Hurricane Katrina Disaster Essay

Of the many natural disasters that occur on Earth, one of the most powerful and destructive is none other than a hurricane. A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has an organized system of thunderstorms and clouds and forms over tropical or subtropical waters. Like most other disasters, hurricanes are considered to be very serious due to their destructive nature. They can cause catastrophic damage to anything in their path and deaths with their strong winds, heavy rainfall, large waves, and storm surges. One notable hurricane that definitely fits these characteristics is Hurricane Katrina. Hurricanes form over tropical or subtropical waters found in the Atlantic basin.

Therefore, there were many negative effects of the disaster. A lot of extreme damage was done if looked at cumulatively. New Orleans, Louisiana was hit the hardest by this hurricane. About half a million housing units were destroyed in Louisiana, 134,000 which were in New Orleans. About 80% of the city of New Orleans was flooded because of the destruction of the levees protecting the city. Some parts of town were submerged by more than 10 feet of water due to the massive storm surges. About 115 oil rigs were destroyed in the Gulf of Mexico and many were damaged. In Mississippi, Katrina damaged fishing fleets, seafood processing plants, timber, and agriculture and agricultural products such as rice, cattle, and vegetables. All in all, Hurricane Katrina affected about 90,000 square miles and total damage costs are between 96 and 125 billion dollars. The hurricane inevitably took many lives. A total of about 1, 836 lives were lost and 705 people are still missing. Not only were property effected by this hurricane, but the environment was changed as well. Extensive changes were done to the Gulf of Mexico such as beach erosion, which destroyed beaches and islands. In particular, the land of the Chandeleur Islands, located 100 km off the coast of Louisiana has been drastically reduced. Prior to Hurricane Katrina the Chandeleur Islands have had sandy beaches, low vegetated

One of the major problems was the flooding. Water submerged mostly everything that people owned including their homes and businesses. This led to another major problem, millions left homeless. People were forced to evacuate their homes because it was not safe and even after the hurricane was over they were not able to go back. Those who were fortunate enough to be in their homes, still had to face the problem of major power outages. Economic suffering also took place. The government had to spend lots of money so that they can restore the damaged areas such as New Orleans. Money and effort went towards ridding access water, rebuilding homes, businesses, and helping people get back on track after this devastating time. Furthermore, many people began to worry about medical problems that might arise. In New Orleans, the flooding had brought all new types of bacteria. The people could not defend themselves because medical centers were all destroyed. There was also concern about outbreaks of West Nile, mold, and endotoxin levels rising. In addition, much of the food and water of New Orleans was contaminated and the people had to be very