Hurricane Katrina casestudy Flashcards
1
Q
When did hurricane Katrina occur?
A
August 2005
2
Q
Why did flooding occur?
A
Due to fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection levees
3
Q
How many people died as a result of hurricane Katrina?
A
1800
4
Q
How many homes were destroyed due to hurricane Katrina?
A
300,000
5
Q
Local impacts of hurricane Katrina
A
- Delicate coastal ecosystems were damaged by winds and storm surge
- Mass looting as marginalist societies with little support were impacted
- 80% of New Orleans was flooded
- 53 levees were permanently destroyed
6
Q
Wider scale impacts of the hurricane Katrina
A
- Fuel prices rose
- Infrastructure, including railways, roads and local airports were destroyed
- Us$125 billion in total economic cost
- Much of New Orleans is still damaged or unrecovered 15 years later
7
Q
Short term responses of hurricane Katrina
A
- Heavy criticism of poor planning in the event of hurricanes, and the mismanagement of aging flood levees
- Emergency housing for 2.3 million in 902 shelters
- More than 130000 relief workers from all states
- America’s Second Harvest collected 33 million pounds of food for those displaced
8
Q
Long-term responses of hurricane Katrina
A
- Up to 45000 national guard and federal troops mobilized to help re-establish governance
- USA received disaster aid and assistance from over 50 countries, totaling $850 million
- Poor and half-hearted reconstruction efforts since
