11 Facts about Hurricane Katrina

1. Hurricane Katrina was the largest and third strongest hurricane ever recorded to
make landfall in the U.S.
2. In New Orleans, the levees were designed for Category 3, but Katrina peaked at
a Category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 175 miles per hour.
3. The storm surge from Katrina was 20-feet (six meters) high.
4. 705 people are reported as still missing as a result of hurricane Katrina.
5. Hurricane Katrina affected over 15 million people in different factors such as
economy, evacuations, gas prices or drinking water.
6. The final death toll was at 1,836, primarily from Louisiana (1,577) and Mississippi
(238).
7. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was under water, up to 20 feet deep in
places.
8. Hurricane Katrina caused $81 billion in property damages, but it is estimated that
the total economic impact in Louisiana and Mississippi may exceed $150 billion,
earning the title of costliest hurricane ever in US history.
9. Hurricane Katrina impacted about 90,000 square miles.
10.The region affected by the storm supported roughly 1 million non-farm jobs, and
still, hundreds of thousands of local residents were left unemployed by the
hurricane.
11.More than 70 countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance after the
hurricane. Kuwait made the largest single pledge of $500 million, but Qatar,
India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh made very large donations as well.

Hurricane Katrina: Facts, Damage

& Aftermath
Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States.
An estimated 1,836 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed in
late August 2005, and millions of others were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and
in New Orleans, which experienced the highest death toll.
Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have said Katrina
was the most destructive storm to strike the United States. It ranks sixth overall in
strength of recorded Atlantic hurricanes. It was also a very large storm; at its peak,
maximum winds stretched 25 to 30 nautical miles and its extremely wide swath of
hurricane force winds extended at least 75 nautical miles to the east from the
center.

Hurricane Katrina moved ashore over southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi
early on August 29, 2005, as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.

How Katrina formed

Katrina initially formed over the Bahamas on Aug. 23, 2005, as a tropical
depression. A well-defined band of storm clouds began to wrap around the north
side of the storm's circulation center in the early morning hours of Aug. 24. With
winds of about 40 mph (65 kph), the storm is named Tropical Storm Katrina.
By the time it made its way to southern Florida on Aug. 25, Katrina was a moderate
Category 1 hurricane. While it caused some flooding and casualties two people
were killed during its first landfall, it appeared to be just another hurricane in an
active hurricane season. Katrina weakened after passing over Florida and was
reclassified as a tropical storm.
But, once over water again, Katrina stalled beneath a very large upper-level
anticyclone that dominated the entire Gulf of Mexico, and rapidly gained strength.
Katrina re-intensified into a hurricane on Aug. 26, and became a Category Five
storm on Aug. 28, with winds blowing at about 175 mph (280 kph). The storm
turned north toward the Louisiana coast. The storm weakened to a Category 3 storm
before making its second landfall along the Louisiana-Mississippi border on the
morning of Aug. 29.

The flooding in New Orleans nearly a week after Hurricane Katrina hit, taken by
NASA's EO-1 satellite on Sept. 6, 2005.

Katrina's front-right quadrant which held the strongest winds slammed into
Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., devastating both cities. Several levees in New Orleans
collapsed and the city began to flood. Thousands sought refuge in the New Orleans
Convention Center and the Superdome, which were overwhelmed. The National
Guard was called in to help with evacuations.
Katrina weakened to a Category 1 hurricane after moving inland over southern and
central Mississippi. It was downgraded to a tropical storm about six hours later just
northwest of Meridian, Miss., but not before causing a tremendous loss of life and
property damage across a wide area, extending beyond Louisiana and Mississippi
into the Florida panhandle, Georgia, and Alabama.

Political storm
Critics blamed an aging and neglected levee system and a slow response following
the disaster for the high loss of life and damage. Many residents did not heed initial
warnings to evacuate, putting a severe strain on rescue operations.

Ultimately 80 percent of New Orleans and large portions of nearby parishes became
flooded, and the floodwaters did not recede for weeks. Coastal areas, such as all
Mississippi beachfront towns, sustained some of the worst devastation. Total
property damage from Katrina was estimated at $81 billion, which was nearly triple
the damage inflicted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
The rescue and recovery efforts following Katrina became highly politicized, with
federal, state and local officials pointing fingers at one another. After initially
receiving praise from then-president George W. Bush, the director of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael D. Brown, was forced to resign, as
was New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Eddie Compass.
In particular, Mayor Ray Nagin came under severe scrutiny for his administrations
response in the aftermath of the disaster, but he vowed to rebuild. He was re-elected
in 2006 but his second term saw a high rate of crime in the city and he faced many
roadblocks from critics in his efforts to rebuild.
The region is still recovering, and government officials have sought to learn from the
tragedy and implement better communications and evacuation policies. While many
of the tourist areas such as the French Quarter have recovered, there are still
neighborhoods just a short ride from the city where the effects of Katrina can still be
seen.