This article is about Hurricane Katrina and how the world can learn lessons from it. A quote from Edward Barbier states that “For the parts of the world that have extremely vulnerable populations, I think there are lessons that can be learned from the planning strategy that took place in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina”. He is basically saying that people can learn a very valuable lesson from Hurricane Katrina and can learn from better planning and strategizing. After causing about $110…
after Katrina and rita hit because relatively clean sediments washed into the city in the wake of those storms blanketing the more toxic soils Lead researcher Howard mielke notes that the city is still in terrible shape indoor pollution. And mold growth inside still remains a health problem louisiana was losing 12 to 14 square miles per year before Katrina came along but Katrina storm surge only lasted a couple of hours unlike rita which happened a few months later the waves for that one…
Since it is geographically situated facing the bay of Bengal, the coastal areas are prone to natural disasters such as cyclones, storm surges, floods tornadoes, etc. About 80% of the country is formed by the floodplains of big rivers known as Meghna, Ganges, and Brahmaputra-Jamuna, making the area vulnerable to sea rise (Ali et al. 1996; Jorgensen and Fath 2014). Bangladesh is a very…
Six years ago, my family and community were devastated by the uncut strength of mother nature. Superstorm Sandy, the storm of the century, decimated a large part of the Northeast Coast. My home was lucky enough to be a raised ranch where the main part of our home was on the second floor. But because I live less than a mile from the ocean, we were slammed with twelve feet of storm surge. It was enough to flood my entire basement with six feet of saltwater and was just one step away from…
New Orleans to be better prepared to undergo a category five storm. What caused the destruction, wind or water? What came first, the wind or the water? On August 29, 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana was caught in the eye of the unforgettable Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of innocent lives were lost, along with homes and businesses as a result of the rushing flood waters. However, the reason for these loses was not because of the actual storm itself, in fact, it was due to the failure of the…
the southeastern part of Texas and sits on what is called a barrier island. Barrier Island formation is strongly influenced by four main factors: a low seabed gradient, shallow water depth, abundant existing sediment supply, and a moderate-to-strong storm climate (Pilkey et al., 2009). Galveston Island is considered an active island, meaning that is currently experiencing ongoing destruction (Pilkey et al., 2009). Ongoing destruction means that the shoreline of these islands erodes away into the…
The Florida Keys The winds howled and a waves crashed up against the bridges as the workers hurry to finish the bridge before the hurricane arrives. In 1909 a category 5 hurricane hit land in the keys, the winds reached speeds of up to 185 mph. The hurricane destroyed much of Henry Flagler’s near completed railroad, however his workers continued building the bridge. “There has never been anything worth obtaining without grief, or suffering, and disappointment” - Henry Flagler. The hurricanes of…
rebuilt the levees but according to an article published on NOLA.com, by Mark Schleifstein, it says engineers do not believe the new levees can handle another “Katrina”; this is because of the storm surges that follow these massive storms. The article says that Hurricane Katrina had a storm surge of a storm for every 150 to 200 years.…
Katrina destroyed gulf coast cities and 150 miles of coastline were flattened all in the span of five violent hours, on August 29th, 2005. The storm caused lots of damage to the areas that it hit. Before Katrina even hit on August 27th, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm to a category three…
Louisiana Costal Wetlands: Save the Big Easy Across the United States, there are over six million acres of wetland, that shelter countless species of fish, birds, and animals. The nation’s largest coastal wetlands are located in the southern part of the country along the entire Louisiana shoreline. “Louisiana wetland is the perfect habitat for oysters, shrimp, crabs and home to the most abundant fisheries in the world. Louisiana accounts for about thirty percent of the countries’…