With so much loss associated with Hurricane Katrina, the events leading up to the devastation should have allowed the city of New Orleans to be better prepared to undergo a category five storm. What caused the destruction, wind or water? What came first, the wind or the water? On August 29, 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana was caught in the eye of the unforgettable Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of innocent lives were lost, along with homes and businesses as a result of the rushing flood waters. However, the reason for these loses was not because of the actual storm itself, in fact, it was due to the failure of the surrounding flood walls that were supposedly designed to withstand a category five storm. The water that tore the flood walls was not
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Many of the investigators focused primarily on the Seventeenth Street canal and London Avenue canal. The reason that these two canals were mainly focused on, was because evidence has shown that these two canals were breached even though the water from the storm surge did not flow over the tops of these levees. This indicates that there was a mistake made during the designing and constructing of these canals. When these levees were built, the United States Army Corps of Engineers claimed that the walls were built seventeen feet below as it was required. But, following the breaching of the levees during Katrina, it was discovered the levees were in fact only ten feet below the sediment rather than the actual requirements. There is no certainty that the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina would not have been as overwhelming if the levees had been properly built; however, it is probable that the damages would not have been as severe as they were. "What started out as a natural disaster became a man-made disaster — a failure of government to look out for its own citizens," President Obama expressed in a speech during a visit to New Orleans after the disaster. (Newman) With all the proof and the statement made by President Obama, it is evident that someone must take the responsibility for these actions that destroyed many lives and the city of New
Many of the investigators focused primarily on the Seventeenth Street canal and London Avenue canal. The reason that these two canals were mainly focused on, was because evidence has shown that these two canals were breached even though the water from the storm surge did not flow over the tops of these levees. This indicates that there was a mistake made during the designing and constructing of these canals. When these levees were built, the United States Army Corps of Engineers claimed that the walls were built seventeen feet below as it was required. But, following the breaching of the levees during Katrina, it was discovered the levees were in fact only ten feet below the sediment rather than the actual requirements. There is no certainty that the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina would not have been as overwhelming if the levees had been properly built; however, it is probable that the damages would not have been as severe as they were. "What started out as a natural disaster became a man-made disaster — a failure of government to look out for its own citizens," President Obama expressed in a speech during a visit to New Orleans after the disaster. (Newman) With all the proof and the statement made by President Obama, it is evident that someone must take the responsibility for these actions that destroyed many lives and the city of New