On Monday, 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina careened into the Gulf Coast, putting 80% of New Orleans under water and bashing the Mississippi coast like it was matchsticks. The nation's most costly natural disaster, it killed more than 1,600 people ... destroyed 200,000 Gulf Coast homes ... displaced about 1 million people. News reports place insured property damage at $25.3 billion in 1.7 million insurance claims -- 975,000 of them in Louisiana.
One year later, rebuilding and services are spotty, despite $110 billion in federal monies.
Political fallout from the storm and government response is captured in an off-the-cuff remark from President Bush on 2 September 2005: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." Michael Brown, who headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- part of the Department of Homeland Security, became the expedient public scapegoat for an Administration seemingly unprepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Never mind that such a disaster had been predicted by experts for years.
What has happened in the intervening year? How are New Orleans and the Gulf Coast recovering?
One year later, rebuilding and services are spotty, despite $110 billion in federal monies.
Political fallout from the storm and government response is captured in an off-the-cuff remark from President Bush on 2 September 2005: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." Michael Brown, who headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- part of the Department of Homeland Security, became the expedient public scapegoat for an Administration seemingly unprepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Never mind that such a disaster had been predicted by experts for years.
What has happened in the intervening year? How are New Orleans and the Gulf Coast recovering?
History
Katrina was a fast-moving storm that took scientists and residents by surprise.
Thursday 25 August 2005
At 5 pm EDT, NOAA upgraded tropical storm Katrina to hurricane status. By 11 pm, the storm crossed the tip of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and experts predict it will cross the Florida panhandle.
Friday 26 August 2005
At 11 am EDT, NOAA predicts that Hurricane Katrina will become a Category 2 hurricane by Saturday. Projected landfall remains the Florida panhandle. In its 5 pm report, NOAA upgrades the projection to Category Three, and for the first time, the projected landfall is west of the Florida panhandle, just west of the Mississippi-Alabama state line.
Saturday 27 August 2005
At 4 am CDT, NOAA declares that Hurricane Katrina is a Category 3 "major hurricane with 115 mph winds." The projected landfall is now New Orleans; yet residents went to bed thinking the hurricane would hit the Panhandle.
Sunday 28 August 2005
At 1 am CDT, NOAA upgrades Katrina to a Category 4 hurricane. Six hours later, Katrina is labeled a Category 5 storm. At 10.11 am CDT, NOAA's National Weather Service issues an urgent weather message enumerating the "devastating damage" expected from Hurricane Katrina. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer... At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure... Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards."
Monday 26 August 2005
At 6.10 AM CDT, Katrina makes landfall as a strong Category 4 storm, south of Buras, LA along the Mississippi delta. The most dangerous part of the storm, the eastern eyewall, hit the Mississippi coastline where Hurricane Camille struck in 1969.
Thursday 25 August 2005
At 5 pm EDT, NOAA upgraded tropical storm Katrina to hurricane status. By 11 pm, the storm crossed the tip of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and experts predict it will cross the Florida panhandle.
Friday 26 August 2005
At 11 am EDT, NOAA predicts that Hurricane Katrina will become a Category 2 hurricane by Saturday. Projected landfall remains the Florida panhandle. In its 5 pm report, NOAA upgrades the projection to Category Three, and for the first time, the projected landfall is west of the Florida panhandle, just west of the Mississippi-Alabama state line.
Saturday 27 August 2005
At 4 am CDT, NOAA declares that Hurricane Katrina is a Category 3 "major hurricane with 115 mph winds." The projected landfall is now New Orleans; yet residents went to bed thinking the hurricane would hit the Panhandle.
Sunday 28 August 2005
At 1 am CDT, NOAA upgrades Katrina to a Category 4 hurricane. Six hours later, Katrina is labeled a Category 5 storm. At 10.11 am CDT, NOAA's National Weather Service issues an urgent weather message enumerating the "devastating damage" expected from Hurricane Katrina. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer... At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure... Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards."
Monday 26 August 2005
At 6.10 AM CDT, Katrina makes landfall as a strong Category 4 storm, south of Buras, LA along the Mississippi delta. The most dangerous part of the storm, the eastern eyewall, hit the Mississippi coastline where Hurricane Camille struck in 1969.
