Hurricane Katrina
Angela K Sites
Composition II-42:
ENC 1102-42
Professor Richard Kamerman
February 9, 2013
August 29, 2005 presented the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana a devastating blow. A category five hurricane made landfall and wiped out life as they knew it. Hurricane Katrina was one of the most deadly to hit the United States. One thousand eight hundred and thirty six people lost their lives and this incident provoked many to wonder, how could this happen? Loss of life was tragic and the economic impact would be felt for years to come. How could New Orleans be wiped out? How could so many lives be lost? While many questions were raised as a result of this natural disaster, probably the most critical of questions was whether or not New Orleans could be susceptible to another natural disaster of this magnitude. Exploring factors such as why and how this southern town was dealt this blow along with the possibility of reoccurrence can provide insight on avoidance of such impacts to life and economics in the future.
Why New Orleans was wiped out could be attributed to many factors such as the location of the Gulf of Mexico and that levees were not capable of handling a hurricane five category hurricane. According to, (News Round, 2005)
New Orleans is in a really vulnerable position for hurricanes. It lies above the Gulf of Mexico, where lots of the huge storms start.
The Mississippi river runs through the middle of town, and Lake Pontchartrain is to its north. Because the city is on ground which is below sea level, these things combine to put it in a dangerous position for flooding.
The location of New Orleans contributed to this deadly blow that took so many lives and caused economic disaster. It is clear that this city lied below sea level and was surrounded by lakes which ultimately led the flooding after the hurricane made landfall. When the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration issued their warning for the gulf coast on August 28, 2005 that
Composition II-42:
ENC 1102-42
Professor Richard Kamerman
February 9, 2013
August 29, 2005 presented the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana a devastating blow. A category five hurricane made landfall and wiped out life as they knew it. Hurricane Katrina was one of the most deadly to hit the United States. One thousand eight hundred and thirty six people lost their lives and this incident provoked many to wonder, how could this happen? Loss of life was tragic and the economic impact would be felt for years to come. How could New Orleans be wiped out? How could so many lives be lost? While many questions were raised as a result of this natural disaster, probably the most critical of questions was whether or not New Orleans could be susceptible to another natural disaster of this magnitude. Exploring factors such as why and how this southern town was dealt this blow along with the possibility of reoccurrence can provide insight on avoidance of such impacts to life and economics in the future.
Why New Orleans was wiped out could be attributed to many factors such as the location of the Gulf of Mexico and that levees were not capable of handling a hurricane five category hurricane. According to, (News Round, 2005)
New Orleans is in a really vulnerable position for hurricanes. It lies above the Gulf of Mexico, where lots of the huge storms start.
The Mississippi river runs through the middle of town, and Lake Pontchartrain is to its north. Because the city is on ground which is below sea level, these things combine to put it in a dangerous position for flooding.
The location of New Orleans contributed to this deadly blow that took so many lives and caused economic disaster. It is clear that this city lied below sea level and was surrounded by lakes which ultimately led the flooding after the hurricane made landfall. When the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration issued their warning for the gulf coast on August 28, 2005 that
Bibliography: News Round. (2005, September 05). Retrieved from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4200000/newsid_4204800/4204862.stm Knabb/Pasch. (2005). Hurricane KATRINA. Miami, FL: NOAA National Weather Service. Troeh, E. (2012, August 29). American Public Media. Retrieved from Market Place: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/new-orleans-14-billion-levee-system-holds-now