HURRICANE KATRINA
August 2005
This was to be the worst natural disaster to have hit the USA in living memory. It was the most devastating natural disaster to hit the area. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake is perhaps the closest thing to compare it with, or the events at Galveston. New Orleans was evacuated, and will have to be almost completely rebuilt. The event also re-opened racial tensions, and had repercussions for many federal agencies, notably FEMA, but also for President George W Bush.
As Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf coast of the USA, a CNN report suggested that this could be 'our own Asian tsunami', and this seems to have been a reasonable comparison.
Huge areas were flooded, an area roughly the size of the UK has been affected to some degree - the storm itself was amongst the most powerful ever recorded. Communities have been wiped off the map, and there is a need for a huge relief effort. Baton Rouge's population has now doubled in size due to the refugees from 'the big easy', and many students have had to be evacuated to other universities to continue their studies. There were effects on tourism, and even 6 months later, few people have returned to their old neighbourhoods.
Hurricane KATRINA affected Florida before it went back into the Gulf of Mexico to pick up more energy and moisture. By the time it made landfall it was a Category 4 Hurricane.
Hurricanes are measured on the SAFFIR-SIMPSON scale, which goes from 1 to 5. At what point does a hurricane become one ? What about the names which are used ? Will there ever be a Hurricane Katrina again ? Make sure you know the answers to all these questions.
More detail is available on my higher level TROPICAL CYCLONE page, which now features a range of resources and lesson plans.
LINKS AND IMAGERY
As always the SLN Forum carried a thread on the hurricane which includes a number of valuable links for those wanting to use this as a case study, or to bring it to pupils attention in the first few weeks of the new term. Search the FORUM for more details. But be aware, you may be there some time.
We are trying our best. You have to put this in perspective.
The devastated area is approximately 100,000 sq miles, the entire size of the UK
is 93,000 sq miles, now think of that. It's not just the 20,000 at the super
dome. It's the 300,000-500,000 that are stranded all over that large area. Think
about saving 500,000 in an area the size of the UK with approx 200 helicopters.
The people seem to be only getting the news about the super dome, those people
are alive, we need to save the people everywhere, then fine enough food , water,
and shelter for approx 1,000,000 (when it's all over). You just can't get enough
water to feed a million sent to LA in 40 hours. My brother is down there, in the
rescue effort. We sent down 30,000 bottles of water from New England , but that
takes 2 1/2 days to get there. This is not sending a few bottles of water from
Southampton to Portsmouth. Think of saving everyone from Scotland in 40 hours,
feed, clothe and shelter them in less than 3 days, after you rescue them one at
a time off there roofs.
Tim, USA
HURRICANE KATRINA: AN UNNATURAL DISASTER ?
Excellent documentary shown on the National Geographic channel, and undoubtedly going to be repeated on numerous occasions. I recommend you watch a few of these as background to the events.
Shows the build up to the arrival of the storm, and the storm of controversy which followed. Shows Hurricane Pam: the computer model that was run a year or more before Katrina, and which told the authorities exactly what to expect. Also shows the breakdown of the aid effort, the problems with the Superdome, the changes in the way that FEMA operated and the way in which the city has started to recover.
Another Horizon programme in February 2006, 6 months on from the disaster. Is it a good idea to rebuild the city ?
This was an excellent resource.
Another useful resource is HURRICANE ARCHIVE. This is a collection of excellent images, some of which would make good starters as they suggest an alternative point of view of the disaster.
A good quote on the last slide of Val Vannet's presentation: "The first few days were a natural disaster, the next four days were a man-made disaster."
Liked this, found on aggregator site...