Hurricane Katrina

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Recommended: The consequences of hurricane Katrina

Hurricanes are natural occurrences that cannot be prevented, only prepared for. The similarities between Hurricane Hugo and Katrina included their size and equally terrifying wrath. Both hurricanes were Category four, with winds that soared up to 160 miles per hour, and engendered intense flooding in the regions they hit. The adverse conditions of Hugo made it the most destructive hurricane to ever strike the United States north of Florida, and one of the costliest hurricanes with over seven billion dollars in damages. When Hugo landed directly in South Carolina, Charleston and Myrtle Beach sustained significant damage from storm surge; the impact was severe. Katrina’s wrath primarily affected New Orleans, causing massive flooding in the city. This catastrophic event nearly destroyed New Orleans, and is responsible for an estimated 80 billion dollars in damages. What makes these two hurricanes strikingly different, however, is the extent of their aftermath. These differences are portrayed clearly through the lack of preparation the government and its citizens displayed when faced with the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Hugo was a tragic natural disaster that completely altered the lives of many people affected by it. In 1989, the year I was born, my parents and I lived on an oceanfront lot in Myrtle Beach. When Hugo struck, most of the city was flooded, with some areas under twenty five inches of water. A clear evacuation plan was presented, which most of the city’s residents followed, traveling north to Greenville. When we returned to our house, we found nothing but rubble and debris piled up in twelve inches of salt water. The President flew to the areas affected by Hugo to view the devastation, and immediately gr...

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... The numerous repercussions of Katrina demonstrates that inaction should not be the government’s approach to large-scale disasters such as hurricanes.

Works Consulted

Adley, Ruth. (January 14, 2006). The Wrath of Hurricane Katrina. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from http://www.findarticle.com.

Brinkley, Douglas. (2006). The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Louisiana: William Morrow.

Parker, James. (2005). Report on Hurricane Katrina. President Bush: Response to Katrina. Retrieved September 21, 2007 from CNN.com Specials.

Ply, Kathleen, personal communication, September 2007.

Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Hurricane Katrina. The Destruction of New Orleans, pp. 1A, 2A.

Travis, John. (2005). Scientists' Fears Come True as Hurricane Floods New Orleans. ScienceMag. Volume 309 (5741), pages 1656-1659.

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