New Orleans is one of few majorcities that is loved by many with its tourists’ attractions, culturaldiversity, food and music.
Like most cities, New Orleans has faced numerous obstaclesover the years that have hurt many. Hurricane Katrina was the start of an awfuljourney in the 21st century that changed lives. Although mostcitizens in New Orleans thought hurricane Katrina was harmless, it became acategory five hurricane and affected many people’s lives and families. On August 25, 2005, hurricaneKatrina first started off as a tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean near Florida,it made landfall around Miami and became a category 1 hurricane. In Florida,Katrina killed fourteen people and gained strength when entering the Gulf ofMexico. Between the 26 and 28 of August it directed its way towards Louisianaand became a Category five hurricane.
August 28 the storm was a category fivehurricane with wind speeds of 175 mph and wind gusts of 220 mph. Katrina landedfor its second time in Buras, Louisiana and slowed down to a category 3hurricane. There were multiple evacuation warnings throughout Louisianaespecially in New Orleans.When the storm moved its waytowards New Orleans, Louisiana over 430,000 people with vehicles tried to avoidthe storm by using primary roads and 10,000-30,000 used secondary roads toescape the storm. The hurricane forced many nursing homes and hospitals to makea hard decision about evacuation. Out of all the nursing homes in the areatwenty-one nursing home evacuated and thirty-six did not.
Shelters were set uparound the city, two schools were set up in St. Bernard Parish also theSuperdome was set up as a shelter. The Superdome was one of the shelters thatwas most popular and held a large number of the people who were still in NewOrleans. Boyd estimates that “of the 72,000 people who remained in the cityafter the evacuation an estimated 26,000 individuals sheltered in the Superdome”(Jonkman 678).
Katrinafinally made landfall on August 29 and caused mass flooding through the city ofNew Orleans. As a result of the storm, Katrina caused many levee breaches whichcaused most of the flooding, there were over 50 failures in the levees andflood walls in the city. In the matter of two days 80 percent of New Orleanswas under water. The floodwater broke water and sewer lines and overwhelmedfire, police, and public health stations. Workers were frightened after leveesbroke because materials would start to mix and create a dreadful substance. InMorrish’s article he explains that “toxic material mixed with feces and turnedinto a dangerous mixture that was in the water that went into building wallsand yards of homes” (Morrish 994). In New Orleans only there were 120,000 housesthat were flooded and stayed underwater for weeks and neighborhoods remainedflooded again after hurricane Rita hit in September of 2005.
Throughoutthese weeks in New Orleans, the city received major attention from many publicnews outlets, nearby cities, and the government. Kathleen Blanco, the governorof Louisiana requested the president of the time George W. Bush, for 40,000troops to come down to Louisiana and help people who were in need. After Blancoasked for help she never heard a response from him and questioned if anyone wasactually going to assist them. After Katrina, the superdome was a shelter forpeople in need and whose houses got destroyed. When new arrivals showed up tothe Superdome they figured out that it was locked and would not be lettinganyone else into the building. For example, in Don Brown’s book Drowned city:Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans he says, “FEMA promised that there would befive hundred buses for the evacuation of the stadium but until they showed upto rescue 3,000 victims would wait at the convention center.” (Brown 66) Whilerescuers were on their way to help and serve on boats guns fires were shot atthem.
They did not know if it was a signal for rescue, random shooting or snipingso they take precautions and the rescue process slows down and many people arestill struggling at flooded houses. Numerous people are starving and waitingfor help from workers, FEMA does not know if the ordered supplies ever got toNew Orleans and a navy hospital ship was chased away. During this time, manysurvivors did not know what to do, their children were starving and so werethey. After a while, people who had never stolen in their entire life werebreaking into shops just to get a simple snack, drink, or just somewhere tostay until someone came to help. Duringthe havoc in New Orleans rumors spread through the whole city, but the citizenswould not figure these rumors out until weeks later. For example, rumors likehundreds of dead in the superdome, gang assaults on children and alligatorsswimming down the streets. These rumors made people in New Orleans question ifthe city was still as safe as it used to be. In the Superdome things were notgreat for survivors, there was a bad stench from bodies and urine and bowelmovements that was all throughout the floors of the building.
Many people weresuffering in the aftermath of the storm and the government was not helping. Lifewas so dreadful in New Orleans that citizens were trying to escape thedevastation and go to next city Gretna but, they would not take them in. Whencitizens got close to the city line they were stopped by police and told toturn around. Even when people who were in need and desired for help, citizens ofthe same state did not want to take them. Low income families who were alreadystruggling to live before Katrina hit were fighting just find a place to sleepand stay above water. September 4 around 78,000 people who did not have a hometo go back to or did not know where to go were relocated to shelters all acrossthe nation. Severalmonths after the landfall of Katrina many people were still affected in manyways. Countless of people in New Orleans still found it hard to restart thebusiness and locate basic health care.
Citizens could not get access toaffordable housing and were sleeping in their cars and would drive long ways toget to their jobs. It was hard for everyone to restart their lives not knowingif this same thing was going to happen. Several people compare New Orleans toLas Vegas, thousands of low-income families hide behind the lights of anamazing city. To this day, citizens who were affected by hurricane Katrina arestill struggling to get by with health problems, housing and jobs.
