Hurricane Katrina was a storm that brought America to its knees. What made hurricane Katrina so devastating, was that it not only destroyed parts of America's infrastructure, it impacted America's economy as well. In just a few hours, a single storm altered America's GDP, employment rate, and even the spending power of consumers all over the country. Even today, America's economy is still affected by the damage from the storm.
Many consider Hurricane Katrina to have been the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history. The overall destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, which was both a large and powerful hurricane as well as a catastrophic flood, vastly exceeded that of any other major disaster, such as the Chicago Fire of 1871, the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. This devastating storm left almost 80% of New Orleans flooded. It completely destroyed an estimated 300,000 homes, and over 100,000 businesses.
View of the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina taken on ...
Hurricane Katrina making its second landfall in Lo...
Flooded I-10/I-610 interchange and surrounding are...When the winds and floods of Hurricane Katrina subsided, an estimated 1,330 people were dead as a result of the storm (1).
In the days that followed hurricane Katrina, America and its economy had been changed dramatically. One of the most evident changes that occurred as a result of the storm was the nation's unemployment rate. A month prior to the storm, the national unemployment rate was at 4.9%. However, shortly after hurricane Katrina swept through America, the national unemployment rate increased to 5.1%. It was estimated that nearly 400,000 individuals lost their jobs as a result of the storm (2).
Not only did this sudden increase in the unemployment rate cause for hundreds of thousands to loose their jobs, it also caused a decrease in the quantity of goods and services produced by our country. In New Orleans, three major oil pipes had...