Hurricane+Katrina

On August 29, 2005, one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit in the United States struck the Gulf Coast. Inundating the city of New Orleans, Louisiana with water from Lake Pontchetrain, Hurricane Katrina erupted when the levees, which are embankments designed to prevent a river from overflowing, broke. First categorized as a Category 1 as it passed Jackson, Mississippi, late on the 29 of August, it then weakened further into a tropical depression early the next day before dissipating over the Ohio River valley. With floodwater filling the streets of New Orleans, many people were forced to seek refuge in nearby safe, high buildings and stadiums, such as the Superdome, a popular sports arena located in New Orleans.  The people suffering from Hurricane Katrina had nothing to do except wait—wait for their rescuers or wait for their death. Contributing  factors such as dehydration, hunger, and different medical conditions, in addition to the hit of the hurricane itself, over 1,300 people from Alabama to Louisiana were unable to survive. Katrina’s 145 mile per hour winds, heavy rains, and storm surge of about 25 feet destroyed low-lying coastal areas and wiped out transportation, communication and electricity networks that served millions of people. Other effects included damages to oil and gas facilities that drove up world energy prices and slowed economic growth for years to follow. Several charities all over the country sent their profits to benefit new Orleans after the disaster. The wanting to help the people in New Orleans obtain their lives back led to a sense of unity and togetherness that pervaded the United States.  In an article issued about the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina, one researcher investigating the damage says that the task "is turning out to be more difficult. The breakdown of infrastructure is far greater, and the poverty is endemic." Scientists worked to figure out why the hurricane was able to overpower New Orleans’s defenses and predicted that the city would be fully drained within a month afterwards. Researches also expressed that draining the contaminated water was of one of the main priorities, for there would be many high bacteria counts and health risks. In order to complete such arduous tasks, large amounts of money would be required, and several foundations and charities contributed to making it possible.