Hurricane Katrina

Local effects and aftermath

Areas affected include southern Florida, Louisiana (especially the Greater New Orleans area), Mississippi, Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle, western and north Georgia (hit by tornadoes), the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley regions, the eastern Great Lakes region and the length of the western Appalachians. Over 1,100 deaths have been reported in seven states, a number which is expected to rise as casualty reports come in from areas currently inaccessible. Three levees in New Orleans gave way, and 80% of the city was under water at peak flooding, which in some places was 20 to 25 feet (7 or 8 meters) deephttp://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050830_hurricane_katrina_050830/?hub=World. As of September 6, the flood pool had abated to covering 60% of the city.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/hurricane_katrina;_ylt=AuMEcGUKzaA0k_o5kA8EIWOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

Related Topics:
Florida - Louisiana - Greater New Orleans - Mississippi - Alabama - Florida Panhandle - Georgia - Tennessee Valley - Ohio Valley - Great Lakes - Appalachians - State - September 6

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By September 2, NOAA had published satellite photographyhttp://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM of many of the affected regions. The storm surge in Katrina as it was making landfall on August 29 was very high to the east of where the storm center crossed the coast. Storm surge of near 30 feet high was observed, where during the height of the storm at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum scenes like a car floating outside the first floor lobby, and a boat is being swept across the parking lot as the surge comes in with the eyewall winds were not uncommon. The lobby and parking lot are over 20 feet above sea level of the Gulf of Mexico, and 1/4 mile away from the Gulf coastal road Highway 90 in Harrison County between Biloxi and Gulfport.

Related Topics:
September 2 - Storm surge - August 29 - Mississippi Coast Coliseum - Eyewall - Sea level - Gulf of Mexico - Harrison County - Biloxi - Gulfport

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Looting and violence

Shortly after the hurricane ended on August 30, there were reports that some of the thousands of people who remained in the city, including police officers, began taking items from stores http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050906/ts_nm/police_dc_1. The activies were initially reported exclusively as looting, and television news media aired some highly convincing images that looting was taking place. Many people questioned whether racial bias played a part in the characterization of these events, pointing to accounts where the term 'looting' (instead of 'finding food' for example) was applied depending on the race of the persons involved; African American in the former, Caucasian in the latter. It soon became apparent, however, that many people were commandeering food, water, and other basic necessities for survival. The truth of the prevelance of looting compared to the prevalence of survival activity will likely be publicly debated for a long time. Given the immediate chaos following the flooding, and the inherent lack of access by the media to some of the most affected areas, a clear picture may never exist.

Related Topics:
August 30 - African American - Caucasian

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Carjacking, murders, thefts, and rapes were also widely reported. The overwhelming majority of those accounts subsequently proved to be false.

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Partly because of the false reports of violence, thousands of National Guard and federal troops were mobilized and sent to Louisiana along with numbers of local law enforcement agents from across the country who were temporarily deputized by the state. "They have M-16s and are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and I expect they will," Kathleen Blanco said. Congressman Jefferson (D-LA) told ABC News. Less than 200 arrests had been made in New Orleans two weeks after the flooding began. There was no resistance when law enforcement entered the Superdome and the Convention Center. A temporary jail was constructed of chain link cages in the city train stationhttp://www.komotv.com/news/mnewsaction.asp?ID=39002 although controversy arose over at least one inmate http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9356608/, a septugenarian accused of having stolen sausage she said she actually had in her car. The elderly woman spents weeks jailed. A September 26 2005 article from The Times Picayune, titled 'Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated'http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_26.html#082732 provides updated information. Only ten deaths, all but two resulting from natural causes, occurrred in the Superdome and the Convention Center. No rapes in either building have been substantiated. Though crimes of opportunity, including some looting did occur, the degree of lawlessness has been grossly overstated.

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False claims that most or all the evacuees from New Orleans are criminals have also circulated on the Internet and in the media. They usually rely on unsubstantiated allegations or criminal background checks of the persons remaining in public shelters for weeks, who are likely to be those with the most significant problems. There has been no reliable evidence of the population of evacuees, estimated at from 300,000 to 500,000, having any greater composition of criminals than one would find any most American cities. Indeed, poor evacuees are disproportionately women, children and the elderly, groups with low crime rates. (Additional information about this topic, including citations to sources, is available in the 'Race' portion of this article. I believe this edit corrects the misinformation that previously appeared in this section.)

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Death toll (summary)

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The confirmed death toll as of October 7 stands at 1,242, mainly from Louisiana (1,003) and Mississippi (221).http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051008/ap_on_re_us/katrina_body_count_2;_ylt=AkK25nECLieOgr952lEeXXwbLisB;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

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Direct deaths indicate those caused by the direct effects of the winds, flooding, storm surge or oceanic effects of Katrina. Indirect deaths indicate those caused by hurricane-related accidents (including car accidents), fires or other incidents, as well as clean-up incidents and health issues.

Related Topics:
Winds - Flood - Storm surge - Ocean - Car - Fire

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Government officials had estimated fatalities as high as 10,000. The fear that thousands of people died has proven to be an urban legend. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rumors27sep27,0,3794602.story?coll=la-home-headlines http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_26.html

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http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050928-121515-2539r.htm

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On September 6 FEMA stopped allowing journalists to accompany rescuers searching for victims, saying they would take up too much space. At the same time, FEMA requested that journalists stop taking pictures of dead bodies. News organizations have filed suit in Federal Court, claiming a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of the press. In face of the lawsuit, FEMA has since countermanded this requesthttp://writ.news.findlaw.com/hilden/20050913.html.

Related Topics:
September 6 - FEMA - Federal Court - First Amendment - Freedom of the press

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On September 9 FEMA ordered 50,000 body bags in addition to the 25,000 previously ordered. http://www.modbee.com/local/story/11196519p-11948351c.html

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On September 13, officials announced that negligent homicide charges had been filed against the owners of a New Orleans nursing home, where the bodies of thirty four residents, apparently drowned, were found.http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/VBOL-6G8BRX?OpenDocument

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Health concerns

Aside from the lack of water, food, shelter, and sanitation facilities, there was concern that the prolonged flooding might lead to an outbreak of health problems for those who remained in the hurricane-affected areas. In addition to dehydration and food poisoning, there was potential for communicable disease outbreaks of diarrhea and respiratory illness, all related to the growing contamination of food and drinking water supplies in the area.

Related Topics:
Water - Food - Shelter - Dehydration - Food poisoning - Diarrhea

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President Bush declared a emergency for the entire Gulf Coast. Before the hurricane, government health officials prepared to respond, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began sending medical emergency supplies to locations near the worst-hit area within 48 hours after landfall.

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Supplies shipped by CDC's Strategic National Stockpile provided pharmaceuticals, technical assistance teams, and treatment capacity for citizens otherwise stranded by the hurricane's catastrophic effect on hospital infrastructure in Louisiana and Mississippi. CDC's supplies served an estimated 30 acute care hospitals south of Interstate Highway 10, and volunteers organized around its "contingency stations" to become temporary stand-ins for hospitals, warehouses, and distribution facilities damaged by the storm. Alongside strong responses from state and local medical teams, CDC support remained crucial until normal infrastructure support began to return a week and a half later.

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Within days after landfall, medical authorities established contingency treatment facilities for over 10,000 people, and plans to treat thousands more were developing. Partnerships with commercial medical suppliers, shipping companies, and support services companies insured that evolving medical needs could be met within days or even hours.

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There is concern the chemical plants and refineries in the area could have released pollutants into the floodwaters. People who suffer from allergies or lung disorders, such as asthma, may have health complications due to toxic mold and airborne irritantshttp://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/27/monster.mold.ap/index.html. In Gulfport, Mississippi, several hundred tons of chicken and uncooked shrimp were washed out of their containers at the nearby harbor and could have contaminated the water table. On September 6, 2005 it was reported that Escherichia coli (E. coli) had been detected at unsafe levels in the waters that flooded New Orleans. The CDC reported on September 7 that five people had died of bacterial infection from drinking water contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium from the Gulf of Mexico.

Related Topics:
Asthma - Toxic mold - Gulfport, Mississippi - September 6 - 2005 - Escherichia coli - New Orleans - September 7 - Vibrio vulnificus - Bacterium

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Wide outbreaks of severe infectious diseases such as cholera and dysentery are not considered likely because such illnesses are not endemic in the United States http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/infectiousdisease.asp.

Related Topics:
Cholera - Dysentery

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Animal concerns

As with any major disaster, animals are affected as well as human beings. In the case of Katrina no order to support total animal evacuation was given.

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Helicopter pilots and rescue boat captains had refused to load pets in order to hold more people. Many families in the affected area refused to evacuate without their pets. Some field hospitals allowed pets to enter with their patients. However those who were evacuated from the Superdome were not allowed to take their pets with them.http://www.recorder.ca/cp/World/050901/w090197A.html

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Rescue teams were set up in the worst hit regions in response to desperate pleas from pet owners. Horses posed a particular problem, as they are easily stranded and cannot stand in water for long periods of time. Rescue agencies set up shelters and tried to find homes to adopt pets lost by their owners.http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/recent_activities_and_information/animal_disaster_teams_respond_to_hurricane_katrina_massive_flooding.html Rescue centers were becoming overwhelmed in the days immediately following the hurricane. Online resources, such as the animals911.com clearinghouse for Hurricane Katrina animal rescue and reliefhttp://www.animals911.com, give rescue groups, individuals, and businesses from around the country a centralized venue to publish their offers and requests for helping the animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

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Most of the 10,000 fish at New Orleans Aquarium of the Americas died as the backup power ran out after four days. Curators then abandoned the aquarium and the police used it as an emergency base. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-aquarium10sep10,0,7843985.story?track=mostemailedlink Most of the marine mammals and a large sea turtle survived. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/07/katrina.zoos The Audubon Zoo lost only three animals out of a total of 1,400 due to good disaster planning and location on high ground. Zoo curator Dan Maloney was quoted as saying, "The zoo had planned for years for the catastrophic storm that has long been predicted for New Orleans". http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050904/sc_afp/usweatherzoo http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04625799.htm

Related Topics:
Aquarium of the Americas - Audubon Zoo

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The response of the American public was unprecedented. The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS) had received $15 million in donations within two weeks after the hurricane occurred. The HSUS, in conjunction with the Louisiana SPCA and other groups has hundreds of staff and volunteers working in LA and MS. As of September 20 2005, 6,031 animals were rescued and 400 were reunited with their owners. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-03-katrinapetrescues_x.htm

Related Topics:
The Humane Society of the United States - September 20 - 2005

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Rescued pets are being listed at http://www.petfinder.org//

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Reports of price gouging

Hundreds of reports were made to Louisiana authorities and elsewhere regarding sharp increases in prices on products like gasoline and bottled water, or of hotels failing to honor reservations in favor of accepting larger offers for rooms by desperate travelers. The three major U.S. TV networks' nightly news programs showed images of a BP gas station selling gasoline for over $6 per US gallon ($1.59/L). Another BP station in Stockbridge, Georgia, south of Atlanta, was selling gas at $5.87 per US gallon ($1.55/L) less than a day after Katrina hit. Gas prices in the U.S. just prior to Katrina were in the range of $2.50 per US gallon ($0.66/L). During this time the average price of gas per US gallon has reached a new all time high. The rapid price increase exacerbated the oil price increases of 2004 and 2005.

Related Topics:
Three major U.S. TV networks' - BP - Gallon - Stockbridge, Georgia - Oil price increases of 2004 and 2005

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Awarding of Contracts

Complaints were made by small firms who say they are getting sidelined in the awarding of contracts for cleanup and reconstruction as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Only 1.5 percent of the $1.6 billion awarded by FEMA has gone to "minority businesses". FEMA argued that they were awarding contracts to "known players" who could quickly provide help in an emergency situation.

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The larger companies being awarded the lion's share include the Haliburton Corporation, which Vice President Dick Cheney headed from 1995 to 2000, and of which he is still a large stockholder. "The president has talked about small businesses being the engine of our economy, but when the time for sound bites is over his administration still uses the same backroom deals to take care of their friends," said Thompson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/051004/katrina_minority_contracts.html?.v=3

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At least two members of Congress, one Democrat and one Republican, have questioned a $192 million contract with Carnival Cruise Lines to allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use three ships 6 months, into early next year, in 2006. These ships were intended to house people displaced by the hurricane, but they were practically empty just a month on, after the event.

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The Government replied to these criticisms, reiterating the initial need to respond to the crisis quickly. "As we move forward, we will be in a continuing process of re-evaluating contracts," Chertoff said on a visit to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "When you are dealing with literally saving lives and making sure people can be fed and have water and have a place of shelter, those are urgent needs that cannot be addressed in a slow process," Chertoff said.

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Later, the awarding of some of the above contracts was later reviewed. On October 6th, David Paulison, who took recently over at FEMA said that "contracts for cleanup and rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina that were awarded without competition will be opened up for rebidding". He said that the agency "was looking at the no-bid contracts carefully and was striving to reduce dependence on them in future disasters.". Major contract winners in the days after Katrina struck included Shaw Group Inc. and Fluor Corp. Mr. Paulison said FEMA was working to include local firms. http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh68224_2005-10-06_20-28-18_n06236882_newsml

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Wage issues

On September 9, 2005 President George W. Bush issued proclamation 7924, "To Suspend Subchapter IV of Chapter 31 of Title 40, United States Code, within a Limited Geographic Area in Response to the National Emergency Caused by Hurricane Katrina", which indefinitely suspended the Davis-Bacon Act.http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050908-5.html This law mandates that workers on federal construction projects be paid at least the prevailing local wage. There are also rumours of suspension of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act. http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/12641578.htm Some critics feel that allowing the government to pay less than the prevailing rate will increase the poverty in the area through lower wages.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/opinion/10sat2.html?incamp=article_popular_5 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-golden12sep12,1,6949079.column?coll=la-utilities-business&ctrack=1&cset=true

Related Topics:
September 9 - 2005 - George W. Bush - Proclamation - Davis-Bacon Act - McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act

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How the many hundreds of thousands of victims of Katrina who have lost all their possessions will cope with wage reductions is unknown http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050913/ap_on_go_co/katrina_bankruptcy_2. The economic loss will force many survivors into bankruptcy. Those with jobs will have to pay if their income is $100 over the states' median income. Louisiana and Mississippi have some of the lowest http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/income02/statemhi.html median incomes in the nation requiring Katrina victims to pay creditors whereas in most US states with a similar income person will pay nothing.

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