Hurricane Katrin Disaster Response And Recovery System

Hurricane Katrina has been noted as one of the costliest and deadliest natural disasters in US history. This paper will exam the city of New Orleans and the preparation, response, and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This catastrophic event shaped the US disaster response and recovery system. The city of New Orleans is the most populated city in state of Louisiana. Due to the geographical location, the city was at a significant risk for flooding. New Orleans was originally settled on the natural levees, along the Mississippi River. The Flood Control Act of 1965, authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers to design and construct numerous flood control projects including the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity, Louisiana Hurricane Protection Project in the New Orleans region of south Louisiana ([PUBLIC LAW 89-298-OCT. 27, 19). Following the implementation of the act, the US Army Corps of Engineers built floodwalls and man-made levees to provide security against flooding. In the subsequent aftermath of Katrina, studies have shown that the levees were improperly built and flood water levels estimates were inaccurate during the initial planning phases and development. As a result, when Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August, 29 2005 the storm caused a breach in the le vees which resulted in 80% of the city flooding. Over 20 feet of water covered certain parts of the city and New Orleans was declared a disaster area that required extensive recovery operations. operations.