Hurricane Katrina 2005
Zalundria C. & Kala M.
Event Description
On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast of the United States. When the storm made landfall it was a category 3 storm, it brought winds 100-140 mph and stretched 400 miles across, the storm did a great deal of damage, levee breaches led to massive flooding, people charged that the federal government was to slow to meet the needs of people affected by the storm, thousands of people were not able to return to their homes, experts estimated that Katrina caused more than $100 billion in damage.
Ecological Impact
The canals that connected to the coast allowed storm surges to travel inland, that brought salt water that damaged the land. Some fields took almost 2 years to recover. No one was able to plant because of soil contamination. Polluted flood waters from the streets of New Orleans were pumped into the lakes.
Restoration Efforts
The army corps of engineers New Orleans levees, it cost about $14 billion. They spent about $108 billion just to rebuild homes, schools, workplaces, and etc. The levees were constructed out of a stronger concrete so that they would hold better if there were to be another storm like Katrina. The government spent up to $120.5 billion on the golf region. It took almost 8 years to restore New Orleans to its original self.