Hurricane Katrina

• Hurricane Katrina Case Study
• Factual Info:


  Date: August 2005

  Location: New Orleans (state of Louisiana), USA

  Magnitude: Category 5

  Track: Formed over Bahamas, strengthened over warm water of Gulf of Mexico- Cate. 3 as hit Mississippi & Louisiana
• Causes:


  - Near the equator= prone to tropical storms

  - Warm sea temp. at 27 degrees= ideal condition

  - Heavy rain & high wind speeds (280km/h), picked up waves in the Atlantic Ocean Brought= 7m storm surge
• Risks & vulnerabilities of area & people:

  Physical:

  - Global warming= high sea temp. & for longer

  - Gulf Coast= 1 of world's main hurricane zones

  - New Orleans 2m below sea level= prone to flooding

  - New Orleans levee system failed during storm & only able to withstand cate. 3 storm= 80% of city flooded

  Human:

  - New Orleans= densely pop. w/ 80% living in poverty- not built to correct standards due to poor leadership

  - Gov. slow response only 600,000 evacuated= many trapped in city due to traffic congestion/no transport= high death toll

  - 150,000 remained
• Primary Impacts:


  Social:

  - 1800 deaths

  - 600,000 evacuated & 25,000 to Superdome but poor sanitation, no elec. & roof ripped off

  - French quarter= poorer people/AA most affected- lived close to levees- deprivation/high unemployment= no access to transport/bus (80% living in poverty)

  - White people lived on higher/safer group, exposing & intensifying racial tensions, as most victims AA (political)

  Econ/Social- 200,000 homes/businesses destroyed= job loss

  Economic- $200 billion damage

  Environmental- 80% of New Orleans flooded
• Secondary Impacts:


  Social/Econ/Environ- Flooding= oil spill & sewage, polluted water supplies= deaths from contaminated water, damaged coastal habitats/salt marshes & oil industry disrupted/prices shot up & damages

  Social/Econ- Bridge collapsed (main route out New Orleans) many trapped in city, unable to evacuation

  Econ- Tourism decreased

  Econ- Looting
• Short-term Responses:


  - Monitoring systems tracked path

  - Compulsory evacuation (3/4 evacuated w/ 25,000 to Louisiana Superdome- emergency shelter)

  - Supplies and helicopters/ boats positioned around areas likely to be affected

  - President slow to declare state of emergency

  - $50b from federal reserves &aid from neighbouring countries

  - S&R teams & medical supplies
• Long-term Responses:


  - National aid, e.g. FEMA paid for 25,000 mobile homes= $900m (virtually unused- own regs. of not building on floodplains where most people lived)- criticised for slow response

  - Rebuild damaged housing & infra.

  - Raised levees & floodwalls to withstand cate. 5 storms

  - Expanded satellite network to better predict storms & improved broadcasting stations
• Factors which affected the responses:

  Negatives:

  - Insufficient planning for the event (President slow to declare state of emergency) & slow aid

  - Failure of public transport & poor maintenance of levees

  - Bridge (main route out of New Orleans) collapsed

  Positives:

  - Prepared through advanced warning & monitoring systems

  - Large supply of resources