Hurricane Katrina case study

Question 1

Date

Answer 1

August 23rd 2005 (started) 29th of august became catergoyr 5

Question 2

Location

Answer 2

Southeast of the Bahamas

USA

Question 3

Wind strength

Answer 3

193kph/ 120mph

Question 4

Pressure stat

Answer 4

902 mbar(fifth most intense storm)/ 26.6 inHg

Question 5

Rating on saffir simpson

Answer 5

Category 3

Question 6

Factors contributing to New Orleans’ vulnerability

Answer 6

• Low lying coastal area - houses 4ft below sea level
• 20% of population (100,000) didn’t have access to mode of transport and couldn’t evacuate
• New Orleans has a 23% poverty rate - 2x national average
• N/S divide - south much poorer due to being agricultural based and north developed more quickly due to industrialisation socioeconomic inequalities
• New orleans lies on the gulf of mexico (expects severe storms) Since 1924 there have been 33 atlantic hurricanes reached cat 5)
• Original flood control measures had resulted in the shrinkage of soils which meant over 50% of the land was now below sea level
• Levees not built to modern standards and the replacements were only 60-90% complete
• Population made more vulnerable by lack of leadership, and an evacuation being drawn 19 hours before the storm hit
• 150,000 remained mostly by choice

Question 7

Preparation strategies before the event

Answer 7

• Risk assessments carried out in preparation (national geographic 12 months before storm hit released an article)

Question 8

Impacts

Answer 8

Primary:
1800 deaths (few deaths after as the us had the infrasturcture to provide the evacuees)
10k injured
Slow evacuations - 3 days
300k buildings destr
6m high storm surge
3m without electricity
Delicate coastal ecosystems damaged due to winds and storm surge
Mass looting - community spirit as hurriacane impacts targeted marganalized in society with little support
80% flooded and 53 levees permanently broken
**Secondary: **
* 300bn in damage
* 400k displaced, 1m homeless
* Levees broke - flooding 80% of New Orleans
* 1.1bn cotton & sugar cane crops destroyed
* Much of new orleans is still damaged or unrecovered over 15 years later
* Fuel prices rose due to the cutting off of the US oil refineries in the gulf of mexico, to over 70$ per barrel
* Infrastucture such as railways and roads destroyed

Question 9

What was the racial belief about the response to hurricane katrina and why was George w bush criticised as a result?

Answer 9

(Those affected were black americans, poor and the most disadvantges in society, critics say that if it was different group in society i.e american white the storm would have been treated differently and wouldnt have been as disruptive) (Bush criticised for being slow to visit)

Question 10

Responses

Answer 10

Short term:
* 25k sheltered in the super dome (roof started being hit by storm)
* 1.5m evacuated in the mandatory evacuation
* National guard destroyed
* 800m rebuilding flood defences
* 35bn rebuilding homes and schools
* 105 Bn in government aid
Long term:
* Up to 45,000 national guard and federal troops mobilized to help re-establish governance
* The USA received disaster aid and assiatnce from over 50 countries, totalling 850m. However some of the us barley spent 10% of this on disaster relief and reconstruction
* Poor and half heated reconstruction efforts since

Question 11

New Orleans today

Answer 11

• Architecture adapted for rising sea levels
• Resillence and restoration in some areas, abandonment in others
• Buildings made to withstand the next 100 year storm
• Post-Katrina, second-line parades served as places where dispersed people could reconnect, pass on information, and enjoy pride in their community again.