Hurricane Katrina

This article is about the catastrophic 2005 hurricane. For other storms with this name, see Hurricane Katrina (disambiguation).

Hurricane Katrina was a powerful hurricane that caused extensive and severe damage in the southeastern United States and will likely be judged as the worst natural disaster to hit the United States to date. Disaster relief plans are in operation in the affected communities. Some experts predict one million people could become homeless as a result of the storm [1]. Currently, five million people are without power in the Gulf Coast region, and it may be two months before all power is restored [2].

The aftermath of the storm compounded problems. In particular, the breaching of some levees protecting the major city of New Orleans, Louisiana caused water to flow unabated into the city. There remains a humanitarian disaster, with many people stranded due to flooding [3]. Thirst, hunger, and lack of facilities are leading to lawlessness. The federal disaster area has been placed under the control of FEMA (under Michael Chertoff) and the National Guard; despite numerous reports in the media, there is no declaration of martial law. [4] The disruption of petroleum supplies, exports, and imports caused by the storm will likely have major global economic consequences.

Katrina may be the deadliest hurricane in the United States since the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, which killed around 8,000 (possibly up to 12,000) people. It may even surpass the deadliness of the Galveston hurricane: as of 7 PM CDT September 1, 2005, more than 20,000 are still reported missing. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin stated on August 31 that the death toll of Katrina may be "in the thousands," which was confirmed by emergency responders through a statement by Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco on September 1. It will take weeks before accurate numbers are known, but Katrina is also expected to be the costliest natural disaster in United States history, exceeding Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Storm history

Katrina was the eleventh named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Its central pressure of 915 mbar (27.02 inches Hg) at the time of its Louisiana landfall makes it the third most intense system to strike the United States in recorded history behind Camille of 1969 and the "Labor Day" hurricane of 1935.

Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 24, 2005 (at that time it was designated as "Tropical Depression Twelve") and made its first landfall near North Miami, Florida, United States, as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, causing major flooding, loss of power to more than one million residents, and eleven deaths. It weakened to a tropical storm as it moved offshore. However, the system regained strength much more quickly than anticipated in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 5 hurricane and reaching a central pressure of 902 mbar (26.63 inHg)—the fourth lowest barometric reading ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere—with maximum sustained windspeeds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and wind gusts over 200 mph (320 km/h). The system turned northward because of a trough moving southeast from the midwest and weakened slightly just before making its second landfall on August 29, 2005, at Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, as a strong Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (235 km/h). A final landfall was made at the Louisiana-Mississippi border at 10 a.m. CDT (1500 UTC) as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h).

Storm development

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a statement on August 23 saying that Tropical Depression Twelve had formed over the southeastern Bahamas. The numbering of the system was debated, as Tropical Depression Twelve formed partially from the remains of Tropical Depression Ten. The naming and numbering rules at the NHC require a system to keep the same identity if it dies, then regenerates, which would normally have caused this storm to remain numbered Ten. However, the NHC gave this storm a new number because a second disturbance merged with the remains of Tropical Depression Ten on August 20, and there is no way to tell whether the remnants of T.D. Ten should be credited with this storm. (This is different from Hurricane Ivan in the 2004 season, when the NHC ruled that Ivan did indeed reform; the remnant of Ivan that regenerated in the Gulf of Mexico was a distinct system from the moment Ivan originally dissipated to the moment it regained tropical storm strength[5].)

The system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina on the morning of August 24. Katrina became the fourth hurricane of the 2005 season on August 25 and made landfall later that day around 6:30 p.m. between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida.

Katrina spent only a few hours over South Florida. Katrina was predicted to go across South and Southwest Florida. However, Katrina moved farther to the south than expected and soon regained hurricane strength after emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of August 26. Katrina then quickly strengthened to Category 2 and its pressure dropped to 971 mbar, which prompted a special update from the NHC at 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 UTC). At 5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on August 27, Katrina's pressure dropped to 945 mbar and it was upgraded to Category 3. The same day President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, two days before the hurricane made landfall [6].

At 12:40 a.m. CDT (0540 UTC) on August 28, Katrina was upgraded to Category 4. Later that morning, Katrina went through a period of rapid intensification, with its maximum sustained winds reaching as high as 175 mph (280 km/h) (well above the Category 5 threshold of 156 mph (250 km/h)) and a pressure of 906 mbar by 1:00 p.m. CDT. Nonetheless, on August 29 the system made landfall as a strong Category 4 hurricane on 6:15 a.m. CDT at Buras-Triumph, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. Its lowest minimum pressure at landfall was 918 mb, making it the third strongest hurricane on record to make landfall on the United States.

A 15- to 30-foot storm surge came ashore on virtually the entire coastline from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to Florida. The 30-foot storm surge recorded at Biloxi, Mississippi is the highest ever observed in America.

At 11 p.m. EDT on August 31 (0300 UTC, September 1), U.S. government weather officials announced that the center of the remnant low of what was Katrina had been completely absorbed by a frontal boundary in southeastern Canada, with no discernable circulation.

Katrina, which affected a very wide swath of land covering a good portion of northeastern North America, was last seen in the eastern Great Lakes region. Before being absorbed by the frontal boundary, Katrina's last known position was over southeast Quebec and northern New Brunswick.

The Hydrometeorological Prediction Center's last public advisory on Katrina was at 11 p.m. EDT Wed Aug 31 2005 and the Canadian Hurricane Centre's last public advisory on Katrina was at 8 a.m. EDT Wed Aug 31 2005.

Tornadoes

There were tornado reports near Adams and Cumberland counties, Pennsylvania also in Fauquier, Virginia and in Atlanta, Georgia; in White County, Georgia; at Helen, Georgia; ; and Mobile, Alabama.

No deaths were reported from the tornadoes, but several injuries reported killed or set free after dozens of poultry houses were damaged. Tornado watches relating to Katrina included these.

Historical analysis

Ranking Katrina's place in the history of hurricanes depends on the measurement used, as well as the source of data chosen. For more on historical storms, see the list of notable tropical cyclones.

The three categorizations of tropical cyclones are: fatalities (deadliest), property damage (costliest), and intensity (lowest central pressure). Katrina was the third most intense hurricane to hit the United States in recorded history. In the Atlantic Basin it achieved the status of the fourth lowest central pressure ever recorded. Many estimates predict that Katrina will be the costliest storm in history to strike the United States. In terms of fatalities, it will make the top ten if the death toll exceeds 275.

It is not yet known whether this storm will leave as many fatalities behind as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 which killed an estimated 8,000–12,000, because New Orleans is still under water and may continue to be for several months. Katrina also caused the first total devastation of a major American city since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires. Katrina is likely to be the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. in many decades, once total casualty figures are finalized. News reports note this as being the deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Camille (which killed 256) in 1969 [7], although the total death toll from Katrina is likely to exceed Camille. The deadliest named storm in the United States was Hurricane Audrey in 1957 which officially killed 390, although up to 160 more were never accounted for. The deadliest named Atlantic storm was Hurricane Mitch, which killed over 18,000 people in Central America in 1998. The deadliest tropical cylone on record is the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which killed at least 150,000 (some figures are closer to 500,000) people in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Katrina has been compared with Hurricane Camille in that the hurricane was also an intense Category 5 storm which made landfall in the same general area. Katrina has also drawn comparisons to Hurricane Betsy, because of its similar track and potential effects on New Orleans. In 1965, Betsy struck New Orleans after passing over the Florida Keys, causing over $1.5 billion USD in damage in 1965 (over $9 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars), and the deaths of 75 people, earning it the nickname "Billion Dollar Betsy". However, Betsy was only a fast-moving Category 3 hurricane, limiting its potential for devastation, while Katrina was a massive, slow-moving Category 4 storm. For Katrina, some potential damage estimates exceed the $36 billion damage (in current dollars) caused by Hurricane Andrew (previously the most destructive hurricane to have hit the United States).

Top four most intense hurricanes since measurements began Hurricane intensity is measured solely by central pressure, source: NOAA
North Atlantic				Landfall U.S.
Rank	Hurricane	Year	Pressure	Rank	Hurricane	Year	Pressure
1	Gilbert	1988	888 mbar	1	Labor Day	1935	892 mbar
2	Labor Day	1935	892 mbar	2	Camille	1969	909 mbar
3	Allen	1980	899 mbar	3	Katrina	2005	915 mbar
4	Katrina	2005	902 mbar	4	Andrew	1992	922 mbar
Based on data from: The Weather Channel				Based on data from: National Hurricane Center

Preparations and expectations before landfall

Expectations

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Florida had little advance warning when Katrina strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane in one day, and struck southern Florida later that same day, on August 25.

On August 27, after Katrina crossed southern Florida and strengthened to Category 3, the President declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, two days before the hurricane made landfall. [8] This declaration activated efforts by Federal Emergency Management Agency to position stockpiles of food, water and medical supplies throughout Louisiana and Mississippi more than a day before Katrina made landfall. On August 28 the National Weather Service issued a bulletin predicting "devastating" damage rivaling the intensity of Hurricane Camille.

The city of New Orleans was considered to be particularly at risk since most of it is below sea level and it was likely that the expected storm surge would flood the city after topping the surrounding levees. (see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans (Predictions section) and Predictions of hurricane risk for New Orleans). Questions regarding the adequacy of funding for hurricane preparedness of New Orleans and wisdom of budget cuts for said initiatives have been raised.

Evacuations

At a news conference 10 a.m. on August 28, shortly after Katrina was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin, calling Katrina "a storm that most of us have long feared," ordered the first ever mandatory evacuation of the city. He established several "refuges of last resort" for citizens who could not leave the city, including the massive Louisiana Superdome, which housed over 9,000 people along with 550 National Guard troops when Katrina came ashore [9]. A National Guard official said on Thursday, September 1 that as many as 60,000 people had gathered at the Superdome for evacuation, having remained there in increasingly difficult circumstances. [10] [11] [12]

Mandatory evacuations were also ordered for Assumption, Jefferson (Grand Isle and other low lying areas), Lafourche (outside the floodgates), Plaquemines, St. Charles and St. James parishes and parts of Tangipahoa and Terrebonne parishes in Louisiana.

In Alabama, evacuations were ordered for parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties (including Gulf Shores). In Mississippi, evacuations were ordered for parts of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.

As the Superdome becomes more and more unsanitary due to little electricity, no air conditioning, leaking ceilings, crowded conditions, and backed up sewers, the Governor of Texas has welcomed refugees into Houston's Astrodome. Also, Texas homeless organizations are preparing to shelter refugees, who (according to some estimates) will be displaced for the six months that may be required to fully drain New Orleans. Evacuees are also being routed to a large warehouse in San Antonio, and to Reunion Center in Dallas.

Refugees

Transportation and infrastructure

On Sunday, August 28, Canadian National Railway (CN) suspended all rail traffic on its lines south of McComb, Mississippi (lines owned by its subsidiary Illinois Central Railroad that extend into New Orleans, Louisiana), in anticipation of damage from the hurricane. To help ease the resumption of services after the storm passes, CN also issued an embargo with the Association of American Railroads against all deliveries to points south of Osyka, Mississippi [13]. CSX Transportation also suspended service south of Montgomery, Alabama until further notice. The CSX (former Louisville and Nashville Railroad) main line from Mobile to New Orleans is believed to have suffered extensive damage, especially in coastal Mississippi, but repair crews were not able to reach most parts of the line as of August 30.

Amtrak, America's rail passenger carrier, announced that the southbound City of New Orleans passenger trains from Chicago, Illinois, on August 29 and through September 3 will terminate in Memphis, Tennessee, rather than their usual destination of New Orleans; the corresponding northbound trains will also originate in Memphis. The southbound Crescent from New York, New York, for the same period will terminate in Atlanta, Georgia, with the corresponding northbound trains originating in Atlanta as well. Amtrak's westbound Sunset Limited will originate in San Antonio, Texas, rather than its normal origin point of Orlando, Florida. Amtrak announced that no alternate transportation options will be made available into or out of the affected area during this time [14].

The Waterford nuclear power plant was shut down on Sunday, August 28, before Katrina's arrival.

Military

The frigates USS Stephen W. Groves and USS John L. Hall sailed from their home port of Pascagoula to avoid the path of the storm. Aircraft stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi (ironically home to the Air Force's fleet of WC-130 Hurricane Hunter aircraft), Pensacola and Whiting Field Naval Air Stations near Pensacola, Florida, and at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, were also evacuated.

Effects

See Hurricane Katrina effects by region and Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.

Areas affected include southern Florida, Louisiana (especially the Greater New Orleans area), Mississippi, Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle, western Georgia, the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley regions, the eastern Great Lakes region and the length of the western Appalachians. Over 300 deaths have been reported in seven states, a number which is expected to rise as casualty reports come in from areas currently inaccessible. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin estimates hundreds, and as many as thousands, are feared dead. Two levees in New Orleans gave way, and eighty percent of the city is now under water, which in some places is 20 to 25 feet (7 or 8 meters) deep [15].

Death toll (summary)

State	Location (County/Parish)	Deaths	Direct Deaths
FL	Broward	6	3
	Miami-Dade	4	3
	Walton	2	0
LA	E. Baton Rouge	3	0
	Jefferson	5	5
	Livingston	1	1
	Orleans	100	100
	St. Bernard	130	30
	St. Tammany	4	1
MS	Forrest	7	7
	Harrison	110	110
	Hancock	85	85
	Hinds	1	1
	Jackson	14	14
	Lauderdale	1	1
	Leake	1	1
	Warren	1	1
AL	Washington	2	0
GA	Carroll	2	1
KY	Christian	1	1
OH	Jefferson	2	0
Total		453	335

The confirmed death toll reported in various regions is given in the chart on the right. These are confirmed deaths from local news agencies.

Direct deaths indicate those caused by the direct effects of the winds, flooding, storm surge or oceanic effects of Katrina. Indirect deaths indicate those caused by hurricane-related accidents (including car accidents), fires or other incidents, as well as cleanup incidents and health issues.

However, the projected death toll may be much higher especially in New Orleans, but efforts are focusing on rescue and restoring order, rather than recovery of the dead. On 31 August, the Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin told reporters that the hurricane probably killed thousands of people in the city [16].

This view was confirmed on September 1 by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu who said "We understand there are thousands of dead people" [17].

In a press conference broadcast live on 4WWL at 1915 UTC on September 1 Governor Kathleen Blanco said that thousands of deaths were believed to have occurred in New Orleans. The FEMA representative said that they have brought in a deployable morgue.

Health concerns

Aside from the lack of water, food, shelter, and sanitation facilities, there is growing concern that the prolonged flooding will lead to an outbreak of health problems for those who remain in hurricane-affected areas. In addition to dehydration and food poisoning, there is also a potential for hepatitis A, cholera and typhoid fever, all related to the growing contamination of food and drinking water supplies in the area. The longer these people are stranded in the searing heat the more will perish from the aforementioned causes. President Bush has declared a public health emergency for the entire Gulf Coast and Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt announced that the DHHS will be setting up a network of 40 medical shelters to speed the relief efforts. There is concern the chemical plants and refineries in the area could have released their contents into the flood waters.

Price gouging

File:Oilgouge2.jpg

A BP gas station in Atlanta shortly after Katrina hit.

Hundreds of reports have poured into Louisiana (and other) authorities regarding price gouging on products like gasoline and bottled water, or of hotels dishonoring reservations in favor of accepting larger offers for rooms by desperate travellers. This is a felony offense. The three major networks' nightly news programs have shown images of a BP gas station selling gasoline for over $6.00 per gallon. Another BP station in Atlanta was selling gas at $5.87 within a day after Katrina hit. Note, the misnomer price gouging is a natural phenomenon in a free economy. It is not, for example, profiteering.

Looting and civil disturbance

Deteriorating conditions and law enforcement focus on rescuing people have combined to increase the number of looting incidents. Several areas are reporting large numbers of people who did not evacuate breaking into homes and stores and carting off clothing, home entertainment systems, jewelry and other merchandise. One motel owner says people are just "filling up garbage bags and walking off like they're Santa Claus" [18]. In response, New Orleans, Biloxi and many other affected areas have declared 24 hour curfews [19]. New Orleans has also deployed armed units to several locations within the city in response to looting.

Law enforcement response has been hampered due to the focus on rescuing trapped civilians. In most cases, police officers watched helplessly because of the lack of manpower and focus on saving lives. Citizens with guns protected their property and businesses from looters where possible. Some businesses also began protecting their own properties with guns.

In some cases, looting of necessary supplies of food, water, ice and medical supplies from Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid and other stores by authorized relief workers and law enforcement has been as legal process and is confused with looting. In other cases, unauthorized looters found stealing vital supplies (as opposed to luxury goods) were ignored by New Orleans authorities. However, arrests have been made in connection to thefts of electronics and other expensive items.

The increasing looting and civil disturbance is hampering hospital evacuations throughout New Orleans. In an interview on WDSU, Tulane hospital spokeswoman Karen Troyer Caraway said efforts were underway to evacuate the Tulane University Medical Center hospital because of power failures and rising water but that the effort was hampered due to looters. Caraway reported that looters in boats with guns had attempted to loot the hospital and were repelled by hospital staff. "If we don't have the federal presence in New Orleans tonight at dark, it will no longer be safe to be there, hospital or no hospital", Acadian Ambulance Services chief executive officer Richard Zuschlag told CNN.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered 1,500 New Orleans police officers to abandon the search and rescue effort on August 31st to address the increasingly violent looting occurring in New Orleans. The order effectively redirects all New Orleans officers away from the search and rescue efforts. An Associated Press report quotes Ray Nagin as saying, "[The looters] are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas — hotels, hospitals, and we're going to stop it right now" [20]. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said she was "furious" about the looting. "What angers me the most is disasters tend to bring out the best in everybody, and that's what we expected to see", Governor Blanco said at a news conference. "Instead, it brought out the worst". [21]

On September 1, following an incident when a military helicopter was shot at, it was widely reported that the evacuation of the Superdome had been suspended. However, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said in a press conference that this was not the case, saying that operations to evacuate the Superdome were "continuing in full force."

Effects outside the affected region

Economic effects

Most experts anticipated Katrina to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Some early predictions in damages exceeded $100 billion, not accounting for potential catastrophic damage inland due to flooding (which would increase the total even more), or damage to the economy caused by potential interruption of oil supply, and exports of commodities such as grain. Other predictions placed the minimum insured damage at around $12.5 billion (the insured figure is normally doubled to account for uninsured damages in the final cost).

Retail prices for gasoline in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia spiked by 30 to 40 cents on 31 August. Retail prices in Florida spiked slightly less by 30 to 35 cents, but with many pumps going dry on 31 August, and only Premium grades being available (lower-priced Regular grades having already been drained.) And CNN reported on the same day that some service stations in Atlanta, Georgia were charging as much as $6.07 US per gallon. In South Carolina, prices were increasing by the minute and regular grades jumped as high as 8.09 in some areas.

On 1 September prices in Philadelphia spiked another 30 to 40 cents.

Oil industry

Katrina has interrupted oil production, importation, and refining in the Gulf area, thus having a major effect on gas prices. A tenth of all the crude oil consumed in America and almost half of the gasoline produced in the country comes from refineries in the states along the gulf's shores. An additional 24 percent of the natural gas supply is extracted or imported in the region. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is stored along the Gulf. The hurricane accelerated the Energy Crisis of 2005.

At least twenty offshore oil platforms have gone missing, sunk, or gone adrift, according to the Coast Guard [22]. One oil rig, in dock for repairs before the storm, broke loose and hit the Cochrane/Africatown USA road bridge over the Mobile River in Mobile, Alabama. Two others went adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, but were resecured [23]. One platform, originally located 12 miles off the Louisiana coast, has washed up onshore at Dauphin Island, Alabama. The Royal Dutch Shell MARS platform, producing around 147,000 barrels a day, has been severely damaged [24].

On August 29 at 7 a.m. CDT, Ted Falgout, port director, Port Fourchon, Louisiana—a key oil and gas hub 60 miles south of New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico—reported on FOX that the port had taken a direct hit from the hurricane. This port services approximately 16 percent of the nation’s supply of crude oil and natural gas.[25] According to Falgout, Hurricane Katrina "will impact oil and gas infrastructure, not just short term but long term as well. The impact of the storm—the Gulf is shut down; all of the area of the storm is shut down; a half billion dollars a day of oil and gas is unavailable". Louisana Highway 1, the only major access route to Port Fourchon, is 75 percent submerged [26].

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which imports 11% of US oil consumption, closed on August 27, and Royal Dutch/Shell reports a reduction in production of 420,000 barrels per day [27]. The AP reported at 12:44pm CDT that this port was undamaged and would be able to resume operation within hours of getting power back [28]. Many refineries are located in this area and may be disrupted by the hurricane.

Due to fears that the production of oil in the United States will be cut by up to one-third of normal capacity, the price of oil fluctuated greatly throughout the day. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures reached a record high of over $70 a barrel USD. Long lines developed at some gas stations throughout the U.S. as customers rushed to buy gasoline, anticipating price increases in the wake of the storm. Per gallon gasoline prices reached and exceeded $3 USD in America within days as a result—setting record highs; in Atlanta, Georgia prices are already as high as $3.50 USD a gallon as consumers rush to fill up. However, this is partially due to a consumer panic in Georgia on August 31, 2005. One CNN report showed a BP gas station selling regular unleaded gasoline for $5.87 a gallon. Many gas stations ran out of fuel despite the high prices. The prices in Europe are also increasing. In Germany, a liter unleaded gasoline costs about 1.45€ ($6.70 a gallon); a week before, it was 1.30€ ($6.00 a gallon).

Emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and in light of similar incidents in his own state, Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina has issued a statement asking all North Carolinians to conserve gas, limit fuel consumption and non-essential road trips, and state employees to car pool [29]. On the day of the Governor's announcement, many gas stations around the state ran out of gas and lines formed at others.

As of August 31, 12 p.m. CDT, eight Gulf of Mexico refineries remain shut down and one is operating at reduced capacity. Evaluation of five of the eight refineries is incomplete since access is limited. Aggregate offline capacity exceeds 1.9 million barrels per day (about 10% of total US oil consumption). Aside from the problems involved in re-starting the refineries (which is a lengthy process) there are major issues with worker housing, since a large proportion of their homes were destroyed by the hurricane.

The Environmental Protection Agency has moved to reduce prices by temporarily lifting fuel standards in America until September 15. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be releasing some crude oil as well to combat prices as major economic consequences are predicted if they remain high for a long period of time - leading consumer spending to drop and causing many foreign economies, especially in Asia to suffer.

President Bush has temporarily waived the Jones Act to allow foreign oil companies to ship oil to the United States.

Ocean shipping

Gulfport, Mississippi serves as a major ocean shipping port for the southern United States. Currently the port is considered to be inoperable, and will be for up to one year. Chiquita, Dole, Crowley, Gearbulk, P&O, and others had significant operations in Gulfport. On a short-term basis these companies will move necessary operations to unaffected ports. On a long-term basis these companies will likely relocate the operations formerly based in Gulfport to other locations in the country [30], [31].

The affected area's ports move a large fraction of the nation’s traded goods including roughly half of America's exports of agricultural commodities like corn and soybeans. Most of this is shipped overseas and disruptions are expected to impact food prices and availability world-wide.

Casino industry

Katrina forced casinos along the Mississippi Gulf Coast to close and evacuate. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was scheduled to open the first week of September, but will be closed indefinitely due to structural damage. The Beau Rivage was severely damaged by water that reached the third floor. The western Grand Casino Biloxi barge, containing Kid's Quest, washed across U.S. 90 and was left blocking the highway. Treasure Bay's pirate ship was washed ashore. The President Casino was washed across U.S. 90 and landed on top of a Holiday Inn, nearly a mile from the casino's berth. In Gulfport, the Copa Casino barge was pushed onto land next to the Grand Casino Gulfport's parking garage [32]. At least 14,000 people are employed at the Gulf Coast casinos.

Mississippi will lose about US$500,000 in tax revenue for each day that the Biloxi-area casinos are closed, and about $140,000 per day for the South River region casinos. As a comparison, in 2004, Mississippi earned $2.7 billion in casino revenues, third behind Nevada and New Jersey ($10.3 billion and $4.8 billion, respectively).

Space Shuttle program

The hurricane has passed over the Michoud Assembly Facility and materially interrupted the production of external tanks for the Space Shuttle, leading to a further interruption of the shuttle flights [33]. Evan McCollum, a Lockheed Martin Space Systems spokesman in Denver has reported that "there is water leakage and potential water damage in the buildings, but there's no way to tell how much at this point" [34].

The Michoud Assembly Facility will remain closed until at least September 6, but it might take several weeks to restore power, communications and other utilities. It's also uncertain how soon workers will be able to return. Plans to ship three tanks -- including the one for NASA's next mission -- back to Michoud for retrofitting are on indefinite hold. The next Shuttle flight, STS-121, could be postponed to May or later during the second half of 2006.[35]

Internet

The effects of the storm disrupted the OC-12 Abilene Network [36] Internet2 link between Houston and Atlanta.

As of September 1, 2005, Sans Infocon [37] is reporting code green for Internet attacks. Keynote Internet Health Report [38] is reporting code green for select Internet networks. The Internet Traffic Report [39] was reporting code yellow for North America. Earthlink network status [40] reports that DSL is unavailable in New Orleans. Perhaps one of the more interesting sets of status information is Googling New Orleans and checking the reachability of the top 20 websites. On September 1, 25% were unreachable, 20% were impaired, and 55% remained reachable.

Disaster relief response

The disaster recovery response to Katrina began before the storm, with Federal Emergency Management Agency preparations that ranged from logistical supply deployments to a mortuary team with refrigerated trucks. More than 11,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen and 7,200 active-duty troops are currently stationed in the Gulf Coast region to assist with hurricane relief operations. An additional 10,000 USNG troops are currently in the process of being called up and are expected to join the relief efforts shortly.

The U.S. Senate approved $10.5 billion in aid for victims.

Governments of many countries have offered help to the U.S. for disaster relief, inter alia the governments of France and of Germany [41].

National Guard deployment

The initial call-up of guardsmen was affected by the deployment of some 35% of the Louisiana National Guard troops to Iraq, including equipment such as high-water Humvees that could prove useful in flooded areas. This was mitigated somewhat by interstate cooperation compacts that allowed Louisiana to request assistance, including troops and equipment, from nearby states, which was done as part of the preparatory phase.

Since the hurricane passed through, the governors of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana have collectively called to duty more than 10,000 guard troops, but many more are expected.

Coast Guard

File:Navy-KatrinaSurvivorFlyover.jpg

A U.S. Coast Guard aircrewman searches for survivors in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.

The Coast Guard immediately responded by moving as many helicopters as it could to the affected areas, calling in aircraft from as far away as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 500 USCG reservists were called to duty, and many of the hundreds of small boats in the fleet were sent to help.

Navy

The United States Navy was also quick to begin Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Several ships have been dispatched to the area [42]:

Aircraft carriers
- USS Harry S. Truman (preparing to ship out)
Amphibious assault ships
- USS Bataan (arrived August 30)
- USS Iwo Jima (shipped out August 31, expected September 4)
Amphibious transport docks
- USS Shreveport (shipped out August 31, expected September 4)
Dock landing ships
- USS Tortuga (shipped out August 31, expected September 4)
- USS Whidbey Island (preparing to ship out)
Fast combat support ships
- USNS Arctic (arrived August 31)
Hospital ships
- USNS Comfort (expected September 8)
Rescue and salvage
- USS Grapple (shipped out August 31, expected September 4)

The amphibious assault ships carry CH-53 Sea Stallion and SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters which are already being used in search and rescue operations. The Harry S. Truman is planned to be used as the command center for Naval operations in the area.

The Navy has also arranged to send eight civilian 14-person Swift boat rescue teams to the disaster zone using C-5 Galaxy cargo planes.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré of the Army was appointed to run a temporary special command to coordinate all military responses to the effort, which will be based at Camp Shelby in Mississippi.

FEMA has asked the Pentagon to have the U.S. Northern Command stand ready for assistance [43].

The Canadian government has offered the full resources of the Canadian Forces to help if requested by President Bush.

Government non-military

FEMA sent 10 search and rescue teams from around the country to begin the search for survivors and their recovery, and 23 medical disaster response teams. FEMA also partnered with the Department of Transportation to send 1700 trucks of water, ice, and ready-to-eat meals. The Department of Transportation was also sending 390 trucks carrying water, tarpaulins, and even mobile homes and forklifts. The United States Public Health Service was activated and sent dozens of officers to supervise medical response. Though the hurricane closed several airports for some time to come, the Federal Aviation Administration rushed to reopen one runway at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport so that relief flights could begin.

Local governments across the U.S. sent aid in the form of ambulances, search teams and disaster supplies. Shelters to house those displaced were established as far away as Utah.

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism has contacted travelers having reservations at state parks to see if the travelers will voluntarily give up their reservations to persons fleeing Katrina, primarily in the southern part of the state where refugees have already taken shelter (at Lake Chicot State Park, a 26-member family from New Orleans, including a grandmother on oxygen, have taken up seven of the park's cabins). In any event, refugees at state parks will not be evicted for prior reservations, and those with reservations but no room will either get space at another state park or a gift certificate. The state has reduced cabin fees by 20 percent, RV camping site fees by 50 percent, and tent sites will be free, and has also waived the pet prohibition rules.

Arkansas Visitors Information Centers in Texarkana, El Dorado, Helena, and Lake Village are directing refugees to shelters and hotels/motels with available space.

Governor Mike Huckabee issued a proclamation releasing $75,000 of state funds to assist shelters in 14 southern and delta counties in Arkansas. At least 850 members of the Arkansas National Guard have been activated and sent to Louisiana and Mississippi. Governor Huckabee also announced that the state Departments of Health and Human Services and Emergency Management as well as the Arkansas Pharmacists Association will provide free emergency prescriptions and access to dialysis machines.

Schools and colleges in Texas, Louisiana, and even Arizona (ASU [44]) are enrolling displaced students, even out-of-state ones.[45]

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross is mobilizing the largest relief effort in its 124-year history to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Local Chapters across the nation are actively mobilising thousands of volunteers for immediate deployment to the disaster region. More than 250 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are sent to provide food and water to victims [46].

Red Cross has also set up more than 200 shelters in the states of Texas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, and these have already received more than 75,000 people [47]. A number of shelters have already reached capacity, and the number of refugees is expected to increase further [48].

The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund is collecting donations from the public for the relief effort. By September 1, they had raised $24 million dollars including $15 million from private donations.

Amateur Radio Operators

The president of the Amateur Radio Relay League, Jim Haynie, sent a message to all amateur radio operators noting that the situation in New Orleans and other affected areas is "simply too dangerous and no one is being allowed in"[49]. Many media outlets say communications infrastructure is overloaded and destroyed in many places in the disaster area. During the storm, amateur operators gave weather reports to the National Hurricane Center in Florida using HF radio. Operators are also handling Health & Welfare messages for organizations such as the Salvation Army and Red Cross. Many amateur radio organizations are staging outside the affected area getting ready to deploy into the city and suburbs.

Foreign Response

Initially, the United States had been reluctant to accept donations and aid from foreign countries, particularly from those countries much poorer than itself. However, this policy was reversed, and as the reports of damage grew more grim, the United States is now on the receiving end of foreign aid. Currently, countries offering to send aid include Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, other members in NATO, the OAS, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

Non-governmental organizations

Additionally, an informal consortium of more than 1000 bloggers from 11 nations have united to raise money, and September 1 is their fundraising day. Organized by blogger N.Z. Bear, the fundraising is coordinated out of a special Katrina Relief Page that he has set up. A large selection (more than 100) of charity organizations is listed, and contributing bloggers can post a summary of their donations at N.Z. Bear's website.

Criticism

See separate article on Political effects of Hurricane Katrina

Criticism of governmental response has grown as the media reports continued hunger and lack of aid. More than two and a half days after the hurricane struck, police, health care and other emergency workers began to voice concerns in the media about the absence of National Guard troops in the city for search and rescue missions and control of widespread looting (3,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Brigade are currently on a tour of duty in Iraq), the failure to immediately evacuate or resupply New Orleans area hospitals, and the lack of a visible FEMA presence in the city and surrounding area.

External links and sources

References

Government

Other

Disaster recovery