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Hurricane Katrina: Brace for Impact
Amanda Smith
DeVry University
112: English
Lori Cameron
October 3, 2023
2
Hurricane Katrina: Brace for Impact
Hurricane Katrina hit along the Gulf Coast but impacted the entire country with great
force. Katrina left a path of destruction behind it, being one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the
United States (National Weather Service, 2022). Katrina made landfall in 2005, claiming over
1,800 lives and more than 800,000 homes with its destruction. This natural disaster struck the
nation with great tragedy in the lives that were lost, widespread destruction, and the toll it took
on the economy, being the costliest storm to make landfall and resulting in a need for quicker
response time and disaster preparedness.
Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc across the southeast and took more than 1,800 lives,
making it one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States (National Weather
Service, 2022). It’s argued that the death toll is still unknown from the devastation left by
Katrina.
Sources from news reports and newspaper have conflicting numbers about the number
of lives taken by Katrina. To this day, there are some bodies that were never identified or
claimed.
Hurricane Katrina
brought great devastation as it destroyed everything in its path on
August 29, 2005, and years after. Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge was peaked at 11.45 feet in the
Santa Rosa Sound in Florida, while it’s likely that the surge was close to 20 feet along the
Mississippi-Alabama border (
"Hurricane Katrina - August 2005," 2022).
Hurricane Katrina was
affected 90,000 square miles of land and about 15 million people. In New Orleans, breached
levees flooded 80% of the city (Reid, 2023). It was reported that the levees were prepared for
hurricanes at a category 3 or lower, being unable to withstand Hurricane Katrina’s category 5.
“
The word “Katrina” has become a euphemism signifying national dysfunction” (Brinkley,
2015).
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As Katrina aggressively pushed its way through New Orleans, homes were destroyed.
Many people that “rode out the storm” in their homes had no idea how aggressive this storm was
about to become, being one of the deadliest natural disasters in our Nation’s History.
“
Katrina
caused one of the largest and most abrupt relocations of people in U.S. history”
(
Groen &
Polivka, 2010). More than 800,000 homes were destroyed from Hurricane Katrina which led to
displacement of residents across several states (Sastry & Gregory, n.d.).
Hurricane Katrina caused high waters and strong winds that lead to much of the
destruction along the Gulf Coast. Wind speeds topped at 175mph. This high wind tore down
plenty of trees, manufactured homes, gas station canopies and metal buildings. The wind speeds
played a part in the storm surge that flooded much of the city.
The primary cause of a storm surge
is strong winds. A storm surge starts to form as winds swirl around, pushing seawater into
a
“mound” at the center of the storm (Heaslip, 2023).
During the first 10 months after the hurricane, the city suffered an over-the-year average
loss of 95,000 jobs (Dolfman et al., 2007). Katrina affected the country at large. Due to so many
that lost their jobs, they were forced to relocate to different cities and states. Oil production shut
down for weeks and gas and energy prices soared across the nation
(ABC News, 2006).
Hurricane Katrina had large and persistent impacts on where people live, small and mostly
transitory impacts on wage income and employment (Deryugina et al., 2014)
After Hurricane Katrina, crime rates rose in Louisiana. These crimes consisted of
burglary, larceny, fraud, rape, and murder. However, t’s not the first time that crime rates rose
due to hurricanes or other natural disasters. Law enforcement and officers sent to Louisiana were
to help rescue and bring order to the area. Though saving the lives of thousands of people
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trapped were more important, the city was lacking order, allowing for crimes to happen more
often as criminals likely took advantage of the devastation, for personal gain.
Thinking about ways that we can help to limit hurricane tragedies, response to warnings,
shelter, and home preparations would help future natural disasters, such as hurricanes. Most
households own some sort of technology that would allow up-to-date knowledge of severe
weather. When Katrina hit, thousands of people fled north to keep themselves protected or
sought out shelter capable of withstanding the storm, though some residents still stayed in their
home to wait the storm out. Lastly, home preparations would allow some protection against
residences with lighter flooding, to help lessen the blow, and could easily protect lower-level
homes, from instant flooding and possibly limit water rises in their home.
Though most individuals across America have some form of technology to hear and
watch news reports, there are still people without the advantages of cellphones and televisions.
At this time, after COVID-19 took place, we have learned that not every person in America has
access to knowledge about healthcare and warning signs. Now, in 2023, there has been an effort
to give everyone access to the information needed, we can help prevent such devastation by
using this assistance provided, to stay alert on updates and warnings of severe weather. The
internet is a powerful thing. This is an instance in which social media apps like Facebook and
TikTok should shine.
With these communications, it’s hopeful we could reach many residents that are at risk
and in harm’s way, giving a warning of what’s to come. With the warning across the news, on
social media and apps, and the car stereo, having the message surrounding you with warning, it’s
hopeful that it could save some lives. TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are all apps that are
heavily populated with use and can be the way that we can interact with vital information, to get
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the message across clearly and urgently. Taking advantage of our daily lives, to help give
warning, could be beneficial, save lives, and make a devastating natural disaster, a little less
devastating.
Though there are recommendations that people in a targeted area of an event such as a
hurricane or a tornado, evacuate the area, some choose to ignore the warnings and “stick it out”.
Sometimes, staying behind hasn’t resulted in catastrophe, but it’s not always that simple.
Sometimes, staying behind has turned out to be the worst decision that someone could have
made, such as during Hurricane Katrina. When something with so much force is foreseen, an
area could be forced to evacuate to shelters capable of withstanding such high winds and water
or to a location outside of the target area. Though it won’t take away the devastation that comes
with natural disasters, it could save some lives.
When it comes to home preparation, boarding the windows and doors will help keep
water and some items from coming through glass, to keep water and debris from filling your
home so quickly. Sandbags are another tool that have proven to be useful in blocking smaller
amounts of water out of a residence, though it’s not the solution for all scenarios. We can’t go
back in time to prepare for one of the strongest natural disasters in U.S, history, we can prepare
for future storms and help keep our homes safe, and even save lives.
Hurricane Katrina left tragedy and destruction with ease going down in history. Though
we can't fully prevent a hurricane, we can take measures to brace for impact. Hurricane Katrina
took many lives, many homes, and much of Louisiana. With technology and knowledge, we can
help address and prevent some of the damages, some of the devastation, and some of the
tragedies that come with the storms.
Engineering standards for earthen levees were
6
strengthened, requiring the use of quality
clay. New standards for floodwalls resulted in the use
of upside-down, T-shaped walls supported by much deeper pilings (Schleifstein, 2020).
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References
ABC News. (2006, August 23).
Katrina's economic impact: One year
later
.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=2348619&page=1
Brinkley, D. (2015, September).
The broken promise of the levees that failed New Orleans
.
Smithsonian Magazine.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-
institution/broken-promise-levees-failed-new-orleans-180956326/
Deryugina, T., Kawano, L., & Levitt, S. (2014, November).
The economic impact on hurricane
katrina on its victims: Evidence from individual tax returns
. National Bureau of
Economic Research |
NBER.
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w20713/w20713.pdf
Dolfman, M. L., Wasser, S. F., & Bergman, B. (2007, June).
The effects of Hurricane Katrina on
the New Orleans economy
. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
https://www.bls.gov/opub
Groen, J. A., & Polivka, A. E. (2010, November).
Going home after Hurricane Katrina:
Determinants
. ProQuest | Better research, better learning, better
insights.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/816258357/fulltextPDF/9B6C52ABA5F84
E0FPQ/1?accountid=44759
Heaslip, E. (2023, October 5).
What is a storm surge and what causes it?
Sofar Ocean -
Connecting the World's Oceans.
https://www.sofarocean.com/posts/what-is-a-storm-
surge-and-what-causes-it
Hurricane Katrina - August 2005
. (2022, September). National Weather
Service.
https://www.weather.gov/mob/katrina
Pruitt, S. (2020, August 19).
Hurricane Katrina: 10 Facts About the Deadly Storm and It's
Legacy
. History.com.
https://www.history.com/news/hurricane-katrina-facts-legacy#
8
Reid, K. (2023, July 24).
2005 Hurricane Katrina: Facts and FAQs
. World
Vision.
https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2005-hurricane-katrina-
facts
Sastry, N., & Gregory, J. (n.d.).
The location of displaced New Orleans residents in the year
after Hurricane Katrina
. PubMed Central
(PMC).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4048822/
Schleifstein, M. (2020, August 23).
15 Years After Katrina, New Orleans Levees are in the Best
Shape Ever. Experts Say it's Not Enough
. New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking
News, Sports | NOLA.com | New Orleans News, Sports and
Entertainment.
https://www.nola.com/news/environment/15-years-after-katrina-new-
orleans-levees-are-in-the-best-shape-ever-experts-say/