Causes Of Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest storms to hit the United States. The hurricane became the costliest and one of the five most deadliest ever (Brunner). The hurricane whipped its way through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana where it caused the most damage. Hurricane Katrina began as a tropical depression on August 23, but quickly became a mega hurricane that hit the gulf coast on August 29th 2005. The mega hurricane displaced millions and killed over 1,800 people. The irony of the hurricane come from the impact it had on New Orleans. The preparation for the hurricane in New Orleans was inadequate, people were not ordered to evacuate until less than a day before hurricane Katrina made landfall which lead to numerous…show more content…
The hurricane occurred in 2005 which was an eye opening year for hurricanes. Scientist predicts that category 5 hurricanes should only occur every 3 years but the year of 2005 encountered 3. Hurricanes occur when air above the ocean is heated by the warm waters and sun. The hot air rises due to convection and causes atmospheric low pressure (Emmanuel). Hurricane Katrina was caused because of a tropical depression with low pressure (Emmanuel). When Katrina occurred, wind shear in the gulf was low with high temperatures, which caused the rapid strengthening. Hurricane Katrina started off the coast of Africa, where warm waters in retrospect caused Katrina. Before hurricane Katrina occurred this type of storm was already predicted to hit the gulf coast and virtually destroy it (Standring). Ivor van Heerden a hurricane expert predicted Katrina and tried to warn government officials since 2001, that a storm of this magnitude would ultimately destroy the gulf coastline…show more content…
Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that was uncontrollable but the lives of many could have been saved if proper actions were taken. Since the disaster has passed and we are left with this disaster the only thing left to do is recover. Since the disaster, the government has finally opened their eyes. Government preventative measure need to be enacted to prevent this disaster from happening again, the state level cannot adequately deal with this. With some portions of Louisiana 6.5 ft. below sea level, this place is a disaster waiting to happen. To preserve the state of Louisiana and more in-depth New Orleans we have to prepare and prevent this type of disaster from happening again. The coastal wetland of the Gulf of Mexico coastline needs to be rebuilt, so storm surges are reduced. The levees need to be engineered to withstand the forces that were failed when the destructive hurricane Katrina hit. Disaster prevention includes modifying homes to strengthen it against storms so that people will be safe. It also includes having the supplies on hand to weather the storm. Recovery was slow due to the government but relief agencies were able to fill the gap and in June of 2006 the city was already back to promoting tourism. But even by 2009 some of the parishes that were hardest hit still had not been restored (Heerden). Today, 7 years later the

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