Geography - Hurricane Katrina

Question 1

When was hurricane Katrina?

Answer 1

August 2005

Question 2

Where did hurricane effect?

Answer 2

Mississipi, Louisiana and New Orleans - USA

Question 3

What were the primary effects of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 3

• More than 1800 dead
• 300,000 houses were destroyed
• Large areas were flooded, including 80% of New Orleans were flood defenses failed
• 3 million people were left without electricity
• Some bridges collapsed
• Coastal habitats were damaged.

Question 4

What were the secondary effects of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 4

• Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless
• 230,000 jobs were lost from damaged businesses
• Water supplies were polluted with sewage and chemicals
• The total cost of the damage was estimated at $150 billion

Question 5

What were the immediate responses to Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 5

• 70-80% of New Orleans residents were evacuated before the hurricane reach land.
• Mississipi and Louisiana declared states of emergency - they set up control centres and emergency shelters and stockpiled supplies
• The coastguard, police, fire service and army rescued over 50,000 people.
• Charities collected donations and provided aid, including millions of hot meals.

Question 6

What were the long term responses of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 6

• The US government provided over 16 billion dollars for the rebuilding of homes, and provided funds to repair other essential infrastructure
• The US army recommended that buildings are rebuilt on stilts or not rebuilt at all in very low-lying areas.
• Repaired and improved flood defenses for New Orleans costing 14.5 billion dollars were complete in 2013

Question 7

What are the three ways of reducing the effects of tropical storms?

Answer 7

• Prediction
• Planning
• Protection

Question 8

How does prediction reduce the effects of Tropical storms?

Answer 8

• Scientists use data from things like radar, satellites and aircraft to monitor storms. Computer models are then used to calculate a predicted path for the storm.
• Predicting where and when a tropical storm is going to happen gives people time to evacuate and protect their homes and bussinesses e.g by boarding up windows

Question 9

How does planning reduce the effects of Tropical storms?

Answer 9

• Future developments, e.g. new houses, can be planned to avoid the areas most at risk.
• Emergency services can train and prepare for disasters, e.g. by practising rescuing
  people from flooded areas with helicopters. This reduces the number of people killed.
• Governments can plan evacuation routes to get people away from storms quickly.

Question 10

How does planning reduce the effects of Tropical storms?

Answer 10

• Buildings can be designed to withstand tropical storms, e.g. by using reinforced concrete. Buildings can also be put on stilts so they’re safe from floodwater. - Flood defences can be built
  along rivers (e.g. levees) and coasts (e.g. sea walls).
• All of these reduce the number of buildings destroyed, so fewer people will be killed, injured, made homeless and made unemployed.