HURRICANE KATRINA

FLOOD
BY:
JESSICA KANG
 Formed over the Bahamas on August 23,
2005
 Crossed southern Florida (category 1)
 Turned into category 3 on August 29,
2005 and caused severe damage along
the Gulf Coast from central Florida to
Texas
 The most severe damage occurred in New
Orleans, Louisiana

Facts
 At least 1,836 lives were lost, making it
one of the deadliest U. S. hurricanes

 705 are still missing

 Costliest hurricane: $88.5 billion

More Facts
 New Orleans is located on a delta formed
by the Mississippi River

 First settled by the French on the natural

levee along the Mississippi bank (known
today as the French Quarter)

 North of the natural levee, the land slopes

down into a swamp

History
 Around 1900, large pumps were
introduced to drain this wetland
◦ Water was pumped up into canals and drained
into Lake Pontchartrain

 By 1950, houses and buildings made up

the city that we know of today

History
 Since New Orleans rests on a delta and it
is being drained, the city is continuously
sinking

 This is because there is peat (unstable

organic soil) found in the swamp

Geologic Setting
 ◦ “Consolidation due to loss of water, when the peat
loses volume in response to the loss of support
offered by internal water pressure

◦ Compaction under load, both self-loading and

imposed by other sediments or built structures,
when the highly porous peat restructures into a
denser material

◦ Wastage on exposure to air, when the peat simply

oxidises and disappears where loss of water leaves
it above the water table.”

Three Processes Behind Ground

Subsidence on Peat
 Knowing that the natural levees would not
be enough to protect this sinking city,
artificial levees were built.

 But they weren’t enough to withstand

Katrina. . .

Artificial Levees
 Caused by under seepage through the
levee silt

 The silt washed out and formed “cavities”

in the levees, which grew larger

 Eventually, the levees collapsed

How the Levees Failed

 To rebuild or not to rebuild. . . Ethical
issues
◦ Rebuild
 Continue building higher levees as the city keeps
sinking
 Is it the right thing to do to rebuild in a hurricane
prone area?
◦ Not to Rebuild
 Most people want to hear good news
◦ In the short-run it may be good, but in the long-run?
 Who is going to be responsible for the victims?
◦ Many victims were thrown out of their trailer that was
provided as shelter after the disaster
◦ Government aid has also been cut off

Solutions: It’s Complicated!

 Risk Management Solutions Inc. “Hurricane Katrina: Lessons of a Super Cat.”
http:///www.rms.com. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.
 Robertson, Ian N. "Lessons from Hurricane Katrina storm surge on bridges and buildings." Journal
of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering 133.6 (2007): 463-483. GeoRef. EBSCO. Web.
24 Feb. 2010.
 Waltham, Tony. "The flooding of New Orleans." Geology Today 21.6 (2005): 225-231. GeoRef.
EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.
 Hurricane Katrina. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina
 http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/43339467_fbed13883f.jpg
 http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history/katrina_2005_map.gif
 http://lh3104.k12.sd.us/Event/katrina-new-orleans-flooding3-2005.jpg
 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/us/29trailer.html?_r=1

Works Cited