storm hazards : Hurrican Katrina

Question 1

when and where did Hurricane Katrina strike?

Answer 1

23rd to 30th August 2005, in the USA specifically New Orleans and Missisipi an dareas of Fl

Question 2

how many ppl did Katrina kill and how much did it cost in damages?

Answer 2

1800 people, and $125bn , it was the most costly hurricane both economically and socially.

Question 3

what was the path taken by the Storm?

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Answer 3

1) on 23/08/05 it was a small tropical depression that formed over warm seas of SE Bahamas.
2) it then moved over S tip of Fl
3) deepened over warm waters of Gulf of Mexico -> exceeded wind speeds of 282km/hr.
4) It dropped to a Cat 3 cane before it reached land over Mississippi river
5) it then made 1st land fall @ Hallendale Beach
6) then crossed tip of FL penisula and turned NW towards Gulf Coast .
7) It was a cat 5 cane ~250 miles of the shore but it dropped to a 3/4 as it reached shoreline

Question 4

was KAtrina a cat 5 hurricane when it Hit new orleans

Answer 4

NO. It was NOT cat 5, it was cat 3

Question 5

Why was New Orleans so vulnerable?

Answer 5

• New Orleans–> lies on gulf coast –> liable to tropical storms.
• The original flood measures had shrunk soils, reducing 50% of towns land to below sea level –> liable to floods.
• Levee system not built to modern building standards, thus didnt protecc city as well, replacement work was only 60-80% complete.
• In aftermath –> alleged that pop were more vulberable due to lack of leadership, and evacuation plan which was only drawn up 19hrs before landfall.
• Bc New Orleans is built on floodplain that lies below sea level, most of the city flooded when all 3 levees along the river gave way.
• Most of the population evacuated in private cars but 15k remaind by choice–> alot of ppl in poverty thus had NO means of transportation to evacuate. –> last resort shelter sent to the superdome.

Question 6

How did Hurricane Katrina form?

Answer 6

The Atlantic ocean near the Bahamas is warm and thus promotes formation of a tropical storm.
Heavy rains and high wind travel in skies across Bahamas.
They promoted high waves in the Atlantic Ocean. The sustained winds top 38 mph –> tropical storm.

Question 7

discuss the timeline of events from the 24/08/05 to the 27/08/05

Answer 7

1) 24 Aug –> Hurricane reaches Florida as a Category one ‘cane with wind speed reaching 74 mph, topples trees and damages power lines.
- 6:30 pm –> heads inland killing 14 ppl
and causing $416 mill in damages.
- even though its only cat 1, high damage bc
high swirling winds move @ 8 mph so more
time to do damage).
2) Katrina moves out of Fl
3) 26 Aug –> Moves towards Gulf of Mexico, Cat2 –> passes over Fl pan handle + Louisiana ( along Gulf coast Red cross prep shelters, mobile feeding units, supplies etc into warehouses)
27/08 –> KAt is now cat 5 –> winds exceed 115mph –> at 12:40 am 28th, its now Cat 4 and moves towards Louisiana + New Orleans.
28/08 –> becomes a cat 4 and at 7:am Ray Nagin Mayor issues a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.

Question 8

`What were the characteristics of New Orleans before the storm?

Answer 8

Described as a “place with its own beat”. It has Creole, African American, French, Spanish, Cajun influences. Known as the Big Eazy as ppl had an easy attitude ( complacency and attitude lead to ppl dyign as they chose to ride out the storm)
The city had a pop of 500,000 before and after it was 230,172.
The city is a port city surounded by water and it is built entirely below sea level(some >6ft below the Gulf ). Has levee systems running through the city.
Lake Pontchartrain to the N, GOM is 100 mile to the S + mississipi river runs through it.
NO was already quite poor w/ >23% living in porverty and the murder rate is one of the highest /capita.( socio economic disparities with a large proportion of black minorities living in lower 9th ward and associatig areas –> in poorer quality houses etc)

Question 9

what were the windspeeds of the storm?

Answer 9

exceeding 289km/hr sustained , made it the 5th most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record.

Question 10

When did president Bush declare a state of emergency?

Answer 10

2 days before landfall in New Orleans., on the 27th Aug

Question 11

what did the FEMA statement say on the 28th AUg regarding ppls response to the Declared state of emergency?

Answer 11

“bars were still rockin” –> ppl were still complacent, and seemed unfazed about the situation –> some had a I might as well die having a good time attitude, and some were complacent bc they survived other hurricanes.

Question 12

How many ppl were evactuated to the superdome? what were the conditions

Answer 12

10,000 –> the conditions were horrific, poor sanitation due to overflowed toilets, lack of lighting, food shortages, damaged roof. There was alleged rape and an alleged murder.

Question 13

what % of New Orleans was covered by the floods?

Answer 13

80%

Question 14

social impacts : how many ppl became refugees and where did they go?

Answer 14

more than 1 million became refugees and were displaced from homes. A month after Katrina, refugees from teh event were registered in all 50 states.

Question 15

social impacts : what heppened to the state population

Answer 15

it fell to half as most people didn’t return –> too traumatising to return as many people had lost everythiing.

Question 16

social impacts : how many ppl died ?

Answer 16

there was 1200 fatalities in NO, there were fewer fatalites in the after math because USA has good quality infrastructur eand medical healthcare that helped prevent spread of diseases such as cholera etc

Question 17

social impacts : who was most badly affected by the storm? why?

Answer 17

African American urban dwellers in New Orleans, they were poorest + most disadvantaged.In society It has been alleged that respondres would have reacted differently if the victims seen in media were majority white.~ 100,000 of the black community lived in areas that had v v low level housing, and many didn’t have a means of transportation and thus were stranded in NO( many on welfare checks that ran out v v quickly thus had none left to buy car).

Question 18

social impacts : of the 180,000 homes in New Orelans, how many were flooded and how many were too damaged to repair?

Answer 18

110,000 flooded, 55,000 were too bad to repair.

Question 19

social impacts : how did most ppl die

Answer 19

Those that chose to wait the storm out in their homes, often thought to hide in the highest room in the house, the attic. However this became a problem as most attics only had 0 or 1 small window + since no one was expecting flood waters + storm surges to be that high they thought it was safe. However homes quyiclky flooded and ppl became trapped in their attics –> drowned + died.

Question 20

social impacts : what happened to the electricity + power?

Answer 20

superdome lost electricity so ppl had to sit, sleep, excrete in the dark –> deteriorating condntions. Many parts of the city lost complete power which took 3 months to restore.There was an est 5 million ppl without power.

Question 21

social impacts : what happened to communications

Answer 21

Most communications systems were destroyed, eg phones, tv, radios, even satellite communications were unreliable –> diff for ppl tho know conditions of their homes + belogings and it was diff to get in touch with survivors and ppl who needed rescuing.

Question 22

social impacts : impact of flooding?

Answer 22

Flooding and storm surges forced ppl to their attics. Ppl had to pulled out of homes, attics, and survivors had to wade through the waters in makeshift boats using matresses craters rafts etc. Some ppl were left stranded on bridges and sidewalks after the storm w/ no means of comunication to get help—> had to wait days on end w/ no food —> lead to looting

Question 23

social impacts : the super dome

Answer 23

about 10,000 people who were left behind in the desperate evacuation were sent to the super dome by buses as the last resort shelter. Most stayed for 5 days and gradally over time, conditions deteriorated. 3 ppl died(1 suicide and 2 elederly ppl from natural causes)

Question 24

economic impacts : (pre disaster): OIL companies

Answer 24

Oil compaines had to stop and abandon work in the rigs @ Gulf –> worldwide impact–> provied 25% of Americas Gas and oil. After the flood the prices for the oil and gas increased rapidly in the uk and usa.

Question 25

economic impacts : Tourism

Answer 25

The famous french quater of New orleans lost alot of tourists, –> this area boruhgt a significant amount of money to NO as it was full of bars, nightclubs, jazz houses, restruants etc –> famous for the liveliness and mix of diff cultures however, it hasn;t been the same since

Question 26

economic impacts :financial costs, + why was it so expensive?

Answer 26

the cost of damage was excess of $200bn, this was mostly due to the damages and the cost of repair. Becuase the buildings are of better quality , they cost more to rebuild (ie in manufacturing), the homes , infrastructure etc all cost more bc it has a higher volume, People bc they are “wealthier” than ppl in developing countries, tend to have more belongings ie TV, electrics that increase value for assets that need to be replaced –> even more costly.

Question 27

economic impacts :LOOTING, and impression of the media.

Answer 27

Because many ppl left homes, w. only food in the house and perishable goods, food shortages occured v v quickly. Many lost personal belongings and money making it diff to buy goods.Many had to steal to survive however Mayor, Ray Nagin sent the police and the National guard to enfore law and order instead of continuing to operate search and rescue. Many ppl did take advantage and steal luxuries.
There was the issue that media reporters claimed black people were looting, and white survivors were trying to survive, or had just “found” food. Kanye west adressed this claiming that George bush doesnt care baout black people and also by descrining “i hate they way they portray us in the media””

Question 28

economic impacts : Business failure

Answer 28

whilst most businesses were adequately insured, many were still badly affected by the storm –> lost emplyees and some emplyers –> lost physical documents etc so had to start over, lost important info –> made resetting up v v difficult. . However since most were insured, this took a tol on the insurance companies, who had to issue profit warnings as a result of the demands that were placed on them as ALOT of businesses and residents were insured.

Question 29

economic impacts :AID

Answer 29

7th Sept –> $51.8bn allocated from the Federal Funds and the public donated $1.8bn to American red cross alone

Question 30

economic impacts :Agriculture

Answer 30

Agricultural land + feed was lost and damaged and livestokc was killed, $12 mill dairy industry lost and the $9mill industry was also lost

Question 31

economic impacts :employlmet,

Answer 31

Due to mass unemplyment, income tax was reduced, had a great impact on general American economy, however, it allowed ppl to not fall into abject poverty. Some residents are no longer able to get home insurance as a result of the amount of money they claimed from Katrina to cover damages.

Question 32

evironmental impacts : oil spills

Answer 32

storm caused oil spills from 44 facilities, 7mill of us gallons of oil was leaked —> entered the ecosystemsand residential areas.

Question 33

evironmental impacts : water contamination and flooding

Answer 33

water pipes had broken and overtopped levees meant that water from Lake potchartrain and other surroundign rivers mixed together –> contaminated w/ faeces , fish, chemicals and gases from homes and buildingsetc. There was also debris that mixed w. water –> blocked the drainage systems leadong to standing water floods. . Even 11 days after the storm, >1/2 was still underwater.

Question 34

political impacts :

Answer 34

George bush was critiqued about the delay to response –> “George Bush doesnt care about black people”- Kanyw West. HAd some truth as whilst Katrina occured, George Bush was fully aware yet remained to finish holiday and to operate from holiday resort istead of coming to help/oversee.
FEMA is not a 1st respondant(ie not for govt) it doesn;t have its own abulances, fire trucks, or helicopters –> relies on US military, NAtional guard etc –> however took charge. (were critiqued bc they made other NGO’s and volunteers sign sheets and forms before getting to help those in need –> delayed the process
249 officers abandoned their jobs in search and rescue and as law enforcers –> left those in need to fend for themselve.
News reported in ways that didn’t show the extreme effects of the cane so there was alot of misconception of how bad the cane was to unaffected ppl.
There was conflict and communication difficulties between, Blanco + Bush.
Emergency director fromthe Jefferson parhish in NO criticised FEMA for not fulfilling any of their promises to help the area –> ie lack of promised provision of 6 GenPaks (generators) that would allow ppl to see , cook etc

Question 35

ecoonomic impact : fema criticism.

Answer 35

FEMA is not a 1st respondant(ie not for govt) it doesn;t have its own abulances, fire trucks, or helicopters –> relies on US military, NAtional guard etc –> however took charge. (were critiqued bc they made other NGO’s and volunteers sign sheets and forms before getting to help those in need –> delayed the process
Emergency director fromthe Jefferson parhish in NO criticised FEMA for not fulfilling any of their promises to help the area –> ie lack of promised provision of 6 GenPaks (generators) that would allow ppl to see , cook etc

Question 36

responses to katrina –> responses prior to actual landfall.

Answer 36

Red Cross and Salv Army started preparing shelters and mobile feeding units , and moving suplies to warehouses.
FEMA took note of local needs and gross needs of the to be affected areas.
National GUard were deployed and were on standby –. so could easily help when over.
Mayor Nagin opened the Superdome as the last resurt shelter –> was meant to w/stanf winds of 250km,
Lots of traffic as lots of ppl tried to evacuate at once.
MOST RESIDENTS HAD LITTLE FEAR THAT THE CITY WOULD BE BADLY IMPACTED.

Question 37

responses after the storm : the super dome

Answer 37

rescued ppl are brought to the superdomw, and crowd swells to an additional 20,000, toilets overflow and conditions deteriorate. On Aug 30 –> Blanco calls for a full evacuation of the Superdome and buses take ppl by the 30 to Houston AstroDome, and other shelters –> lead by General Honore. Mike Hennek owner of a school bus service, starts a local releif effort, collecting over 90k lbs of food supplies to give to ppl in Shreveport and @ superdome.

Question 38

responses after the storm :government response

Answer 38

Was heavily criticised for being too slow and not intensive, despite many ppl evacuating. However, no consideration for the less well off in society w/o cars, money, homeless, infirm etc. Also discussion if the ppl were fully prepared for the storm ahead + if they knew how seriuous it would be due to the amount of ppl whjo still remained in NO by choice –> were scattered + dispiresed makingit harder for search and rescue teams to help them.
US coast guards and National guard try and help rescue ppl from their rooftops,+ attics.
Govt also donated $50bn in response effort.

Question 39

responses after the storm :walmart

Answer 39

They worked w/ the red cross to supply DRY food chainsaws and other necesities to areas in need.

Question 40

responses after the storm : response to housign crises

Answer 40

Alot of ppl left homeless, or in in need of a temp home bc of the repairs –> FEMA in respons emass produced “Fema Trailers” to solve the housign problem. They were alternatives to tent like shelters as they lasted longer and some ppl still live in them today –> however there have been complaints about respiratory problems + nose bleedings –> smol traces of formaldehyde.

Question 41

responses after the storm : hunger problem

Answer 41

FEMA distributed 18 mill packaged meals and 10mill galons of water to flood victims, and NGOs such as red cross + salvation army raised funds to provide food, and m edical supplies.

Question 42

responses after the storm :what was done about the flooding and the levees

Answer 42

the levees had be overtopped + subsequently were broken and thus Army air lifted sand bags and various quantities of materials to strengthen the levees + stop water flowing into the city

Question 43

what is the after math of Katrina

Answer 43

• Demographics changed, pre Katrina %balck population on NO was 67%, after that it dropped to 59% and has remaind like that since –> bc most black ppl were badly affected mentally, and economically + thus didnt want to come back.The city is now more racially diverse w/ higher % of Asian + Latinx ppl.
  The NO huuricans defence cost $14.8bn and were only completed in 2018 –> more flood systems are waiting to be built ie sea walls bc city is still @ risk.

Question 44

Assess the impacts (AO2, eg which were worst + why?)

Answer 44

The Economic impacts of the hurricane have proved to be some of the longest term impacts as not only was the total cost of damages in a record breaking $200billion, but associated businesses in New Orleans areas, such as oil and gas, dairy produce and pasture also resulted in economic downfall both in the state and the whole of America. Thousands of people lost their jobs and were left homeless and without an income for the next 6months - a year. The had major setbacks on the US economy as lots of insurance had to be paid and reduced income tax was issued. On a greater scale this meant that prices for necessities around the country also rose, i.e. gas and oil prices (even increased in the UK!). As many people had no money this resulted in an increase in antisocial behaviour and looting and theft became apparent with stores losing money further as any valuable items that could be sold were stolen. As a result of the vast amount of money taken out by the storm, many survivors of Katrina still can’t take out home insurance, thus may still be at risk if another hurricane were to occur.

The environment was affected badly as water systems became contaminated , ecosystems were ruined and animals displaced and dead. The poor water quality as a result of overturned sewage and waste systems resulted in the reduction of ecosystems and biodiversity at Lake Pontrachain. The soils around the river basin and throughout the towns were eroded and saturated with water, preventing any agriculture ( ie for the Dairy industry in Mississippi ) and vegetation growth. Thousands of trees were knocked down reducing the number of habitats for birds and livestock and also causing further damages by blocking roads and falling into power lines. The built environment and infrastructure was completely destroyed as storm surges as high as 18ft knocked down trees, buildings and homes, resulting in 70million cubic meters of debris.

A major impact of the hurricane was the vast amount of people that became displaced,were refugees in their own country or ended up dead. The majority of those that were impacted the most were black urban dwellers in New Orleans who, not only lived below sea level and were vulnerable, but also were low income citizens with limited means of transportation. As a result of the storm the majority of these people lost their homes, jobs and livelihoods which has now led to some of them still depending on unemployment benefits.
The major storm surges lead to the deaths of 1,200 people dying because of drowning and falling debris and as a result, a large percentage of the survivors of Katrina haven’t returned as it’s too traumatic. As many people were displaced it became a problem to try and locate them and rescue them from the floodwaters which thus led to more people suffering with no food and water for days. Refugees from Hurricane Katrina were registered in all 50 states of the US and the population has remained lower ( by 8% ) than it was before the storm.

Question 45

Assess the perception of hurricanes in the USA and the factors affectign these perceptions.

Answer 45

Hurricanes are not rare disasters in America and many ppl, essp those that live on GOM are aware of them. Over time, ppl have become more complacent towards them as they are expereicned often and ppl survive however this resulted in a death for ppl in NO. Ppl of NO + Luisiana knew the potential impacts of Katrina.