Hurricane Katrina

When

29th August 2005

Where

South east USA

Category

3 at landfall

Storm surge height

6m

Deaths

1800

Economic cost

£100 Billion

Houses destroyed

300,000

Jobs lost

230,000

Forecasting

USA has sophisticated monitoring system (NHC)

Hurricane tracked + accurate predictions made

27th august

Sate of emergency issued by president Bush for Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi

Warning and Evacuation

70-80% of New Orleans residents successfully evacuated before landfall

600,000 evacuated in total

People without car left behind (had to go to superdome for 800 people)

Defences

New Orleans had flood walls and levees but these were insufficiently maintained

80% of city underwater

Response

Superdome overcrowded (30,000) people arrived

Shortage of food or clean water

Coast guard rescued 35,000 people of the 60,000 stranded

60,000 national guard personnel activated

Response B

70 countries pledged money

Kuwait sent £500 million

6 months after disaster, pop only 120,000

Overall

Even though GDP is £50,000, its government was still heavily criticised for being unprepared for the level of destruction