Hurricane Katrina Flashcards
Background
August 2005
Category 5
New Orleans
Building over delta reduced protection to flooding
Situated below sea level between the Mississippi and Lake Ponchartrain, storm broke through the levees
Three big storms in a row - global warming
Social impacts
1 million displaced
80% of city flooded
Area the size of the UK was declared a disaster zone
1,300 fatalities
Few died in the aftermath as the USA had the infrastructure to supply clean water, medical care, and food
Floods caused blackout
Looters went through abandoned homes to find supplies to survive, 4 shot by national guard
Economic impacts
Many oil rigs and refineries were damaged, ↑ price of petrol
French Quarter damaged - tourism area
$200bil damage - broke US records
Environmental impacts
Floodwater was pumped back into lake but this had sewage, and toxic chemicals which led to many fish dying
44 oil spills - 26mil litres
Lands that were lost were breeding grounds for pelicans, turtles, and fish
1.3mil acres of forest destroyed
Short term response
Evacuation plan drawn up 19 hours before landfall but prediction of path was very accurate
Most managed to evacuate in cars or buses but 150,000 were unable to
Emergency shelter in ‘superdome’ where violence and assaults broke out and mainly poorer, black families who didn’t have car to escape.
Coast Guard rescued 30k/60k stranded
Government was poorly equipped and communication issues and red tape meant more people died, natural hazard → man-made hazard
Long term response
$60bil in internal aid authorised by congress
Criticised for slow response - President Bush was slow to visit area as he was on holiday
Kanye West claimed that there was a racial reason for the slow response and authorities would have responded differently if those affected were white
