Hurricane Katrina Flashcards
What category of hurricane was Hurricane Katrina?
Category 5.
What year did Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans?
2005.
Where did Hurricane Katrina hit?
The Bahamas, Florida and New Orleans.
New Orleans was the worst affected.
Why is New Orleans very vulnerable to tropical storms?
50% of the city is below sea level and so it is vulnerable to storm surges.
In 2005, the flood defences also needed to be replaced.
How high was the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina?
10 metres high.
How many levees failed?
50 levees failed which caused 80% of the flooding in New Orleans.
How much of the city was flooded?
80%.
How many houses were flooded and how many people were displaced?
110,000 houses.
Over a million people.
How many people died because of Hurricane Katrina?
1,833 people.
What was the economic cost of the storm?
$200 billion dollars.
What were the economic effects of the hurricane?
Damage to oil rigs and refineries meant that oil prices rose rapidly.
Insurance companies had to make large pay-outs.
Areas such as the French Quarter were popular tourist destinations but the storm reduced the tourism to the area.
What was the main political impact of the storm?
President Bush and his administration were criticised for the way they handled the crisis.
What was the main response to the hurricane that saved lots of lives?
The Mayor of New Orleans ordered the evacuation of the city but 150,000 remained behind.
Where were the people who stayed advised to go?
30,000 people arrived at the Louisiana Superdome which became overcrowded and lacked resources.
Why was the National Guard sent to New Orleans?
Looters took advantage of abandoned shops and homes.
How much was given in Federal and public aid?
The US Senate gave $62.3 billion in aid.
The public donated $1.8 billion.
What did the Red Cross develop following the disaster?
The ‘Safe and Well’ software which has made it easier to reconnect families in future disasters.
How was the government criticised?
The citizens felt that the response from the government was too slow and the poor, black Americans living in New Orleans weren’t a priority for the government.
Bush was also criticised for flying over the city rather than an official visit.
The chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stood down after the criticism.
