Hurricane Katrina by Micah Vickery

Hurricane Katrina

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-17 22:50:29 UTC

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating hurricane that struck the south-eastern United States in August of 2005, causing mass damage and resulting in a number of casualties. It formed as a tropical depression over the Bahamas on August 23rd escalating to a hurricane the following day, making landfall initially in Florida as a category 3 on August 25th. It later moved into the Gulf of Mexico and escalated to a Category 5 Hurricane before weakening back to a category 3 before making a second landfall over Hancock County, Mississippi on August 29th. In its second landfall it had sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, and its vast storm surge and powerful winds caused massive destruction extending all the way from the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, and the Mississippi. As a result of a levee failure from poor proper preparation in New Orleans much of the city was left flooded and underwater. Failure to properly respond from local and federal government only made the disaster and its recovery slower, only making the situation worse. The Hurricane claimed an estimated 1,800 lives in total, and caused a record approximately $125 billion dollars of damages, making it one of the costliest storms to ever hit the United States. Many people lost trust in President Bush and response teams as a result of poor response action to the disaster.

Hurricane Trajectory

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-17 23:10:56 UTC

Here one can see how the hurricane started as a Tropical Storm down in the Bahamas before moving across Florida and moving into the gulf where it picked up power from the warm coastal waters allowing it to become a category 5 up until making landfall as a category 3 Hurricane. This second landfall was the one that caused the most damages.

Winds

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-17 23:31:51 UTC

Hurricane Katrina was measured to have maximum wind speeds at landfall of up to 140 miles per hour. The High wind speeds added to the damage to trees and structures.

Hurricane Katrina Footage and Day by Day Rundown from Nat Geo

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-17 23:40:19 UTC

Footage from Hurricane Katrina Coupled with a Brief Explanation of the Day by Day happenings caused by the Storm

Footage from Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath from Inside Edition

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-17 23:55:42 UTC

Footage from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the mess left behind from the people who had to wait out rescue. One can see from the evident filth and lack of basic amenity how disease and sickness had become a problem for many.

Refugee Areas

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-18 00:02:50 UTC

Many people who couldn't or even those who could but couldn't afford to stay anywhere else had to take safety in refugee areas and shelters. As a result of the disaster Texas had opened up its borders to refugees of Hurricane Katrina, a show of how where Local Governments were failing to provide ample support others were stepping in. Note the disproportionate amount of African American citizens in this picture, as they were disproportionately impacted by the storm as a result of many being from poorer housing areas.

Flooding

micahvickery1 — 2024-11-18 00:10:33 UTC

When several of the Levees built to protect New Orleans from floodwaters broke, the city was quickly overwhelmed by the storm surge/flood waters. An estimated 80% of New Orleans was left completely flooded and underwater, with Flood Waters in some regions reaching depths of 10 to 15 feet.