Lesson 20- What were the effects and responses to Hurricane Katrina?

Question 1

Why was this hurricane so significant?

Answer 1

• Hurricane Katrina is tied with Hurricane Harvey (2017) as the costliest hurricane on record.
• Although not the strongest in recorded history, the hurricane caused an estimated $125 billion worth of damage.
• The category five hurricane is the joint eight strongest ever recorded, with sustained winds of 175 mph

Question 2

Where did the hurricane copme from?

Answer 2

• The hurricane began as a very low-pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean.
  -The system strengthened, forming a hurricane that moved west, approaching the Florida coast on the evening of the 25th August 2005

Question 3

Where did the hurricane effect?

Answer 3

• Made landfall in Florida and Lousiana, particularly New Orleans causing lots of damage central Florida to eastern texas

Question 4

What human factors contributed to the serverity?

Answer 4

• Fatal flaws in flood engineering protection led to a significant loss of life in New Orleans.
  -The levees, designed to cope with category three storm surges, failed to lead to catastrophic flooding and loss of life.

Question 5

What was the hard response?

Answer 5

• In Hurricane Katrina, the response was very “heavy handed”, FEMA deployed the army and armed members of FEMA to restore “law and order” in New Orleans after the hurricane.
  -due to accusations of looting, violence and rape.

-but vast majority of these allegations have been proven false and the police brutality that occured here couldve acctually been due to institutional racism by the police in New Orleans

Question 6

Social impacts of the hurricane?

Answer 6

• 1500 deaths in the states of Louisiana,Mississipi and Florida
• 3 million left without electricity for over a week
• Many people moved to live in other parts of the USA and many didnt return

Question 7

Economic impacts of hurricane?

Answer 7

• Costs of about $300 billion
• Thousands of jobs lost and millions of dollars lost in tax incomes
• Tourism badly effected

Question 8

Environmental impacts of the hurricane

Answer 8

• Agriculture production was damaged by tornadoes and flooding
• Part of the USA oil refining capacity was disrupted after the storm led to petrol to go past $1 dollar per litre for the first time

Question 9

How did the track of the storm contribute to the severity of the impacts alongside scale of the storm?

Answer 9

• Tracked over the Gulf of Mexico (very shallow warm water) and unexpectedly hit New Orleans a coastline city with largte areas below sea levels
  -The levees were overwhelmed by the extra water, this allowed water to flood into New Orleans, and up to 80% of the city was flooded to depths of up to six meters.

Question 10

Long term impacts of hurricane katrina?

Answer 10

• The states population fell by 8.4% 378,000
• Over 460,000 people left the New Orleans area
• By July 2006 only 60k returned
  -However, population of Baton Rouge, 80km north west of New Orleans increased by 35,000

Question 11

Responses to katrina?

Answer 11

• Mayor of New Orleans ordered an evacuation
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) acted but not very well co-ordinated
• Volunteers helped evacuees and aided them for 6 months
• Coast Guard rescued 35,000 from New Orleans
• 58,000 National guard came to help from 50 states
• September Congress supplied $62.3bn in aid and Secretary of Homeland security took over logistical control
• 70 countries pledged aid – Kuwait pledged $500m

Question 12

What was the effectiveness of the responses to Katrina?

Answer 12

• No management to remove the floodwater
• National response plan states response is down to local government until its resources are exhausted
• FEMA failed to provide targeted housing due to lack of trailers, funded 12,000 hotel stays and by July 2006 still 100,000 living in the trailers

Question 13

Human factors affecting severity?

Answer 13

• Inadequate Levees system channeled water into poorest areas of New Orleans
• Unnecessary evacuation for Hurricane Ivan left many skeptical
• Slow response
• Complacency – presumed defenses would keep them safe
• Lack of means to evacuate for the cities poorest residents
  Lack of insurance in poorer areas (risk sharing)

Question 14

Physical factors affecting severity?

Answer 14

• Most densely populated areas of the Gulf coast
• Vast areas surrounding the Mississippi river was reclaimed floodplain which was below sea level – 6th Ward, 12 ft below sea level
• Magnitude and unpredicted