Social Impact Of Hurricane Katrina

In the morning of August 29, 2005, a Category 3 hurricane, named Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast of the United States. It started forming over the Bahamas on August 23 and peaked at a Category 5 hurricane. Katrina had winds up to 140 miles per hour. It went on for 400 miles. It’s force was felt in 5 states, such as Mississippi and Alabama, but the biggest hit was to Louisiana. More specifically, New Orleans.
New Orleans has an average elevation of six feet below sea level. Since many neighborhoods were below sea level there was a system of levees and seawalls to help prevent flooding. The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, ordered an evacuation on the eve of Hurricane Katrina. This was the first mandatory city evacuation of New Orleans. Many of the citizens took shelter in the Superdome stadium, which was above sea level. By the night of August 28, 80% of the city’s population was evacuated. Thousands of people chose to stay in their homes and wait out the storm.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, it broke the city’s levees and seawalls. By 9:00 am on August 29, 80% of the city of New Orleans was underwater. There was poor evacuation for the poor, lower class citizens that didn’t own a car to leave the city or to seek safety.
Hurricane
This was one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the history of the United States. Many people that experienced the storm firsthand were left with anxiety and a decline in health due to stress. People had to rebuild their entire lives after the storm took everything away from them. Hurricane Katrina took the lives of about 2,000 people. Citizens all over the US offered help to those affected. The Coast Guard was a big contributor in rescuing people from the water. The New Orleans Saints professional football team promoted support to the citizens of their city. Their stadium was used as the main shelter for those in need. Sixty nations around the world offered