Devastating Effects of Katrina

Have you ever imagined your home being destroyed as well as your whole community? Well the people in New Orleans experienced this last year. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the whole New Orleans area as well as many other areas. Today I will talk about the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. I will inform you of what organizations provided help to the victims. And also I will talk about what actions are being taken to rebuild the area.

Hurricane Katrina did its destruction in late August of 2005. It began as a category 5 and then became a category 3 hurricane. Before hitting New Orleans, Katrina hit South Florida and then the Gulf Coast. Before Katrina struck land, a state of emergency was declared and mandatory evacuations were issued. Katrina was the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States and the deadliest since 1928. Over 1,400 people died and almost 2,000 people are still unaccounted for.

A major problem caused by Katrina was flooding. The levees were destroyed and since the city is lower than the levees, it caused major flooding. This led to many people drowning and also many suffered from dehydration. Many people fled, but those who couldn't were housed in the superdome for several days. Theses people were unable to evacuate due to the insufficient transportation for citizens. All forms of public transportation was shut down before the storm even hit. The people who were evacuated went to Houston, Atlanta, and Little Rock. This storm left almost 3 million people without electricity.

The hurricane also caused law enforcement problems. Looting and violence filled the streets of New Orleans when the storm ceased. Many were searching for food and water, but jewelry stores and clothing stores were also looted. The National Guard and federal troops were sent in to mobilize the situation. Order was quickly restored to the city.

In the beginning of September, the National Response Plan was implemented, which states that "when responding to a catastrophic incident, the federal government should start emergency operations even in the absence of clear assessment of the situation."

Many States responded to Katrina by sheltering evacuees. Four weeks after the storm, evacuees were registered in 50 states. About seventy countries also pledged monetary donations and other assistance. Kuwait made the largest donation of $500 million.

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and many other charitable organizations provided housing, food, and water to victims. These organizations are also active in the rebuilding and recovery process. They helped gut houses and remove trees for affected residents.

Another contributor to these relief efforts were major corporations. Corporate donations reached $409 million. Walmart gave the largest donation of $26.5 million. Also among the top donators were Office Depot and General Electric.

As of recently, the relief efforts have been going well. Almost 75% of the debris caused by the storm was removed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Mississippi and 54% in Louisiana. FEMA has approved $585 million in community disaster loans to help local authorities maintain essential services such as law enforcement, schools and fire services. More than 1.8 million housing inspections have been completed in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security set up the Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program so that 15,000 homeless families are receiving up to 18 months of housing assistance. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development repaired and continue to repair homes in the area. More than 1,000 families have been able to move back in, with more in process. They have also extended the foreclosures of FHA-insured homes. This allows mortgagees more time to repair their home and help them resume regular mortgage payments. Also, a mortgage assistance program has been set up to allow families who cannot make the payments an advance for up to 12 months. The special mortgage insurance program set up by HUD was designed to allow 100 financing for individuals or families whose homes were destroyed. This Department also launched the Universities Rebuilding America Partnership program in an effort to encourage college and university students to help rebuild the areas affected. HUD will also give out 11.5 billion in funding for the disaster areas through the Community Development Block Grant. Also the President asked for an additional 4.2 billion for mitigation needs.

Not only do homes need to be rebuilt, but the economy must also be rebuilt. The U.S. Department of Commerce created the Hurricane Contracting Information Center to provide a reference for businesses. The Minority Business Development Agency reached to over 1500 local businesses and assisted over 250 displaced minority firms. Commerce is allowing recovery activities in: assisting businesses in rebuilding; providing technical assistance with the development of a long term recovery strategy. Commerce organized conferences and information seminars to expand economic growth and assist small and medium size businesses. Commerce has also funded seven Economic Development District in Louisiana to initiate programs to prepare communities and businesses for future disasters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took aerial pictures which allowed them to assess damages and perform search and recovery tasks. NOAA assisted in cleaning up over 8 million gallons of spilled oil.