The storm was very devastating, it was some of the few most horrible days in the United States. The day before Katrina hit, New Orleans issued its first ever mandatory evacuation. By nightfall, nearly eighty percent of the city was evacuated. However, tens of thousands of people decided to wait out the storm. Everyone was affected even if they were not living in the area. Even though about half of the city was above sea level, some was six feet below. This left the area more susceptible to flooding. Nevely eighty percent of New Orleans was underwater.
Hurricane Katrina is the largest and third strongest storm to be recorded to hit make landfall in the United States. The hurricane covered over ninety thousand square feet of land. The hurricane’s wind reached one hundred seventy four miles per hour, which is categorized as a level five hurricane.
The aftermath of the hurricane was dreadful. The economy suffered tremendously. In 2006 the Bush administration sought over one-hundred billion dollars for repairs and reconstruction. Hundreds of people living in southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Orleans were unemployed. This caused a snowball effect leading to no taxes being collected by local governments. Even before this horrific storm most New Orleans’ people lived in poverty. This made the city more