The Devastation after Hurricane Katrina - Case Study Example

Hurricane Katrina, the Devastation Hurricane Katrina The busiest and costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record officially ended on 30 November 2005, and Americans breathed a sigh of relief. For them after dealing with the nightmare of the devastation of the hurricane season, that was welcome news. Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast just approximately three months ago, plunging the cities into unprecedented chaos and suffering, exposing the lack of preparedness of even a developed country like the United States to face a natural disaster of mammoth proportions. Hurricane Katrina has become the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season went down in the history as a record-breaking season. It had some so many named hurricanes that the weather centre ran out of names for its storms and had to start out on the Greek alphabets. Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh named tropical storm, fourth hurricane, third major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the third most powerful storm of the season, behind Hurricane Wilma and Hurricane Rita, and the sixth-strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. It first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just north of Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005, then again on August 29 along the Central Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana as a Category 4 storm. Location of landfall: Hurricane Katrina smashed into three US states on the Gulf of Mexico on August 29, leaving in its wake the worst natural catastrophe in US history. It was massive enough to break down the levees of New Orleans flooding the entire city from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. It inflicted heavy damage on the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. In Louisiana, the hurricane's eye made landfall at 6:10am local time on Monday, August 29. After 11:00 am local time, several sections of the levee system in New Orleans collapsed. Extent of damage: Katrina devastated 235 000 square kilometers, an area half the size of France or as big as Romania. Forty to 50 kilometers of Mississippi shoreline was obliterated. Four fifths of New Orleans ended up under water. Federal disaster declarations blanketed 90,000 square miles (233,000 km) of the United States, an area almost as large as the United Kingdom. Miles of coastal Mississippi towns such as Waveland and Gulfport were smashed. Eighty percent of New Orleans was under water after its levees broke. There were at least 36 confirmed tornadoes associated with Hurricane Katrina, with 11 tornadoes in Mississippi, 4 tornadoes in Alabama, 15 tornadoes in Georgia, 1 tornado in Virginia, and 5 tornadoes in Pennsylvania. Though they were thankfully low in magnitude, they added insult to injury. The world saw families stranded on roofs and hungry and people were housed in the Superdome and Convention Center. Bodies and debris floated in the flooded waters and hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered homeless. Some of them have no homes to return to yet. Toll on Human Life: The official death toll now stands at more than a 1,000, the third highest in US history. It has been difficult to put an accurate figure on the death toll, with still a lot of people missing. Over a million people were displaced and contributed to a humanitarian crisis on a devastating scale. Five million people were estimated to be without power and it may take months for power to be restored. On September 3, Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as "probably the worst catastrophe, or set of catastrophes" in the country's history, referring to the hurricane itself plus the flooding of New Orleans. The provisional death toll from the storm in Louisiana alone could top 10,000. At least 273,000 people made homeless by the storm were put up in a variety of shelters in 16 US states. Katrina displaced more than one million people in Louisiana. Economic Toll: Initial estimates of damage after the August 28 storm were about $25 billion, but with the breaching of the New Orleans levees and the additional coastal flooding, damage is now estimated at about $100 billion. This is in comparison to the figures for the 9/11 attacks and hurricane Andrew in 1992 which totaled up damages to the tune of $27 billion and $37 billion respectively. The damage is estimated to be from $80 to $130 billion making Katrina the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history. In addition, the impact of Katrina will be long term since it has lowered the purchasing power of the thousands affected and that will in turn stall the affected economy. The three states affected by the storm, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, account for three percent of US gross domestic product. Oil Industry: The storm closed down 711 offshore oilrigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Six days after Katrina hit, 78.98% of the area's oil producing capacity was still off line. Katrina crippled oil platforms, refineries and pipelines along the Gulf Coast, leading to soaring prices for gasoline, heating oil, diesel fuel and other petroleum products. Tourism Industry: In Mississippi, the loss of several casinos along the shore deals an economic shock to the area. In Biloxi alone, 13,000 people are out of a job. The lucrative tourist trade in Louisiana, which gets 10 million visitors a year, is badly affected. Insurance claims: The cost of the damage could surpass $100bn and $35bn to insurance companies, according to business analyst Risk Management Solutions. The loss of productivity in the area costs $100m a day. Source: Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) Health concerns: Air conditioning, electricity, and running water all failed due to downed power lines and broken water pipes making even the most basic needs impossible. The extreme conditions were compounded by discomfort and lack of hygiene. Vandals used these scenarios to break into and loot shops and homes and there were widespread reports of murders, rapes and beatings, contributing to the general chaos. The floodwaters enhanced the probability of the spread of water borne diseases and respiratory illnesses. There is concern the chemical plants and refineries in the area could have released pollutants into the floodwaters making it hazardous for those who are exposed to it. In spite of the horrific experiences, the public has yet to realize the importance of making and owning an individual hurricane evacuation plan. Despite government warnings that people be prepared to survive on their own for three days after a catastrophe, polls found that a majority of Americans are no better prepared for a disaster than they were before Katrina. When the disaster is of great proportions, the governmental machinery however equipped will not be able to cater to individual needs. "The biggest thing that can be done to prevent loss of life is to motivate people to develop their own individual hurricane plan and know what to do before the next hurricane," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, which won praise for its accurate forecasts. "Some of these folks, take Mississippi in Katrina, they died because they didn't have a hurricane plan." Some scientists argue that global warming is a substantial contributor to the slight rise in ocean temperatures causing more intense hurricanes. However, another school of thought asserts that that the recent increase in hurricane activity in the Atlantic is due to the complex interplay between long-term climate cycles and the El Nino phenomenon that generally lasts a decade. The best meteorologist can only warn us, the government can only give evacuation orders, but it is up to us to protect that invaluable human life. Whatever be the reason, when man is pitted against nature in all its fury, it is better to be safe than sorry. Sources Hurricane Katrina Situation and Response Paper 20 Sept 2005 Crawford Company.com Retrieved from website on http://www.crawfordandcompany.com/pdf/CrawfordandCo_Katrinasituationpaper.pdf December 5, 2005 Ross, Michael E Long turbulent hurricane season winds down MSNBC.com Retrieved from website http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10241186/page/2/ December 5, 2005 Hurricane Katrina Wikipedia.Org Retrieved from website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina December 5, 2005 Lupo, Anthony Is the current era of hurricane activity unprecedented. Techcentral Station.com Retrieved from website http://www.techcentralstation.com/093005E.html December 5, 2005 Strakman, Dean The Cost of Insurance November 8, 2005 Washington Post.com Retrieved from website http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/07/AR2005110701461.html December 5, 2005 Read More