Hurricane Katrina

Outline

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT:4

INTRODUCTION4

LITERATURE REVIEW6

CONCLUSION8

BIBLIOGRAPHY10

Executive Summary

In the aftermath of Katrina, however, this thoughtful analysis was perhaps most often remembered for a one-sentence summary that seemed to encapsulate, eloquently, what so many Americans were thinking at the time: New Orleans had been shown to be an inevitable city in an impossible location. In a distinction that would be taken up by other articulate geographers during the immediate aftermath of Katrina the most notable example of which would probably be the Slate article by Ari Kelman Lewis saw New Orleans as providing a classic illustration of the differences between what geographers call site and situation.



Economic Effects of Hurricane Katrina

Aims and objectives of the report:

The following are the aims and objective of the report

Discover the geographical reasons of the Hurricane Katrina.

Unravel the reason as to why the N.O. government and that of LA. so poorly prepared in leadership

Analyse the negative and the positive actions of the population/elected and appointed officials (local and federal);

Discover the reason behind the wait by the federal assistance which had been mobilized and was supposedly standing ready

Analyse and leran what leassons could be obtained from this horrific experience.

Introduction

Most people currently living in hurricane-prone areas do not understand the effects of storm surge. You can not stop it. The media coverage on this hurricane has convinced the people in these areas that storm surge is nothing to take lightly. This is shown just two weeks after Katrina, when Rita emerged in the gulf and was headed to North Texas. Nearly everyone evacuated the cities and it saved many lives.

During the 1960's levees and flood walls were engineered to protect the city from storm surges. These levees are a little more than two feet thick and made to only withstand a Category 3 hurricane. The levees were standing on compressed marsh sediment that eroded away at the base when the flood waters from Katrina went over them. Many levees and flood walls broke during the storm letting water flood the city.

In July, 2004, Walter Masteri, head of the National Hurricane Center, participated in the simulation of a Category 3 storm hitting New Orleans, this was called Hurricane Pam. "Emergency planners had concluded that a real hurricane like this would create a flood of unimaginable proportions, killing tens of thousands of people, wiping out hundreds of thousands of homes, shutting down southeast Louisiana for months." (Steady Buildup to a Complete Meltdown, pg.1) Through this simulation, a year before Katrina, Masteri knew what kind of devastation a Category 4 hurricane can, and did do. Even with this knowledge the levees and flood walls were not improved and provided poor defense against the storm.

In 1998 the Louisiana state government proposed federal funding for "Coast 2050". This $14 billion plan set out to restore vanishing wetlands, create a new canal system, and improve the levees and flood walls surrounding the city. The plan was rejected by the Federal government because of the cost, but now the damage ...