Hurricane Katrina
The disaster and oblivion of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans had a population of approximately 455,000 people in 2005. Most of the population lived lived in low areas below sea level, making them in danger when flooding comes.
Over 1 million people were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, with many losing their homes entirely. The disaster led to one of the largest population migrations in U.S. history.
Hurricane Katrina developed through the interaction of a tropical wave, an upper-level trough, and the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten.
This map displays the exact path of Hurricane Katrina, following the starting point in Long Island and ending at Columbus.
This map shows the evacuation route starting from New Orleans all the way to Louisiana, Coastal Mississippi, and Alabama. Many people didn't have access to private transportation and were unable to evacuate. Over 100,000 people relied on public transit for evacuation.
The map exhibits the Sea Surface Temperature from 1980-2009. The red and yellow on the map are the hottest areas shown. Hurricanes get their energy from warm ocean waters. Since the Gulf of Mexico's sea surface reached 29.4°C everywhere, it provided the heat and moisture, causing it to turn into a category 5 storm.
This link will take you to a YouTube video, explaining the natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and how citizens lost their lives.
This shows the flooded areas of New Orleans. The hurricane costed 1,392 deaths, and an estimate of $125 billion dollars in late August 2005. Approximately 80% of the city was flooded, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history. New Orleans suffered a terrifying floods due to levee failures, leading to a large opening for the water to come in.