Causes and Effects of Hurricane Katrina

by marylourdraslivecouk (student)

Causes and Effects of Hurricane Katrina “Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest storms to impact the coast of the United States during the last 100 years.” (“Hurricane Katrina” from NOAA) Hurricanes all start in tropical waters because they can only start in warm waters. The wind and air conditions must be just right, and once a hurricane is started it can be moved around by powerful winds. They are basically a very deadly cyclone of wind and water. They range from category 1 to category 5, with 5 being the worst. The most deadly hurricane was on September 8th, 1900 in Galveston, Texas. Hurricane Katrina was the worst storm in the past decade to hit the U.S., and caused lots of damage and got the people mad at their government. On August 23rd 2005 the hurricane started off as a tropical depression, but the next day it became a tropical storm. Its wind speed increased from 75mph, to 80mph, to 90mph, to 125mph

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in a few days time period. According to an article from NCDC “…Katrina reached maximum wind speeds on the morning of Sunday August 28th of over 170mph…” (“Hurricane Katrina” from NOAA) It was very powerful and went from a category 1 to category 5 storms in 4 days. Since hurricanes form in warm waters some scientists have another reason for Hurricane Katrina’s power. “Some scientists claim that global warming is partially to blame for the power and endurance of Hurricane Katrina” due to the fact that it’s warming the oceans (“Causes and effects…” from For the People). They also need continued heat to exist and if the oceans are being heated up the endurance of hurricanes should be longer. So due to wind speed, and partially due to global warming, Hurricane Katrina had a strong impact on the U.S. coast.New Orleans, Louisiana was the most damaged city after the hurricane. “New Orleans suffered from a large number of casualties, a lack of drinkable water, severe property damage, electrical outages and many more difficulties as a result of Hurricane Katrina.” (“Causes and effects…” from For the People) Over one million people were evacuated out of their houses, and after all of the devastation most of them had to live in the New Orleans Superdome. Most of the city was under water from flooding, including expressways and bridges to get out of the city. Almost 2 million people lost their power and had to wait several weeks for it to be restored. It was a disaster for the city. According to Morgan & Morgan law firm “The estimated amount of damage that was created by Katrina was an astonishing 81 billion dollars.” (“Causes and effects…” from For the People) To this day the city is being restored, but no one knows if this once great city will ever be the same. Another effect of Hurricane Katrina was anger towards the government. There are different reasons for people’s anger towards their local and federal government. The local government did not prepare New Orleans for a disaster like Hurricane Katrina. There were canals protecting the city from flooding, but they were not strong enough. “These walls were not intended to withstand a hurricane that was more powerful than a category 3, so Katrina easily destroyed them” according to Morgan and Morgan (“Causes and effects…” from For the People). The state should’ve prepared the city for any disaster, not just a category 3 hurricane. Also, many people were evacuated out of their homes with nowhere to live for days. Many people in Louisiana went to the New Orleans Superdome. There they found refuge, but they were there for days before they were able to leave. In addition, there were not the right materials to house all of the refugees. “…did not have the proper facilities, supplies, or law enforcement that was needed to sustain the amount of individuals who were forced to temporarily move in.” (“Causes and effects…” from For the People)The federal government was very hesitant to help the city. So many people blamed them for all of their problems, even if it was not the government’s fault.Since Hurricane Katrina many things have changed in the cities that were affected. Many homes were destroyed and now the communities are working to rebuild their once beautiful cities. Some people just decided to move to other states, but others knew that they must restore what was destroyed. Help is coming from all over the United States. Many people have gone down to New Orleans to volunteer. Others have started charity events that help fund the reconstruction of the city. There are still chances to help out the people by donating to any charity that aids Hurricane Katrina victims.