HURICANE KATRINA - NEW ORLEANS FLOOD

HURICANE KATRINA - NEW ORLEANS FLOOD 28-29 AUGUST 2005

AN INTENSITY 1 STORM WHEN IT STRUCK FLORIDA ON AUGUST 21. A “MONSTER STORM” OF INTENSITY 5 WHEN IT STRUCK NEW ORLEANS ON AUGUST 28-29. HURRICANE KATRINA-NEW ORLEANS FLOOD

HURRICANES High velocity winds, storm surge, excessive precipitation, flooding, coastal erosion, scour, hail, and tornadoes

FLOODS • INUNDATION, HIGH-VELOCITY FLOW, HIGH-VOLUME DISCHARGE, EROSION, SCOUR, INTERACTION WITH BUILDINGS & INFRASTRUCTURE, DAMAGE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS FACILITIES,TRANSPORTATION OF DEBRIS, AUTOS, AND HOUSES,andWATER QUALITY AND DISEASE

IMPORTANCE OF GULF COAST • 30 PERCENT OF NATIONS’ OIL PRODUCTION • 20 PERCENT OF NATIONS’ NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION • 10 PERCENT OF NATIONS’ REFINING CAPACITY • 20 PERCENT OF NATIONS’ PORT CAPACITY

KATRINA – NEW ORLEANS FLOOD (2005) FLORIDA HURRICANES (2004) NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE (1994) MIDWEST FLOODS (1993) $ 20.0 BILLION??? 14.0 BILLION 15.5 BILLION 7.0 BILLION COST 0F PAST DISASTERS TO FEDERAL-STATE-LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

DECADES OF WARNINGS ABOUT POTENTIAL FAILURE OF NEW ORLEANS’ LEVEE SYSTEM WERE IGNORED, INCLUDING A 1995 STUDY BY FEMA. EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO REPAIR BREACHED LEVEES IN THE 48 HOUR ARC OF RELIEF, THE MOST CRITICAL TIME. FLAWS IN PREPARATION

DISASTER RESPONSE PLANS WERE ADEQUATE FOR A CATEGORY 3 STORM, BUT… NEW ORLEANS HAD NEVER SEEN AN EVENT LIKE KATRINA, A CATEGORY 5 STORM. FLAWS IN PREPARATION

DISASTER RESPONSE PLANS WERE ADEQUATE FOR A CATEGORY 3 STORM, BUT… GUIDELINES FOR COORDINATION OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE INCOMPLETE FOR THE KATRINA – FLOOD DISASTER. FLAWS IN PREPARATION

NEW ORLEANS’ EVACUATION PLAN REMOVED 80 PERCENT OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA’S 1,4 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT… FAILED TO EMPTY THE CITY OF THOUSANDS WHO WERE FORCED TO REMAIN FOR VARIOUS REASONS IN NEIGHBORHOODS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING. FLAWS IN PREPARATION

THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND BUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED ALONG 150 MILES OF THE GULF COAST BY A STORM SURGE REACHING 30 FEET OR MORE. THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND BUILDINGS OF ALL TYPES WERE DESTROYED IN A WIDE AREA BY HIGH VELOCITY WINDS, LEAVING 10,000 TO 20,000 (???) DEAD AND MILLIONS WITHOUT HOMES AND JOBS. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL FACILITIES WERE DAMAGED AND/OR FLOODED AND LEFT WITHOUT SUPPLIES. HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL WERE OVERWHELMED WITH THE NEEDS FOR URGENT HEALTH CARE, UNTIL OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE ARRIVED. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

80-90 PERCENT OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION IN GULF OF MEXICO AND OIL REFINING ALONG THE GULF COAST WAS SHUT DOWM. WITHOUT POWER AND FUEL, FLOOD WATER CAN NOT BE PUMPED OUT OF NEW ORLEANS, RESCUE OPERATIONS ARE LIMITED, AND JOBS IMPOSSIBLE. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

80 PERCENT OF NEW ORLEANS WAS UNDER WATER AFTER THREE LEVEE BREAKS FLOODED NEW ORLEANS. THOUSANDS WERE STRANDED ON ROOFTOPS OR IN ATTICS. THOUSANDS WERE ALSO STRANDED IN THE SUPER DOME, OR IN THE CONVENTION CENTER. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

THE FLOOD PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON TRANSFORMING AS MANY AS 1 MILLION OR MORE PEOPLE INTO REFUGEES. REFUGEES WERE TRANSPORTED TO CITIES IN TWENTY OTHER STATES (E.G., 240,000 TO TEXAS; OTHERS TO CA, NC, VA, MI, D.C., ETC) PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

THE DISASTER DISRUPTED AND SEPARATED MANY FAMILIES. FAMILIES ARE BEING REUNITED THROUGH EFFORTS OF AMERICAN RED CROSS AND MANY OTHERS ORGANIZATIONS. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

THOUSANDS OF PETS WERE STRANDED OR ABANDONED. PETS ARE BEING RESCUED AND REUNITED WITH OWNERS OR PLACED IN SHELTERS. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

LAWLESSNESS AND LOOTING WERE WIDESPREAD. 40,000 NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS WERE DEPLOYED TO RESTORE AND MAINTAIN ORDER. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

PORTS RECEIVING AND SHIPPING GRAIN AND OTHER COMMODITIES ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI AND GULF COAST AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD WERE KNOCKED OUT. THE FLOW OF GOODS AND FUEL STOPPED. PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL IMPACTS

THOUSANDS OF COMPANIES LARGE AND SMALL ARE GRAPPLING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF KATRINA AND THE NEW ORLEANS FLOOD. ASSISTING EMPLOYEES WITH JOBS. HELPING OTHERS IN NEED. RESTORING OPERATIONS. ASSESSING DAMAGE AND LOSSES. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. SOURCES OF HELP

AMERICAN RED CROSS IS ASSISTING THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES WITH SHELTER, FOOD, WATER, AND MEDICENE, THE LARGEST RESPONSE IN ITS 125 YEARS. HUNDREDS OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS ARE PROVIDING SHELTER, FOOD, WATER, MEDICENE, AND A NEW LIFE. SOURCES OF HELP

OVER 50 NATIONS HAVE OFFERED TO HELP ANY WAY THEY CAN. OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE HAVE COME FROM CUBA, IRAN, CHINA, AND EVEN NATIONS IMPACTED BY THE 26 DECEMBER 2004 GREAT SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE AND INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI. INTERNATIONAL OFFERS OF HELP

NEW ORLEANS WAS REBUILT AFTER BEING STRICKEN BY A HURRICANE IN 1715, SHORTLY AFER BEING ESTABLISHED BY FRANCE. OTHER CITIES ALONG THE GULF COAST HAVE BEEN REBUILT AFTER HURRICANES. SAN FRANCISCO WAS REBUILT AFTER 1906 EARTHQUAKE. LOS ANGELES WAS REBUILT AFTER RIOTS AND 1994 EARTHQUAKE. CHICAGO WAS REBUILT AFTER THE FIRE. REBUILDING NEW ORLEANS AND THE GULF COAST

LONDON TOKYO KOBE EL ASNAM AGADIR SPITAK THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE CITIES THAT HAVE BEEN REBUILT AFTER GREAT DISASTERS. REBUILDING OTHER GREAT CITIES OF THE WORLD

HURICANE KATRINA - NEW ORLEANS FLOOD