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Environmental Impacts Of Hurricane Katrina

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Environmental Impacts Of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a devastating disaster, which killed more than 1,800 people, engendered the displacement of thousands of people, and occasioned severe damaged to properties (Russell, 2015). According to the same source, more than 80% of New Orleans was flooded during the event in 2005. The geomorphologic situation of the city (altitude -1m, location on the bank of the Mississippi River), and the protection barriers failure are the main sources of its vulnerability. The reconstruction of many of the city’s infrastructures started, and most of them are at the stage of finishing 10 years after the impact of the incident (Russell, 2015). The reconstruction of the city was necessitated by the unwillingness of the city’s natives to move definitely …show more content…
The demographic impacts a calamity like Katrina can have in a community are enormous. The severity of such disaster can engender many casualties and several damages to properties. For instance, more than 1,800 deaths and evacuation of 1, 5 million or more people were reported after the Hurricane Katrina struck (Russell, 2015). The magnitude of the event overwhelmed the response capabilities at all levels; local, state, and federal agencies did not function properly. The fears a disaster such as Katrina could engender are the inaccuracy of any emergency plan, the inefficacy of the mitigation actions and preparedness, the inoperability of the response strategies, and the excessive cost of the recovery; all those that are needed to enhance the community resiliency. Most destruction can never be repaired, many community members cannot be reunited, and many other people and businesses will be forced to leave definitely the area because of housing problems and other issues. The socio-economic fundament of the affected community can be destroyed forever with a consequence that the community will never recover as it can be expected. The impacts can also affect reputation of leaders, agencies, and have serious political repercussions for the community’s leaders and for the country in general (Mazzeno, 2015). The demographic impacts of such event on a community are

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