Hurricane Katrina: not only a natural disaster
I: Introduction:
A. Brief introduction of Hurricane Katrina.
This part gives a brief introduction of Hurricane Katrina to provide a basic background information of this event at the very beginning, also to relate this event to the topic of this paper. Hurricane Katrina was one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, it brought a huge damage to New Orleans, both ecologically and socially. Though it happened naturally, human influence is still an inseparable factor of this disaster.
B. Definition of terms: ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’.
1. Definition of ‘natural disaster’.
This part gives the definition of ‘natural’ in order to explain why Hurricane Katrina is classified …show more content…
The situation in New Orleans before Katrina.
1. Human impact on increase of natural disaster.
a. How hurricane is generated and why New Orleans is affected.
This paragraph talks about the natural course of hurricane formation. In summer time, moisture evaporates from oceans and rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere (Kreger, 2005). New Orleans is a coastal city near the Gulf of Mexico, it is easily affected by hurricanes.
b. Human accelerates global warming, which increases the severity of Katrina.
This part talks about the relationship between Global Warming and Hurricane Katrina, to indicate that the severity of Katrina is due to global warming, where human is a big contributor. Global warming contributes to the rise of sea surface temperatures, which is correlated to the increase number of hurricanes (Kluger, 2005). Although Katrina began as a relatively small hurricane that glanced off south Florida, it was supercharged by the blistering sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico (Gelbspan, 2005). So human did have a indirect impact on the course of Katrina.
2. New Orleans is vulnerable to …show more content…
New Orleans has a low elevation, so it can be easily flooded.
New Orleans is originally below sea level, but human interference for making more room caused the city to sink even lower. New Orleans is also situated between levees, this situation leaves New Orleans with a ‘bowl’ effect, meaning that once water gets in, it is very difficult to get it out (Colten, 2006).
b. New Orleans lacks wetlands and barrier islands for defending against hurricanes.
Strength of hurricanes can be reduced when they face land, but the defending wetlands and barrier islands near New Orleans disappear at an incredible rate (Below, 2005). They are either flooded because of rising of sea level, or eroded away by canals around New Orleans for shipping purpose. These are all human made.
3. New Orleans had a high level of inequality and lower level people received no help in evacuation.
This paragraph explains the social situation before Katrina which led to the social tragedy of Katrina. New Orleans had a high level of inequality, before Katrina, most white people evacuated with their cars, but the black and the poor were not able to leave, and they received no help (Levitt, 2009 & Elder, 2007).
C. The situation in New Orleans after
I: Introduction:
A. Brief introduction of Hurricane Katrina.
This part gives a brief introduction of Hurricane Katrina to provide a basic background information of this event at the very beginning, also to relate this event to the topic of this paper. Hurricane Katrina was one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, it brought a huge damage to New Orleans, both ecologically and socially. Though it happened naturally, human influence is still an inseparable factor of this disaster.
B. Definition of terms: ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’.
1. Definition of ‘natural disaster’.
This part gives the definition of ‘natural’ in order to explain why Hurricane Katrina is classified …show more content…
The situation in New Orleans before Katrina.
1. Human impact on increase of natural disaster.
a. How hurricane is generated and why New Orleans is affected.
This paragraph talks about the natural course of hurricane formation. In summer time, moisture evaporates from oceans and rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere (Kreger, 2005). New Orleans is a coastal city near the Gulf of Mexico, it is easily affected by hurricanes.
b. Human accelerates global warming, which increases the severity of Katrina.
This part talks about the relationship between Global Warming and Hurricane Katrina, to indicate that the severity of Katrina is due to global warming, where human is a big contributor. Global warming contributes to the rise of sea surface temperatures, which is correlated to the increase number of hurricanes (Kluger, 2005). Although Katrina began as a relatively small hurricane that glanced off south Florida, it was supercharged by the blistering sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico (Gelbspan, 2005). So human did have a indirect impact on the course of Katrina.
2. New Orleans is vulnerable to …show more content…
New Orleans has a low elevation, so it can be easily flooded.
New Orleans is originally below sea level, but human interference for making more room caused the city to sink even lower. New Orleans is also situated between levees, this situation leaves New Orleans with a ‘bowl’ effect, meaning that once water gets in, it is very difficult to get it out (Colten, 2006).
b. New Orleans lacks wetlands and barrier islands for defending against hurricanes.
Strength of hurricanes can be reduced when they face land, but the defending wetlands and barrier islands near New Orleans disappear at an incredible rate (Below, 2005). They are either flooded because of rising of sea level, or eroded away by canals around New Orleans for shipping purpose. These are all human made.
3. New Orleans had a high level of inequality and lower level people received no help in evacuation.
This paragraph explains the social situation before Katrina which led to the social tragedy of Katrina. New Orleans had a high level of inequality, before Katrina, most white people evacuated with their cars, but the black and the poor were not able to leave, and they received no help (Levitt, 2009 & Elder, 2007).
C. The situation in New Orleans after