How Hurricane Katrina effect gas prices Outrageous gasoline prices is something that all American face at the pump in today economy. Many American wonder what is the cause of the high rates at the pump. There are many factors involved in the answer to the question on what causes gasoline prices to increase suddenly. In 2005, Labor Day Weekend gas prices rose dramatically after hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast of the United States. The devastation of hurricane Katrina damaged many of the United States oil refineries, causing a decrease in crude oil supply, which caused a decrease in gasoline supply.
Businesses were flooded along the Texas coast and lost all of their vital technology such as computers, telephones, and other office equipment. This caused a huge burden on many businesses and some businesses were totally destroyed, which left many workers unemployed. Many homes were flooded from the storm surge that got as high as twenty feet. In one city alone, 3,382 out of 3,400 homes were totally destroyed due to flooding. This causes thousands of people to become homeless and displaced.
Hurricane Katrina reached New Orleans on August 29, 2005 , as a powerful Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Katrina impacted the lives of people who mainly reside in New Orleans, Louisiana, although surrounding areas were affected as well. New Orleans suffered great damage as a result of this storm. Damaged or lost property is still under renovation and it is believed to take many more years, until the city is completely restored. Hurricane Katrina consisted of much high wind strength and power which led to levies to fail, and developed flooding in the area.
To what extent are the impacts of tropical storms more than just environmental (30 marks) A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weather system that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 79mph. It forms and intensifies over tropical oceanic regions. They cause devastating effects in any areas that they make landfall and can cause governments billions of pounds to repair damages. Hurricanes form and intensify over oceanic regions. They require sea-surface temperatures of at least 26°C and the influence of the earth’s rotation to initiate a spinning circulation (Coriolis effect).
The destruction suffered along the Gulf Coast indeed profound. “More than 1000 lives were lost; property and homes in pieces” (Voosun & Miller, 2006, p. 1). The debris left by Hurricane Katrina trailed jobs, businesses, and properties destroyed, leaving behind families, and lives that seemed shattered. “The destruction wrought by the Hurricane Katrina was multilayered and profound. The lives breached resulted in flooding up to 80% of the city with water rising 25 feet in some places” (Voosun & Miller, 2006, p. 1).
In some areas the water was 6 metres deep, and by the 31st of August, 80 percent of New Orleans was underwater. Numerous events and conflicts would transpire over the next few days as the state of Louisiana, and more specifically New Orleans was in a state of chaos. 81 billion dollars worth of property was destroyed, and 1,464 lives were lost as a direct result of the storm in what was the most devastating and catastrophic natural disaster the United States of America ever experienced in their history. This traumatic event spawned a backlash of hatred and animosity towards the American Government for not acting fast enough, and questions started being asked, questions that needed answers. Why did the Government not provide assistance for a mandatory evacuation?
Galveston Hurricane A hurricane is an advanced tropical storm with winds of 74 miles per hour or more and can cause massive damage to people, wildlife, and structures. There have been many hurricanes in the past that have caused tremendous damage but one of the worst have been the Galveston hurricane. This storm destroyed homes, families, and more. The hurricanes destruction left a wide path of death in its wake. The casualties are what make this hurricane the 3rd most deadly hurricane in history.
They are born from tropic waters that affect quite a few across the world but in the Gulf of Mexico they tend to wreak particular havoc. These storms have potential for mass devastation through storm surges that flood the coastline often taking lives and possible contamination of water supplies, heavy rain which contributes to flooding situations and high winds coupling with tornadoes that destroy property, Storm surges are among one of the worst factors of a hurricane. Often, at the time, people do not even realize the impacts a storm surge can have and do not head authorities warnings to evacuate the coastline, which can result in a high death toll. As Jay Barnes notes in his research: As a hurricane churns across the open sea, the combined effects of the storm’s lowered barometric pressure and strong, inward-spiraling winds create a deep, swirling column of water beneath the ocean’s surface. This effect causes the sea level to rise in the vicinity of the storm, creating a dome of water that may be a few feet high in the center and a hundred miles wide.
Natural disasters are devastating occurances that not only have the ability to rip apart buildings and homes, but also the lives of the citizens who happen to be in their destructive paths. Hurricanes, specifically, are the most tragic natural disasters of them all. With wind speeds between seventy-five to two-hundred miles per hour, and torrential downpour, hurricanes hold the unfortunate title of "worst case scenario". In 2005, the second worst hurricane in recorded United States history called Hurricane Katrina, struck the south eastern portion of the U.S. Most of it's damage was centered in New Orleans, but it also caused significant catastrophe to those who were living in southern Florida and Mississippi.
The oil companies were affected greatly by Katrina. “The total shut-in oil production from the Gulf of Mexico in the six-month period following the hurricane was approximately 24 percent of the annual production and the shut-in gas production for the same period was about 18 percent. The forestry industry in Mississippi was also affected, as 1.3 million acres of forest lands were destroyed. The total loss to the forestry industry due to Katrina is calculated to rise to about $5 billion” (Discovery Channel). Local residents were greatly affected in Katrina.