hurricane case study: Katrina 2005

Katrina, 2005 (HIC)

timeline

  • August 25th – Category 1 – 80mph sustained

  • August 26th – Category 2 – 96-110mph sustained

  • August 27th - Category 3 – 111-130mph sustained

  • August 28th – Category 5 - \~160mph sustained

  • August 30th – returns to tropical storm rating

Vulnerability in New Orleans

  • 6m below sea level

  • 23% in poverty (2x the US average)

  • 20% population has no access to private transport

  • Practice drill 1 month before Katrina

  • Fatal engineering flaws in levees

impacts

  • 1 million evacuated

  • 14-17ft storm surges

  • 200,000 homes flooded

  • 80% New Orleans underwater

  • 1,200 deaths

  • Cost of $1 trillion

super-dome

  • 200mph wind resistance

  • 7,000 seat capacity, 20,000 sought refuge in it

  • 6 deaths occurred in it

management

  • 6:00pm curfew in the days before Katrina

  • 239 police officers left post

  • Failings by FEMA and government organisations

  • 93,000lbs of relief aid