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Chapter 6

Out of the Storms

80% of the city of New Orleans and outlying areas were under up to 25 feet of sitting flood waters. A big difference between the storm surge in the New Orleans and those of the Gulf Coast was that the Gulf Coast surges, though far more unabated and energetic flowed inland… then back out to sea. The floodwaters in the areas around New Orleans had nowhere to go, thus remaining for up to 3 weeks.

With high temperatures, bodies, sewage and chemical pollutants, the ‘Katrina’ water became a cesspool of corrosion and potential disease for everything it touched.

Between and Katrina and Rita, 90,000 square miles of the United States was affected. This equates to approximately 3% of the total area of the continental United States. More than 1.5 million people were directly affected with over a million citizens being forced to live outside of their homes. Not since the Dust Bowl migrations of the 1930’s had such a huge portion of US citizenry been displaced. The actual death toll may never be fully known; the official death toll at the time of this writing is 1,836. Many people remain missing and unaccounted for. Further, premature deaths of elderly have increased and continue, possibly caused by the stress and havoc inflicted on them in their twilight years.

Thousands of homes and businesses throughout New Orleans were destroyed by the flooding. Many high rise buildings lost windows and roof structures. The resulting storm surges striking the Mississippi coast destroyed entire coastal communities. At the time of this writing, some 2.5 years after the storm, much has yet to be re-built and much is still destroyed. The magnitude of Katrina’s destruction was extreme. The infrastructure of an entire region of the United States was brought to its knees in a matter of about 6 hours. It has been estimated that the total damage cost of Katrina was about $81 Billion. The dollar figure will likely grow over the years of recovery...possibly for a decade.

Not only from the damage and the attempts to re-build, the economic and environmental ramifications are difficult to fathom. Thousands of workplaces were destroyed with hundreds of thousands of workers displaced resulting in millions of dollars in lost tax revenues and societal cash flow for the region. Agricultural, tourism, and the oil industries were dramatically impacted and it is still not certain when or if they will return to their pre-Katrina levels of economics.

All of the citizens of the United States in some way or another experienced the disastrous consequences of Hurricane Katrina. From increases in the cost of fuel due to the upset in the Gulf Coast fuel producing infrastructure, to increases in food costs, to a national loss in faith in the good will of the Federal government as perpetrated and sensationalized in the media...we all suffered a loss. Questions and uncertainties as to our social fabric began to emerge extending into every area of our lives. How could such a calamity in terms of the federal response occur? How could such a perception of ineptitude be so patently obvious in the evaluation of the seeming disinterest of our country’s executive administration of the time? Or so goes the pictures the pundits were painting. Yet in spite of the problems, the disorganization, and the lack of a coherent local/state/federal response, the heroes of America stepped up. People from all walks of life left their homes and families behind to do what they could do as individuals by reaching out and helping their fellow Americans in a time of need.

As a country, and as members of this national community, it’s time to react to the lessons of Katrina by changing the way we approach such scenarios. More recently, the responses to Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike appeared to take the lessons of Katrina quite seriously. Communication redundancies, supply logistics, and other preparations were in place locally and were on stand-by for immediate deployment. Changes in the FEMA approach in enhancing the communications between local and state governments were implemented.

There are many indications that FEMA could have responded more effectively during Katrina and that the Louisiana government appeared disorganized, not desirous of federal assistance until too late in the game.

Another point that cannot be over emphasized is the lingering perception (enhanced by our country’s media) that New Orleans was where Katrina hit. It is important to note that the flood protection infrastructure of New Orleans should have been adequate in keeping the water out. Poor maintenance and design contributions are more to blame for the devastating flooding that followed Katrina’s passage. The damage inflicted upon New Orleans should have been negligible compared to the communities along the Gulf Coast where the true brunt of Katrina’s strength was unleashed.

The forces and wrath of Katrina were without bound as she ripped through Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and continued her destructive path along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi into Alabama.

Communities such as Venice, Port Sulfur, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Waveland, Biloxi, and Dauphin Island, felt the true force of Katrina. These communities experienced the worst Katrina had to offer. They were hit with Category 3 to Category 4 winds, followed by storm surges up to and likely exceeding 30 feet. These communities were literally washed away.

There is still a great deal of bitterness amongst survivors in these communities, some of whom feel that New Orleans received preferential treatment in terms of attention, rescue resources, and post disaster funding at their expense. Indeed, Gulf Coast residents sitting on floating rooftop pieces waiting to be rescued recalled helicopters flying over on their way to New Orleans. It is suggested that money and sensationalism talk in America!