Hurricane Katrina (HIC TS)

Question 1

What category was Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 1

5

Question 2

Where and when did HK make landfall?

Answer 2

Florida and Louisiana
august 29th 2005

Question 3

What was blamed for the ‘worst engineering disasters in history’?

Answer 3

flood control act 1965 (design and construction of new orleans levees)
+ poor housing quality, high density housing incr risk injury (many collapsed)

Question 4

How many deaths occurred?

Answer 4

over 1424 deaths- few died in aftermath as the USA had the infrastructure to ensure clean water, food etc

Question 5

what % of the city was deluged by flood water d2 engineering flaws in levees?

Answer 5

80%

Question 6

out of 180,000 houses in New Orleans how many were flooded? What did FEMA do to tackle this?

Answer 6

110,000
FEMA provided housing assistance to 700,000

Question 7

How many people were left without power?

Answer 7

5 million-> took 2 months for everyone to reconnect

Question 8

How much were overall financial costs?

Answer 8

$200 billion

Question 9

How did tourism reduce?

Answer 9

the french quarter of NO was damaged

Question 10

how many jobs were lost? how did this affect black people differently to white people?

Answer 10

70,000 lost jobs
black people were 4x more likely to be displaced from jobs than white

Question 11

how many had no access to transport?

Answer 11

100,000

Question 12

how many people (in fraction) couldnt speak english well? what did this cause?

Answer 12

1/3
-> language barriers prevented many latinos from evacuating, EMGs were more wary to listen to authorities

Question 13

On the 28th of august, how many people evacuated new orleans?

Answer 13

480,000

Question 14

Which country donated the most?

Answer 14

Kuwait
$500 million
+India sent blankets and hygiene kits

Question 15

what fraction of police officers deserted the city days prior to the storm?

Answer 15

1/3

Question 16

how have responses to HK been criticised?

Answer 16

slow, lack of coordination e.g. Louisiana super drome meant to hold 800 but 30,000 arrived

Question 17

What long term responses have occurred in New orleans in response?

Answer 17

• Levee reconstruction cost $14billion- mitigating against flooding-> 1% likelihood of floods occurring each year
• ‘Great Wall of Louisiana’- 26 feet tall, cost $1.1 billion-> designed to reduce risk of storm damage, protecting areas from storm surges (NO is usually vulnerable to sea level rise)-> was used to protect against Hurricane Isaac 2012