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Hurricane Katrina Analysis

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A plethora of natural disasters have occurred in the past twenty years, but very few compare to the social and economic impact Hurricane Katrina had on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23, 2005 over the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened to a category five hurricane. The places that were affected by this hurricane ranged from the Bahamas, Louisiana, Alabama, and other parts of the southeastern region of North America. The estimated count of fatalities was about 1,800 and more than seventy percent of the fatalities occurred in Louisiana. Prior to landfall, the hurricane had decreased to a category three hurricane, which caused some people to underestimate the strength and effect that the hurricane could inflict. More specifically, Hurricane Katrina reached high winds of up to 175 miles per hour and moved cars and boats from the coast about seven to ten miles inland. As most cities and states caught wind of the news from the National Weather Services, several mandatory evacuation protocols were placed into effect for the first time ever. Hurricane Katrina affected the United States politically, economically, and socially due to the ill advised decision making and faults within local …show more content…
The primary reason for the levees being installed initially was due to the fact that Louisiana is on average six feet below sea level, with New Orleans being located further below sea level. As a result, many people were left no choice but to seek shelter at the Superdome or find shelter on top of their roofs until help arrived. In addition, the levees collapsing also affected parts along the coast of Mississippi and lead to hundreds of lives being lost. The total amount of damages exceeded 108 billion dollars making Hurricane Katrina the costliest hurricane on

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