Hurricane Katrina Case Study

Question 1

Where did this storm take place?

Answer 1

New Orleans, Louisiana (USA)

Question 2

When did this storm take place?

Answer 2

Made landfall on 29th August, 2005

Question 3

What was the nature of the storm?

Answer 3

• Began as CAT 3 in the Atlantic and passed over Florida
• Rapidly intensified to CAT 5 in the Gulf of Mexico

Question 4

What impact did the CAT 3 storm have on Florida?

Answer 4

100,000 homes lost power

Question 5

How high were the wind speeds?

Answer 5

200 km/h - caused extensive beach erosion

Question 6

How much of New Orleans is built below sea level?

Answer 6

50%

Question 7

Which two bodies of water present flood risk to New Orleans?

Answer 7

• Mississippi River
• Lake Pontchartrain

Question 8

How many levees failed?

Answer 8

Atleast 50

Question 9

How much of New Orleans was flooded?

Answer 9

80%

Question 10

How much flooding was caused by the failure of levees?

Answer 10

80%

Question 11

Which neighbourhood was disproportionately affected?

Answer 11

Ninth Ward - two canals were breached due to poor maintenance

Question 12

Why was the Ninth Ward significantly impacted?

Answer 12

Economic and political neglect had led to derivation and poor maintenance of flood defences

Question 13

How many deaths were caused?

Answer 13

1800

Question 14

How much did the state population decrease between 2005-2006?

Answer 14

5%

Question 15

How much economic damage was caused?

Answer 15

$81 billion

Question 16

What was the impact on infrastructure?

Answer 16

Gulf Coast Highway infrastructure was destroyed, presenting issues of access for emergency vehicles and aid

Question 17

What was the main environmental impact of the storm?

Answer 17

Flood waters which were pumped back into Lake Pontchartrain contained sewage, pesticides and toxic chemical

Question 18

Why did a large number of levees fail?

Answer 18

• They were poorly maintained
• They had only been built to withstand CAT 3 storms

Question 19

How much money did the Bush administration seek for recovery efforts?

Answer 19

$105 billion

Question 20

Which three states declared a state of emergency?

Answer 20

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama (27th August - 2 days prior to landfall)

Question 21

When did the mayor of New Orleans issue an evacuation order?

Answer 21

28th August - 1 day prior to landfall

Question 22

How many people remained in the city?

Answer 22

150,000

Question 23

How many of the remaining people sheltered in the Louisiana Superdome?

Answer 23

30,000

Question 24

Why was sheltering in the Superdome ineffective?

Answer 24

They only had basic food and water supplies to last for 3 days

Question 25

Which organisation coordinated the government response?

Answer 25

FEMA

Question 26

What was FEMA’s initial response?

Answer 26

Sent over 2000 trucks containing food, water and mobile homes

Question 27

How many people in the Gulf Coast region were relocated?

Answer 27

1 million

Question 28

How many people relocated to Houston, TX?

Answer 28

240,000

Question 29

What occurred following criticism of the government’s management of the storm?

Answer 29

The FEMA chief stood down

Question 30

What was the long-term recovery strategy of the New Orleans city government?

Answer 30

Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan (GNOUWP) - $6 million scheme to improve stormwater management and drainage systems