Danny Glover once stated, “When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf and the floodwaters rose and tore through New Orleans, it did not turn the region into a Third World country…it revealed one” (Glover). In the wake of this darkness, Hurricane Katrina proved to America that as a nation, there was no way to prepare for a disaster of this size. As the winds raged on and the waters crashed against the coast, ultimately drowning out around 80% of the state, Hurricane Katrina proved to be more than just a category five hurricane, proving to be historical, holding a position of the third deadliest hurricane that has affected the United States of America. Three reasons Hurricane Katrina proved unpreparedness were; The New Orleans levee system was
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The city of New Orleans was and currently is protected by approximately 350 miles of levee structure, around 170 miles of the structure took damage or ended up destroyed, including the 53 breaches in which the levee system failed completely. The article Understanding Katrina (Cover Story) mentions the under constructed system in their text by stating “The city's levees, many decades old, had been built to withstand only a Category 3 storm” (Gilgoff et al. 27). The article also mentions that scientists and even the Red Cross warned of potential flooding by saying “The Red Cross listed a direct hurricane hit on New Orleans as the nation's deadliest natural-disaster threat a few years ago. Everyone, it seemed, knew the risks. Scientists at Louisiana State University had warned that even a Category 3 storm could dump up to 27 feet of water in some neighborhoods” (Gilgoff et al. 27). Although, a possibility may reveal why the levees were not upgraded. “Decreases in funding for hurricane protection began four years ago and have come fast and furious since then. This year, representatives from Louisiana asked for $27.1 million for hurricane protection, saw the request slashed by the White House, but managed to nudge it back up to nearly $6 million.” (Gilgoff et al. 27). One is left to worry, that if the Government failed supply the money to upgrade the …show more content…
After Katrina took her path through the south (dissipating near the Great Lakes), the damage continued on. “More than one million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm. At their peak hurricane relief shelters housed 273,000 people. Later, approximately 114,000 households were housed in FEMA trailers” (“Hurricane Katrina”). Countless numbers of people were forced to look for help elsewhere, whether it meant to uproot and settle down within another state, settling in with a family or simply just fending for themselves in this harsh and dangerous
The city of New Orleans was and currently is protected by approximately 350 miles of levee structure, around 170 miles of the structure took damage or ended up destroyed, including the 53 breaches in which the levee system failed completely. The article Understanding Katrina (Cover Story) mentions the under constructed system in their text by stating “The city's levees, many decades old, had been built to withstand only a Category 3 storm” (Gilgoff et al. 27). The article also mentions that scientists and even the Red Cross warned of potential flooding by saying “The Red Cross listed a direct hurricane hit on New Orleans as the nation's deadliest natural-disaster threat a few years ago. Everyone, it seemed, knew the risks. Scientists at Louisiana State University had warned that even a Category 3 storm could dump up to 27 feet of water in some neighborhoods” (Gilgoff et al. 27). Although, a possibility may reveal why the levees were not upgraded. “Decreases in funding for hurricane protection began four years ago and have come fast and furious since then. This year, representatives from Louisiana asked for $27.1 million for hurricane protection, saw the request slashed by the White House, but managed to nudge it back up to nearly $6 million.” (Gilgoff et al. 27). One is left to worry, that if the Government failed supply the money to upgrade the …show more content…
After Katrina took her path through the south (dissipating near the Great Lakes), the damage continued on. “More than one million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm. At their peak hurricane relief shelters housed 273,000 people. Later, approximately 114,000 households were housed in FEMA trailers” (“Hurricane Katrina”). Countless numbers of people were forced to look for help elsewhere, whether it meant to uproot and settle down within another state, settling in with a family or simply just fending for themselves in this harsh and dangerous