I Love the 2000s...Part 5

As we continue through the biggest moments and events of the 2000s, we now turn to quite possibly the worst natural disaster of the decade: #7 Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina occurred during the 2005 hurricane season along the Atlantic coast. It was the costliest of the hurricanes that season and ranks as one of the worst ever to hit the United States. The hurricane formed in late August 2005 (August 23rd) and by the next day it had reached tropical storm status. It would graze part of Florida on the 25th and would gain strength as it entered the Gulf of Mexico. By the 27th it reached a Category 3 intensity it would reach Category 5 by the 28th. Then on the morning of August 29; it made landfall as a Category 3 storm hitting the southeast part of Louisiana with winds as high as 125 mph. The third landfall hit by the hurricane would come near Mississippi along the Louisiana border. The storm would travel up through Mississippi into Tennessee and up toward the Great Lakes as it lost steam.

New Orleans was greatly affected and the hurricane’s surge along the Gulf coast would affect areas as far west as Texas and as far east as central Florida. New Orleans, though, was far and above the worst hit. They lost many lives and incurred an unimaginable amount of damage as levees broke from the power of the hurricane. As much as 80% of the city and its neighboring areas were flooded and things did not begin to get slightly better for weeks. Unfortunately, a mandatory evacuation was not issued by New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin until the 28th when the hurricane had reached Category 5.

When all was said and done, almost 2,000 people lost their lives in the initial hurricane or the following floods. Most were from Louisiana/New Orleans as they totaled an overwhelming majority of the deaths while Mississippi lost a lot of lives as well. About 700 were reported as missing as well. The damages estimated to over $100 billion and the worse damage total in almost 20 years. Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history since 1928’s Okeechobee hurricane.

One of the biggest things that emerged from Hurricane Katrina was the failure of the levees. Their design and construction might have been faulty and allowed for more damage to occur from the hurricane’s power. The levees being weak enabled more than half of the flooding to occur. Worth mentioning too is the fact that flood gates were open and only made things that much worse. Additionally, the responses of the local, state, and federal government were called into question. As the hurricane was intensifying, the federal government began to look at how to prepare for what could be a really bad storm, but as it seemed to lessen; so did their strategies. However, a state of emergency was issued on the 27th in areas along the Gulf coast that seemed to be the most at threat. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its director Michael Brown were heavily criticized and to the point where Brown resigned along with New Orleans’ Eddie Compass, the Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department.

It has been over four years since Hurricane Katrina and we still see individuals in Louisiana and Mississippi in poor conditions and relocated. There were serious economic effects of the hurricane. Oil refineries and such were greatly affected by the floods. Also, several people in the hardest hit areas were displaced as many went to Houston, Texas as well as Mobile, Alabama and other areas in that region that were deemed safe enough. As with any disaster, there is a lack of law enforcement and that was no different in New Orleans especially as many looted stores for their own survival and for the pure fact of doing it. The lack of management and leadership in the relief efforts are still criticized to this day. There was a serious delay in response and only aided the chaos. The response though by several states and many countries was a great site as many came together for the few who were affected. In addition, many of levees that broke from Hurricane Katrina have been reconstructed with more precaution in mine to ensure that they can take stronger punishment than the previous ones.

The next entry will turn the clock back to the beginning of the decade and the lengthy Election of 2000. This election will stand the test of time as one of the most interesting presidential elections ever..but would be outdone by one more at the end of the decade.