On 29th august 2005, the Gulf Coast of the United States was struck by the Hurricane Katrina. The storm caused a lot of damage on the coast. The aftermath of the hurricane was also catastrophic. The devastation caused by the disaster caused heavy environmental, social and economic impacts. The tragedy was exhibited through the disastrous damage that is caused on the business and residential areas.
The disaster led to failures in communication. The communication infrastructure was heavily destroyed by the storm. There was massive destruction of the telephone and power lines. Base stations were destroyed and thus disabling cell phone and other phones of wireless communication. Lack of effective communication made the rescue missions very difficult because there was no coordination between the people who were facilitating the rescue missions. The local television corporations were forced to shut down completely because of the structural incapability. Publishing of newspapers also became a big challenge. Most of the television stations and newspaper publishers were forced to use the internet to pass information to the rest of the world and to the evacuees. The disruptions led to the establishment of temporary communication centers in hotels so as to provide emergency and tactical information to the people.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Hurricane Katrina Essay".
A lot of damage was caused on the transport infrastructure and buildings. The destruction caused big challenges for travelling into and out of the city. There were massive bridge failures in the city. The destruction of the roads and bridges posed serious challenges on the emergency traffic that was building up. The highways along the coast and the gulf became impassable. The New Orleans airports were also flooded and thus leading to logistical challenges. One of the places that received massive building destruction was the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. There was massive window and structural damage. There was complete shearing off of some buildings and thus inhibiting both residential and business operations.
The levee system that had been built by Corps of Engineers in the United States Army was severely taxed by the surge of the storm. The destruction of the system that was meant to protect the people and property from floods also predisposed the people to a lot of dangers. The breakage of the levee that separates New Orleans and the surrounding lakes also contributed to the massive destruction of property that occurred. The combination of heavy rainfall and very strong winds also contributed to the breakage of the levee. The poor initial and structuring of the levee by engineers also contributed to its destruction by the storm.
The disaster led to massive loss of life. Initially, the estimation of the number of people who lost their lives was very difficult, but it was later established to be approximately 1,500. Some of the casualties lost their lives instantly while others died while receiving medical attention. The storm also led to the displacement of very many people. Some people moved to other parts of the United States and never returned because most of their property and job locations were destroyed completely. The destructions that were caused also motivated numerous gangs of criminals to roam while committing crimes and looting homes.
The Hurricane also led to economic instability. The destruction of property and business premises halted business operations in the Gulf. The oil industry was also heavily affected. The storm led to a significant reduction of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. The initial estimates indicated that the oil production reduced by approximately 95%. The decrease led to a massive increase in the prices of oil products. The power outages and lack of transport and communications also presented a disastrous situation of the economy.
