LAUSR

KATRINA’S IMPACT Hurricane Katrina beat us. We lost the ability to communicate, transport by land and air, and provide health care for the population. Louisiana and Mississippi communities sustained a complete collapse of their civil infrastructures, including police, fire, medical and public health, and communication. The storm and its ensuing flooding caused the largest forced migration in US history. Hurricane Katrina’s eastward path spared metro New Orleans, Louisiana, from a direct hit. However, the coastal storm surge, combinedwith surge in amanmade canal (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet) that over 30 years destroyed important protective wetlands, severely strained the levee system. The result was 12 feet of flooding in 80% of New Orleans. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet project, constructed to provide a shorter route between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, is widely described as a dangerous alteration to the area’s ecosystem. In addition, state and federal authorities approved construction of a levee system to withstand a Category 3 storm when evidence showed the eventual likelihood of a Category 5. On average, 70% of New Orleans sits between two and five feet below sea level. The Mississippi River, which divides the city, ranges from 4 to 20 feet above sea level based on seasonal flood stages.