"Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest storms to impact the coast of the United States during the last 100 years. With sustained winds during landfall of 140 mph (a strong category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale) and minimum central pressure the third lowest on record at landfall (920 mb), Katrina caused widespread devastation along the central Gulf Coast states of the US. Cities such as New Orleans, LA, Mobile, AL, and Gulfport, MS bore the brunt of Katrina's force and will need weeks and months of recovery efforts to restore normality." (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/katrina.html)
There is an argument as to whether or not decisions made by four important figures prior to the hurricane could have lessened its devastation and destruction. President Bush, LA Governor Blanco, New Orleans Mayor Nagin, and ex-FEMA director Michael Brown were all key decision makers in the preparation and evacuation efforts of New Orleans and other areas in its path.
View of the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina taken on ...
Flooded I-10/I-610 interchange and surrounding are...
Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico near its p...The amount of destruction caused by this hurricane has not been seen for almost a hundred years - since the Galveston Hurricane in 1900 and Hurricane Camille in 1969 which both hit this area of the country. We have decided to look into three different regions of the hurricane that could have changed the decisions made by these four people. We have investigated scientific hurricane research and whether or not we could have prepared better for Katrina from past information. Also, we are considering whether or not the relief efforts could have been faster and more efficient had a majority of the suffering popular not have been African American; which also turns this into an issue of racial discrimination. We are also taking into account the natural landscape of Louisiana and could New Orleans have improved any of the man made protections before the hurricane...