2005 Hurricane Katrina, USA (HIC) Flashcards
Introduction/background
-The 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season was the most active on record, with 31 tropical storms recorded, four of which were category 5 on the Saffir Simpson scale, the highest level.
-Lasting between August 22nd and 31st 2005, one of the most devastating was Hurricane Katrina which reached peak winds of over 175mph in the Gulf of Mexico, but weakened when it struck the US states of Louisiana and Mississippi.
-The most devastating effects of the season were felt on the Gulf Coast of the United States, where Katrina’s storm surge crippled New Orleans, Louisiana for weeks and devastated the Missipppi coastline.
-Flooding caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection levees around the city resulted in over 80% of the deaths.
Local impacts
-Over 1,800 deaths
-300,000 homes destroyed, 3 million without electricity
-Delicate coastal ecosystems damaged due to winds and storm surge
-Mass looting and a loss of community, as hurricane impacts targeted marginalized in society with little support.
-80% of New Orleans flooded and 53 levees destroyed beyond repair
Wider scale impacts
-Fuel prices rose due to the cutting off of the US’ oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, to over $70 per barrel.
-Infrastructure such as railways, roads and local airports, valuable to the local economy were destroyed.
-US $125 billion total impact, tied as the costliest tropical storm on record.
-Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000 square miles; an area almost as large as the United Kingdom.
-Much of New Orleans is still damaged or unrecovered from the disaster, over 15 years later.
Planning/preparation
-Heavy criticisms of poor planning in the event of hurricane events, and mismanagement of the aging flood levees lead to most deaths.
Short-term responses
-Emergency housing for 2.3 million in 902 shelters across 24 states provided- use of Louisiana superdrome
-More than 130,000 relief workers from all states- red cross rapidly trained 74,000 in disaster relief skills
-America’s second harvest collected 33 million lbs food for those who had been displaced
Long term responses
-Up to 45,000 National Guard and federal troops mobilized to help re-establish governance
-The USA received disaster aid and assistance from over 50 countries, totalling $850 million. However, some estimate the US only spent 10% of this on disaster relief and reconstruction.
-Poor and half-hearted reconstruction efforts since.
Key facts on Hurricane Katrina (introduction)
-Costliest natural disaster in the history of the US ($108 billion)- some estimate may have reached over $150 billion in Louisiana and Missisippi
-1800 deaths, 300,000 homes destroyed, 3 million no electricity
Impacts on oil refineries (economic and environmental)
-Katrina damaged or destroyed 30 oil platforms and caused the closure of nine refineries.
-The storm caused oil spills from 44 facilities throughout southeastern Louisiana, resulting in 7 million gallons of oil leakages.
-The Bush Administration sought $105 billion for repairs, not including the disruption to oil supply, highway infrastructure and commodities such as grain.
Population decline/redistribution and social issues (racial tensions)
-By late January 2006, about 200,000 people were once again living in New Orleans, less than half of the pre-storm population.
-By July 2006, following population predictions by the US Census Bureau, the state of Louisiana showed a population decline of 219,563 or 4.87%
-Katrina redistributed over 1 million people from the central Gulf coast elsewhere across the United States- Houston had an increase of 35,000 people.
-Social issues and racial tensions intensified due to the looting and poor government response was attributed to the demography of the area.
Impacts of climate change and future implications
-New Orleans is sinking and has outdated flood defences, combined with rising sea levels, and increasing ocean temperatures, this increases the risk for future storm events.
-Recent analyses suggest that the strongest hurricanes occurring in the North Atlantic have increased in intensity over the past 2-3 decades.
-For the United States- models project up to a 90% increase in the frequency of category 4 and 5 hurricanes.
What are the main climatic influences causing hurricanes and climate change in future impacts
-High sea temperature of at least 27 Celsius and converging winds near the ocean surface forcing air to rise and form storm clouds.
-Hurricanes are subject to 2 main climatic influences: warmer sea surface temperature could intensify tropical storm wind speeds, potentially delivering more damage if they make landfall.
-Scientists predict an 11% increase in average maximum wind speed, with more occurrences of tropical storms.
-Warmer seas also mean more precipitation, rainfall rates during storms expected to rise by 20% leading to more destructive impacts.
Background/introductory facts
-Hurricane Katrina was the USA’s worst natural disaster in living memory
-The storm hit land near New Orleans on 29th August 2005 at a speed of 230km/h.
-Katrina was a category 4 hurricane, but what set it apart from other hurricanes was that it lingered over that land rather than passing through.
-Over 1830 people were killed in the USA alone.
-Economists predict Katrina cost the US economy $80 billion.
-The rescue operation was criticised for not doing enough to help the poorest members of the population. Many of those left without help were from the poor neighbourhoods, many of which were worst hit by the hurricane.
What happened to the flood levees?
50 breaks occurred
