Hurricane Katrina: Facts, Damage and Aftermath
Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest and most destructive Atlantic tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States.
Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States. About 1,836 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed in late August 2005, and millions of others were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans, which experienced the highest death toll.
Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have said Katrina was the most destructive storm to strike the United States. It ranks sixth overall in strength of recorded Atlantic hurricanes It was also a very large storm.
Ultimately 80 percent of New Orleans and large portions of nearby parishes became flooded, and the floodwater did not fade for weeks. Coastal areas, such as all Mississippi beachfront towns, sustained some of the worst devastation. Total property damage from Katrina was estimated at $81 billion, which was nearly triple the damage inflicted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States. About 1,836 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed in late August 2005, and millions of others were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans, which experienced the highest death toll.
Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have said Katrina was the most destructive storm to strike the United States. It ranks sixth overall in strength of recorded Atlantic hurricanes It was also a very large storm.
Ultimately 80 percent of New Orleans and large portions of nearby parishes became flooded, and the floodwater did not fade for weeks. Coastal areas, such as all Mississippi beachfront towns, sustained some of the worst devastation. Total property damage from Katrina was estimated at $81 billion, which was nearly triple the damage inflicted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Early in the morning on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale–it brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles per hour–and stretched some 400 miles across. The storm itself did a great deal of damage, but its aftermath was catastrophic. It led to massive flooding.
Before the storm
The tropical depression that became Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and meteorologists were soon able to warn people in the Gulf Coast states that a major storm was on its way. By August 28, evacuations were underway across the region. That day, the National Weather Service predicted that after the storm hit, “most of the Gulf Coast area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer.”
The day before Katrina hit, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation order. He also declared that the Super-dome, a stadium located on relatively high ground near downtown, would serve as a “shelter of last resort” for people who could not leave the city. (For example, nearly 500,000 people did not have access to a car.) By nightfall, almost 80 percent of the city’s population had evacuated. Some sought shelter in the Super-dome, while tens of thousands of others chose to wait out the storm at home.
The day before Katrina hit, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation order. He also declared that the Super-dome, a stadium located on relatively high ground near downtown, would serve as a “shelter of last resort” for people who could not leave the city. (For example, nearly 500,000 people did not have access to a car.) By nightfall, almost 80 percent of the city’s population had evacuated. Some sought shelter in the Super-dome, while tens of thousands of others chose to wait out the storm at home.
Quick Conclusion
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, destroying beachfront towns in Mississippi and Louisiana, move a million people, and killing almost 1,800. 80% of the city was submerged by the flooding. About 20% of its 500,000 citizens were trapped in the city without power, food, or drinking water. Rescue efforts were so delayed and disorganized that many were stranded for days on rooftops and in attics before help arrived.