
   Quotations from the UK Mirror such as "Many things about the United
   States are wonderful, but it has a vile underbelly which is usually
   kept well out of sight. Now in New Orleans it has been exposed to the
   world." were common.

Non-government organization response

   The American Red Cross, Southern Baptist Association, Salvation Army,
   Oxfam, Common Ground Collective, Emergency Communities, and many other
   charitable organizations provided housing, food, and water to the
   victims of the storm. These organizations also provided an
   infrastructure for shelters throughout Louisiana and other states that
   held thousands of evacuees. They were not, however, allowed into New
   Orleans proper by the National Guard for several days after the storm
   because of safety concerns. These organizations raised $4.25 billion in
   donations by the public, with the Red Cross receiving over half of the
   donations.

   Volunteers from amateur radio's emergency service wing, the Amateur
   Radio Emergency Service, provided emergency communications for federal,
   state and local officials. Over 1,000 volunteer operators traveled to
   affected areas to provide communications in areas where the
   communications infrastructure had been damaged or totally destroyed,
   relaying everything from 911 traffic to messages home. In Hancock
   County, Mississippi, ham radio operators provided the only
   communications into or out of the area, and even served as 911
   dispatchers.
   United States Navy personnel unload Canadian relief supplies from a
   Canadian Air Force transport aircraft in Pensacola, Florida.
   Enlarge
   United States Navy personnel unload Canadian relief supplies from a
   Canadian Air Force transport aircraft in Pensacola, Florida.

   Many corporations also contributed to relief efforts. On September 13,
   it was reported that corporate donations to the relief effort were $409
   million, and were expected to exceed $1 billion.

   During and after the Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita, the American
   Red Cross had opened 1,470 different shelters across and registered 3.8
   million overnight stays. A total of 244,000 Red Cross workers (95% of
   which were non-paid volunteers) were utilized to provide sheltering,
   casework, communication and assessment services throughout these three
   hurricanes. In addition, 346,980 comfort kits (which contain hygiene
   essentials such as toothpaste, soap, washcloths and toys for children)
   and 205,360 clean up kits (containing brooms, mops and bleach) were
   distributed. For mass care, the organization served 68 million snacks
   and meals to victims of the disasters and to rescue workers. The Red
   Cross also had their Disaster Health services meet 596,810 contacts,
   and Disaster Mental Health services met 826,590 contacts. Red Cross
   emergency financial assistance was provided to 1.4 million families,
   which encompassed a total of 4 million people. Hurricane Katrina was
   the first natural disaster in the United States that the American Red
   Cross utilized their "Safe and Well" family location website.

   In the year since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, The
   Salvation Army has allocated donations of more than $365 million to
   serve more than 1.7 million people in nearly every state. The Army’s
   immediate response to Hurricane Katrina included the mobilization of
   more than 178 canteen feeding units and 11 field kitchens which
   together have served more than 5.7 million hot meals, 8.3 million
   sandwiches, snacks & drinks. Its SATERN network of amateur ham-radio
   operators picked up where modern communications left off to help locate
   more than 25,000 survivors. And, Salvation Army pastoral care
   counselors were on hand to comfort the emotional and spiritual needs of
   277,000 individuals. As part of the overall effort, Salvation Army
   officers, employees and volunteers have contributed more than 900,000
   hours of service.

Analysis of New Orleans levee failures

   New Orleans' levee failures were found to be primarily the result of
   system design flaws, combined with the lack of adequate maintenance.
   Those responsible for the conception, design, construction, and
   maintenance of the region's flood-control system apparently failed to
   pay sufficient attention to public safety, according to an
   investigation by the National Science Foundation.

   According to new modeling and field observations by a team from
   Louisiana State University, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), a
   200-meter (660 ft) wide canal designed to provide a shortcut from New
   Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, helped provide a funnel for the storm
   surge, making it 20% higher and 100%-200% faster as it crashed into the
   city. St. Bernard Parish, one of the more devastated areas, lies just
   south of the MRGO. The Army Corps of Engineers disputes this causality
   and maintains Katrina would have overwhelmed the levees with or without
   the contributing effect of the MRGO.

   On April 5, 2006, months after independent investigators had
   demonstrated that levee failures were not caused by natural forces
   beyond intended design strength, Lieutenant General Carl Strock
   testified before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Energy and
   Water that "We have now concluded we had problems with the design of
   the structure." He also testified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
   did not know of this mechanism of failure prior to August 29, 2005. The
   claim of ignorance is refuted, however, by the National Science
   Foundation investigators hired by the Army Corps of Engineers, who
   point to a 1986 study by the Corps itself that such separations were
   possible in the I-wall design.

   Additionally, various conspiracy theories began floating around that
   the levees were in fact deliberately demolished. The most commonly
   cited culprit in these conspiracy theories is the UNESCO Biosphere
   program, in an attempt to "re-wild" the region. These theories arose
   when several New Orleans residents described hearing "explosions"
   coming from the levees before the floodwaters rushed in, and by a
   National Guard worker who claims he was sworn to secrecy upon finding
   explosives residue at the site of the break.

Criticism of government response

   The criticisms of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina
   primarily consisted of condemnations of mismanagement and lack of
   leadership in the relief efforts in response to the storm and its
   aftermath. More specifically, the criticism focused on the delayed
   response to the flooding of New Orleans, and the subsequent state of
   chaos in the Crescent City. The neologism Katrinagate was coined to
   refer to this controversy, and was even a runner-up for "2005 word of
   the year."

   Within days of Katrina's August 29, 2005 landfall, public debate arose
   about the local, state and federal governments' role in the
   preparations for and response to the hurricane. Criticism was prompted
   largely by televised images of visibly shaken and frustrated political
   leaders and of residents who remained in New Orleans without water,
   food or shelter. The deaths of citizens by thirst, exhaustion, and
   violence days after the storm itself had passed also fueled the
   criticism, as did the treatment of people who had been evacuated to
   facilities such as the Superdome. Others alleged that race, class, and
   other factors could have contributed to delays in government response.
   The percentage of black victims among storm-related deaths (49%) was
   below their proportion in the area's population (approx. 60% );
   nonetheless, criticisms focused mostly on the response after the
   initial flooding (i.e. after most of the deaths had already occurred).

   One notable event occured when Jack Strain, sheriff of nearby St.
   Tammany Parish told reporters "I don’t get into calling people names
   and all that fact, but if you’re gonna walk the streets of St. Tammany
   Parish with dreadlocks and 'Chee Wee' hairstyles, then you can expect
   to be getting a visit from a sheriff’s deputy." The comments, widely
   criticized as racist by the Southern Poverty Law Centre and other
   groups and individuals, were made in reference to possible plans to
   temporarily relocate poor black residents of New Orleans' public
   housing.

   The government was accused of making things worse, instead of making
   things better—perhaps even deliberately—by preventing help by others
   while delaying its own response. In accordance with federal law,
   President George W. Bush directed the Secretary of the Department of
   Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, to coordinate the Federal
   response. Chertoff designated Michael D. Brown, head of the Federal
   Emergency Management Agency, as the Principal Federal Official to lead
   the deployment and coordination of all federal response resources and
   forces in the Gulf Coast region. However, the President and Secretary
   Chertoff initially came under harsh criticism for what some perceived
   as a lack of planning and coordination. Eight days later, Brown was
   recalled to Washington and 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 in spite of
   having received praise from Bush with the now-well-known phrase,
   "You're doing a heck of a job."

   Subsequently, criticism from politicians, activists, pundits and
   journalists of all stripes has been directed at the local and state and
   governments headed by Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans and Louisiana
   Governor Kathleen Blanco. Nagin and Blanco were criticized for failing
   to implement New Orleans' evacuation plan and for ordering residents to
   a shelter of last resort without any provisions for food, water,
   security, or sanitary conditions. Perhaps the most important criticism
   of Nagin is that he delayed his emergency evacuation order until
   19 hours before landfall, which led to hundreds of deaths of people who
   (by that time) could not find any way out of the city.

   The destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina has raised other, more
   general public policy issues about emergency management, environmental
   policy, poverty, and unemployment. The discussion of both the immediate
   response and of the broader public policy issues may affect elections
   and legislation enacted at various levels of government. The storm's
   devastation also caused a Congressional investigation, which found that
   FEMA and the Red Cross "did not have a logistics capacity sophisticated
   enough to fully support the massive number of Gulf coast victims."
   Additionally, it placed responsibility for the disaster on all three
   levels of government.

   An ABC News Poll conducted on September 2, showed slightly more blame
   is being directed at state and local governments (75 percent) than at
   the Federal government (67 percent), with 44 percent blaming President
   Bush's leadership directly. A later CNN/ USATODAY/ GALLUP poll showed
   that respondents disagreed widely on who is to blame for the problems
   in the city following the hurricane — 13 percent said Bush, 18% said
   federal agencies, 25% blamed state or local officials and 38% said no
   one was to blame.

Retirement

   Because of the large loss of life and property along the Gulf Coast,
   the name Katrina was officially retired on April 6, 2006 by the World
   Meteorological Organization at the request of the U.S. government. It
   was replaced by Katia on List III of the Atlantic hurricane naming
   lists, which will next be used in the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

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