Hurricane Katrina

Will Drake Young Kim

Jessica Petrovich

Katrina Overview

• First Landfall- Hallendale Beach, Florida. Aug 25

• Peak intensity, Aug 28– Category V, sustained winds 175 mph– Central pressure 902 mbar (4th most intense, at

time)• Second Landfall- Buras-Triumph, Louisiana.

Aug 29, 2005. 6:10 am. – Category III, sustained winds 125 mph

Katrina Overview

• After third landfall, storm retained hurricane status for 150 miles north

• Storm impacted Cuba, southern Florida, Gulf Coast, south east, and Ohio valley.

• Federal Disaster Declarations made for 90,000 square miles

• Costliest Natural Disaster in U.S. history

Physical Impacts

• Estimates of property damage range from about $80B to over $125B (this does not include economic damage)

– Housing makes up over half of that number– About 300,000 homes destroyed

• 90,000 square miles of land affected• 53 levee breaches• 80% of New Orleans was flooded

Social Impacts

• Over 750,000 people displaced as a result of the hurricane

• 1833 people dead– 80% were New Orleans residents– Most were elderly and did not have the ability to

evacuate• As of January 2006, 85 % of New Orleans

schools remained closed and 50% of the hospitals remained closed

Social Impacts

• Separation between families and friends• Many pets and animals left abandoned

without homes• Violence increased during and after the storm– Excessive looting and other violent crimes

• Growth of Community Organizations after the storm

Economic Impacts

• Gulf Coast Oil production was reduced by 1/3 because of evacuation and destruction of oil rigs

• Energy Prices in the US skyrocketed overnight• Job loss left residents no choice but to relocate in

some cases• Government revenues in the area sharply

decreased because of damage– Gulf Coast casinos are a major contributor to

government revenues that were lost because of storm damage

Economic Impacts

• 1.3 M acres of forest damage that is estimated at $1.3B worth of damage– Lumber and building prices rose as a result

• Economic losses for industry affected the entire market as a result of Hurricane Katrina

Environmental Impacts

• Destruction of habitats• Beach Erosion• Some areas became over-run with water and

it never receded

Political Impacts

• Blame for a slower than preferred response was placed on various levels of government and government agencies

• Many sought to blame President George W. Bush and some even blamed Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans – FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers also

blamed

Local/State Response

Local• Mayor Nagin declares mandatory evacuation• Superdome provided as refuge of last resortState• Contra-flow lane reversals for highway

Evacuation. – 80% of population evacuated

Federal Response

• Coast Guard rescued 24,000 of the 60,000 stranded in New Orleans

• 58,000 National Guard troops• ACOE pumped 250 billion gallons• FEMA obtained $1 Billion for immediate relief efforts• Bush approves $10 Billion relief package 4 days after

storm • FEMA moved a record 273,000 into transitional

homes

International Response

• $854 Million pledged (including $400 million in oil)

• As of April 2007, only $126 Million collected and only 1/3 had been spent.

• State Department and Dept. Homeland Security botched the job.

NGO Response

• Red Cross received $1.8 MM of the $2.6 MM donated by private citizens.

• 87% of the money was spent within 6 months.• International Energy Agency- released extra 2

Million barrels oil/day.• International Medical Corps-Deployed to U.S.

for the first time.• New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity-plans

to build 400+ homes.

Response - What Went Wrong?

• Mandatory evacuation ordered 19 hours before landfall.

• Governor Blanco did not initially provide FEMA with specific requests for aid.

• Blanco waited 2 days after storm to request additional national guard troops.

• Homeland Security director delayed 36 hours in designating Katrina an Incident of National Significance.

Recovery

• Recovery efforts have been ongoing efforts by residents, volunteers, NGOs, and various levels of government and government agencies to rebuild what was lost

• Temporary housing was provided by FEMA• Monetary assistance for mortgages and

rebuilding has been provided through various sources (private and public) to aid residents

Recovery

• Road Home– Grant program to help New Orleans residents

move back to their homes– Can receive up to $150,000

• FHA and HUD assistance to help with financial aspects of rebuilding

• Various other organizations have also provided monetary assistance for the recovery efforts

Recovery: MAKE IT RIGHT

• MAKE IT RIGHT was established by Brad Pitt, with the help of Former President Bill Clinton to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans

• Builds “green” homes that are affordable– Road Home Grants can be applied to these homes– Financing assistance available to those who need it

• 150 homes to be completed and be LEED Certified

Recovery

• The Army Corps of Engineers worked to improve and rebuild the levee systems in the area

• They are also working to repair the environmental damage done by the storm with the assistance of the EPA

V. Post-disaster Planning

• Long-Term Community Recovery Emergency Support Function (ESF-14) of the National Response Plan. – in October 2005 by FEMA

- This process was less helpful in New Orleans due to:1. the scale of damage2. the lack of municipal employees3. the absence of an agreed-upon planning process

• The same purpose, but different thoughts• Lack of communication between local

government and state, federal government

- After one month Katrina, Bring New Orleans Back Commission (BNOBC) was established by Mayor.- With the wrong impression of FEMA, BNOBC began to work its effort. But, FEMA did not allow money

Critical damage to public trust

• Lack of citizen participationDue to the lack of local leadership, there was

poor public involvement right after Katrina- Promoting the planning effort- Supporting community involvement- Making city hall a central information and communication node

Preparing for the future disaster

• Information• Training• Written agreements and plans• Strong organizational structure• Improving coordination among non-profits

and governments– A collaborative network of partners

Questions?