 Katrina after landfall in New Orleans on August 29 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 29, 2005 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 920 mbar (hPa); 27.17 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 986 |
| Missing | 639 |
| Damage | $70 billion (2005 USD) |
| Areas affected | Greater New Orleans |
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| Hurricane Katrina |
|---|
 |
| 2005 Atlantic hurricane season |
| General |
| Impact |
| Relief |
| Analysis |
| External links |
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As the center of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 1 range with frequent intense gusts. The storm surge caused approximately 23 breaches in the drainage canal and navigational canal levees and flood walls. As mandated in the Flood Control Act of 1965, responsibility for the design and construction of the city’s levees belongs to the United States Army Corps of Engineers and responsibility for their maintenance belongs to the Orleans Levee District.[1][2] The failures of levees and flood walls during Katrina are considered by experts to be the worst engineering disaster in the history of the United States.[3] By August 31, 2005, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 15 feet (4.6 m) of water. The famous French Quarter and Garden District escaped flooding because those areas are above sea level. The major breaches included the 17th Street Canal levee, the Industrial Canal levee, and the London Avenue Canal flood wall. These breaches caused the majority of the flooding, according to a June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.[4] The flood disaster halted oil production and refining which increased oil prices worldwide.
Between 80 and 90 percent of the residents of New Orleans were evacuated before the hurricane struck, testifying to some of the success of the evacuation measures.[5] Despite this, not enough attention was paid to those without a car, credit cards, road experience or family living out of town. The Louisiana Superdome was used to house and support some of those who were unable to evacuate. Television shots frequently focused on the Superdome as a symbol of the flooding occurring in New Orleans.
The disaster had major implications for a large segment of the population, economy, and politics of the entire United States. It has prompted a Congressional review of the Army Corps of Engineers and the failure of portions of the federally built flood protection system which experts agree should have protected the city’s inhabitants from Katrina’s surge. Katrina has also stimulated significant research in the academic community into urban planning, real estate finance, and economic issues in the wake of a catastrophe.[6]
- ^ Mittal, Anu (September 28, 2005). "Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives: Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Project" (PDF). Government Accountability Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ McQuaid, John (September 2, 2005). "Levees' Weakness Well-Known Before Breaches" (PDF). The Times-Picayune. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ Seed, Raymond (October 30, 2007). "New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, and the Soul of the Profession" (PDF). Correspondence. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ Christine A. Anderson; et al. (June 1, 2007). "The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System: What Went Wrong and Why" (PDF). American Society of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ Wolshon, Brian (2006). "Evacuation Planning and Engineering for Hurricane Katrina". The Bridge. 36 (1). Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ John A. Kilpatrick and Sofia Dermisi, “The Aftermath of Katrina: Recommendations for Real Estate Research”, ‘’Journal of Real Estate Literature’’, Spring, 2007.