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Hurricane Katrinas Impacts on the Greater New Orleans
Nicole McMahon
Southern New Hampshire University
PHY-105-H7066
Geology 23EW6
Doctor Vistasp Dalal
August 20, 2023
The impact that Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans was devastating. The intensity of
this storm was influenced by a few contributing factors such as climate change, human
influences, tectonic plates, sea level, and sediment movement. Of these influences, many of the
risk factors could’ve been reduced, and the amount of damage left behind could’ve been
lessened. Due to the failure of floodwalls, and with the city being below sea level, there was loss
of life, and many residents were stranded, and left homeless. Winds and heavy rain caused
widespread flooding and left a path of destruction, which the city of New Orleans is still dealing
with the aftermath of the storm.
When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, it had turned into a Category three hurricane,
even with the storm weakening before it hit New Orleans, it was still incredibly strong with
heavy rain and up to 175 miles per hour winds (Ambrose, 2021). After the storm hit, eighty
percent of the city was left under water (Gibbens, 2023). This storm absolutely destroyed the
city, it left many residents homeless and displaced. Over 1,800 people lost their lives, many other
injured, and there was more than 108 billion dollars left in damages (Ambrose, 2021).
There are a few factors that contributed to the amount of damaged that was caused by the
storm. One of which is the placement of New Orleans; the city sits in a natural basin that is
below sea level, which makes it prone to flooding (Gibbens, 2023). It is a belief that the shifting
of tectonic plates that New Orleans sits on is making the city sink (American Association for
Advancement of Science, 2006).
Another contributor to the amount of damage caused by
Hurricane Katrina, was the failure of levees and floodwalls. The floodwalls were poorly built
with the foundations of them not extending deep enough into the ground to support the force of
the water (Ambrose, 2021). These flood walls and levees were no match for the nineteen foot
storm surges, which are known to cause the most amount of destruction during these tropical
storms and hurricanes. Due to low- funding, not enough information, and poor construction, New
Orleans did not stand a chance going up against a storm as strong as Katrina. Poor knowledge of
proper engineering was a main cause for flooding that the city saw, and in some circumstances
even helped the city to let in more floodwater. The man-made canals around the city helped to
filter water into the city, and cars and homes were left buried by sediment that was transferred
into the city from the storm (Ambrose, 2021).
There are quite a few improvements the politicians can make to be better prepared for
strong storms that may come through New Orleans. The first thing I would suggest would be to
improve the infrastructure. By having engineers come up with plans for floodwalls and levees
that are better funded, better constructed, and built deep enough into the ground, then they should
help keep the water out of the city. Politicians should have clear evacuations plans and provide
the residents with adequate information about the potential impact of severe storms to the city.
Monitoring of storms would also help them plan and be able to come up with timely emergency
response systems. The city of New Orleans was not adequately prepared for any storm of this
intensity and if they had inspected the flood protection systems they had in place then they
would’ve been able to properly improve them before being completely devasted by such a severe
storm.
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References
Ambrose, K. (2021).
New Orleans: Then and now photos, 16 years after Katrina
. The Washington
Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/08/28/hurricane-katrina-orleans-
rebuilt-photos/
American Association for Advancement of Science. (2006). Why is New Orleans Sinking? | Science |
AAAS. https://www.science.org/content/article/why-new-orleans-sinking
Gibbens, S. (2023, May 15).
Hurricane Katrina Facts and Information
. Environment.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/hurricane-katrina
Thompson, A. (2015).
10 years later: Was warming to blame for Katrina?
. 10 Years Later: Was
Warming to Blame for Katrina? | Climate Central.
https://www.climatecentral.org/news/katrina-was-climate-change-to-blame-19377
University of Rhode Island (2020).
Katrina impacts
. Hurricanes.
http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/studies/katrinacase/impacts/#:~:text=Besides%20the
%20death%20toll%2C%20hurricane,New%20Orleans%20showing%20flooding%20depths.