Case Study of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a Category 5 (highest level) hurricane that made landfall along the Central Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005 as a humongous Category 3 storm. It originally formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005 and strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico. At that point, it was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the region.

Consequences

There were also reports of murders, thefts, carjacking, and rapes across the news. However, most of these stories were based on rumors.

Katrina’s storm surges devastated the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. As the levees separating New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain broke, water flooded 80% of New Orleans, all of St. Bernard Parish, and parts of St. Tammany Parish and Plaquemines Parish. As the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1928, the storm killed 1,422 people. As of March 2006, more than 2,000 still remain missing as of March 2006 and many of those might be dead. Furthermore, more than 1.5 million people were displaced, mostly to neighboring states.

There were also reports of murders, thefts, car-jackings, and rapes across the news. However, most of these stories were based on rumors. The National Guard and federal troops were sent to Louisiana to patrol the city.

In addition to addressing the fire, authorities should concurrently seek to ensure civilian safety and protection. Search helicopters should be deployed, armed with rescue materials like ropes and first aid equipment. Additionally, television announcements and radio briefings should be shown on all local channels and all pertinent radio frequencies. Upon discovering through aerial discernment or by civilian notification the locations of trapped individuals, these helicopters must travel to houses and ensure citizens' security.

Katrina was the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States - US$75 billion. The Gulf Coast region is also responsible for 30% of oil production by the United States, 20% of natural gas production, and 40% of imported oil comes through ports in the region. This naturally caused an increase in energy prices.

The hurricane also exposed some underlying race and class differences in the United States. Most of those left behind, without the ability to leave and evacuate, were black minorities. Some also identified Katrina as a unique opportunity and starting point for race relations in the U.S.

Citizen Response

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other organizations aided the relief effort with housing, food, and water. These organizations also helped the rebuilding process. An outpouring of volunteers from cities like Houston also aided the relief efforts. Many college students are also planning to help organizations to rebuild areas devastated by Katrina.

Government Response

The United States federal government came under strong criticism when Katrina led to thousands of deaths. President George W. Bush directed Department of Homeland Security’s Michael Chertoff to coordinate federal disaster response. Chertoff, in turn, delegated Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Michael Brown to head the disaster response in the Gulf Coast region. Eight days after Katrina struck, Brown was withdrawn as Bush and Chertoff came under fire for their lack of coordination and adequate response to Katrina. Brown was replaced with Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen. Three days later, Brown resigned as FEMA director. Later, leaked videos and transcripts indicated that Bush and Chertoff knew about the risk of levees breaking but chose not to act upon it.

The United States federal government came under strong criticism when Katrina led to thousands of deaths.

However, the federal government soon picked up the pace on relief. On September 2, the U.S. Congress passed a bill for $10.5 billion for disaster relief. On September 7, another bill worth $51.8 billion in aid was passed. FEMA has also provided more than 700,000 applicants with housing assistance that includes rentals and trailers. This number, though, is not enough as most of the trailers requested have not been supplied. FEMA also paid for hotel fees of 12,000 individuals and families.

Many states opened up and offered to shelter evacuees. The majority of the evacuees went to Texas, and over 230,000 of them went to Houston. Texas also acted as a checkpoint from which evacuees panned out to other states. There were also about 58,000 National Guards coming from all 50 states.

Sources Consulted

Sources

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