Chapter 26: Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was a disastrous storm with catastrophic damage including the destruction of many towns and lives even after making landfall and weakening. As most tropical systems, Camille began as a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa. Camille began to strengthen as it moved across the Atlantic reaching hurricane strength as is approached Cuba. Once Camille entered the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force reconnaissance measured wind speeds of up to 200 mph and a central pressure around 901 mb. Evacuation was strongly recommended for areas along the Gulf from Louisiana to Florida, though some residents refused to evacuate the area.
An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of earth suddenly slip past one another. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the Hypocenter. The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 was a turning point in history because it was the most destructive earthquake in Charleston. When the earthquake first began, Anthony Toomer Porter and others who witnessed the earthquake, tried to get into contact with their families. “We all began at once to telegraph Charleston but received no response.
Bradford Platt English S102 Dr. Anderson Sept. 28, 09 Katrina’s (Evacuation) Chaos American citizens were caught in the major crisis known to the United States as a category 3 hurricane named Katrina. Many U.S. citizens: young, old, sick, healthy, black, white, and other nationalities in the path of danger were expendable in the sight of government. Most of these citizens were poor, the people who mainly live from paycheck to paycheck, The Mayor of this great city left without the assurance that his citizens were in safe havens. On August 27, the Mayor of New Orleans gave the first voluntary evacuation order, because Hurricane Katrina would be a threat to the city and to the lives of its citizens. However, some believe that the
Upstream of New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a river control structure that allows approximately thirty percent of the Mississippi River's water to flow into a major distributary, the Atchafalaya River. Were it not for the control structure and an extensive system of levees, the Atchafalaya would "capture" the Mississippi, divert nearly all the water, change the main course of the river and leave the major port cities on the lower Mississippi inaccessible by navigable water. At the same time, the river threatens to change course on its own, despite the efforts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control it. What should be done? In this case study, you will adopt the perspective of one stakeholder or expert, and work with others towards a group
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.
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?
Assistance with funding the installation of levees, making grants available and having community fundraisers will help assist in accomplishing the goals of this plan. Support of The Department of Environmental Protection will help to institute recommended guidelines pertaining to flooding prevention and protection of the environment from flooding. Anthropogenic impacts on river flooding are visible in changed river management practices. (Daniel, Florax & Rietveld, 2009). Examples of urbanization that increases the risk of river floods include construction in floodplains, channel straightening, building of dikes, and construction activity generating impermeable surfaces includes transport infrastructure and residential areas.
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).
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.
Another positive attribute of the human race is charity. For example, when hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on many communities, Katrina caused devastating effects on New Orleans, and Louisiana, when almost the entire levee system that was supposed to protect the community from flooding, failed. Not only were aid and charity efforts received by the surrounding community’s, armed forces, government and anybody and everybody with the means, time and resources. Charity was received on international levels as well. Efforts ranged from initial response, evacuation efforts, protecting those caught in the devastation, search and rescue, relocating victims, housing, basic essentials, the clean up process and eventually the long road to rebuilding the community.