Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the US.  Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1926; total property damage was estimated at $81 billion.

Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005 on the Gulf Coast near New Orleans.  Levee failures and an enormous storm surge resulted in the flooding of much of the city.

Here is an informative video from the Times Picayune showing the progression of the flooding.  We were staying/working near the "30" by Chalmette in the lower right of the screen.

http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf

It's been over five years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, yet there are hundreds of families still living in temporary FEMA trailers.

The following facts about New Orleans are from the webite of the United Way of New Orleans. (http://rebuildnola.unitedway.org):

1. Today, New Orleans has only 89 percent of its pre-Katrina population.
2. Only 70 percent of the jobs based in New Orleans pre-Katrina exist in the present day.
3. The New Orleans area has returned to only 79 percent of its pre-Katrina commercial activity.
4. The cost of rental property in New Orleans has increased by 49 percent, while over 65,000 residential units remain vacant.
5. About 35,000 children attend 85 schools in New Orleans in 2010. Before Katrina, about 63,000 students attended 128 schools.
6. Before Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans area had 17 hospitals with emergency rooms. Today it has 11.
7. As of May 2009, public transportation usage is at only 43 percent of pre-Katrina levels.
8. General cargo handled at the Port of New Orleans was down 19 percent in 2008.
9. Tax credits and other programs have helped rebuild nearly 70,000 housing units, yet 2,000 families remain in temporary housing.
10. 6,000 people are camping in more than 65,000 abandoned buildings in New Orleans.

Here is an excellent five minute video about Katrina made by a reporter from a local TV station in New Orleans.

http://bayoumedia.com/video/WWL_Katrina_16mgs.wmv 

For more information on Katrina, I recommend that you visit this fascinating site:

http://www.livescience.com/environment/hurricane-katrina-new-orleans-aftermath-infographic-100824.html