a essay about hurricane katrina

Hurricane Katrina Essay

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to ever hit the United States. The storm made landfall on August 29, 2005, causing widespread damage across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. In all, more than 1,800 people lost their lives and tens of billions of dollars in property damage was done.

Katrina was particularly devastating for the city of New Orleans, which saw its levees fail and floodwaters inundate much of the city. In the aftermath of the storm, many residents were left stranded without food or water for days.

The response to Hurricane Katrina was widely criticized, with many people pointing to the slow federal response as a major failing. In the years since, however, much has been done to improve disaster response in the United States. Hurricane Katrina was a tragic event that will be remembered for years to come.

Our environment and ecosystem allow us to thrive and enjoy our planet. Natural catastrophes are not affected by man’s will or desire. They might happen at any time and in any place, but we may choose how to protect our environment by acting responsibly for these natural disasters.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history. It hit the Gulf Coast region on August 29th, 2005 and caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the city of New Orleans and the state of Mississippi. The hurricane killed over 1,800 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

The physical damage from Hurricane Katrina was widespread and devastating. Entire neighborhoods were leveled, leaving nothing but debris behind. Houses were torn from their foundations, trees were uprooted, and cars were thrown about like toys. Floodwaters inundated entire communities, causing even more damage as they rose and receded. In all, it is estimated that Hurricane Katrina caused over $100 billion in damage.

But the damage from Hurricane Katrina was not just physical. The storm also had a profound psychological effect on those who lived through it. Many people who survived the hurricane recounted feeling traumatized by their experiences. They described a sense of loss, displacement, and grief that was overwhelming. For many, the stormrepresented not just the destruction of their homes and belongings but also the loss of their community and way of life.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there was a great deal of discussion about how to rebuild the affected communities. Some argued that it was important to rebuild as quickly as possible in order to restore a sense of normalcy for residents. Others argued that rebuilding should be done thoughtfully and with an eye towards creating more resilient communities that could better withstand future storms.

What is clear is that Hurricane Katrina was a major disaster with far-reaching implications. The physical and psychological damage caused by the storm will be felt by those who lived through it for many years to come.

The aquatic ecosystem of the nearby lakes was devastated by the levee failure in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The breach of the dikes caused water to rapidly flood the region and become contaminated with city sewage, chemicals, medical waste, and human remains, which were then pumped into the lakes.

The main body of water effected was Lake Pontchartrain which provides much of the city’s drinking water. The hurricane also destroyed the coastal wetlands which act as a natural buffer from storms, these wetlands have not yet recovered.

New Orleans is situated in a bowl-shaped area surrounded by levees that protect it from flooding. The bowl is actually below sea level, so when Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, and the levees failed, the entire city was flooded. More than 80% of New Orleans was under water, with some areas being submerged under 20 feet of water.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many people were left stranded without food or clean water. As conditions in the city deteriorated, looting and violence became widespread. The federal government was criticized for its slow response to the disaster.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes in US history. It caused more than $100 billion in damage, and left thousands of people homeless. More than 1,800 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in US history.

Water bearing all sorts of pollutants was pumped into any available destination, as long as it didn’t submerge the city, after Katrina. Apart from Katrina causing havoc, one of the most significant flaws in government and army Corps of Engineers efforts was the lack of protection and efficiency of the levees. The consequences of the levees’ failure and water eventually engulfing the city were only amplified.

The water that submerged New Orleans following Katrina was filled with all types of contaminants. Oil from cars and boats, animal carcasses, and even human remains were all mixed in the murky water. This water not only destroyed homes and buildings, but also seeped in to the soil and groundwater. The long-term effects of this contaminated water are still being studied, but it is safe to say that they will be felt for many years to come.

In addition to the contaminated water, there was also a great deal of air pollution caused by Katrina. As the storm ripped through houses and buildings, it generated a tremendous amount of dust and debris which contained harmful toxins like asbestos and lead. This debris was then sent airborne where it was inhaled by residents, further exacerbating the health problems caused by the storm.

All of this pollution had a devastating effect on the environment of New Orleans. The contaminated water destroyed plant and animal life, as well as the natural habitats that they lived in. The air pollution tainted the air quality for miles around, making it difficult for people and animals to breathe. And the debris left behind clogged up waterways and made it difficult for new vegetation to grow. It will take many years for the environment of New Orleans to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

We must recognize that the traditional “levee solution” is more detrimental than beneficial, and it must be rethought. According to the Association of State Floodplain Managers, “There are only two kinds of levees: ones that have failed and ones that will fail.” To protect and safeguard our ecosystems more effectively, levi structure and design must be significantly altered.

We have to think long-term when it comes to these things. In 2005, one of the most infamous natural disasters occurred in the United States. Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi hard, causing many fatalities and leaving thousands homeless. This hurricane was different than any other because of the widespread damage that it did.

It is important to note that while hurricanes are a common occurrence in this area, the devastation caused by Katrina was Unprecedented. In order to understand how such destruction could happen, we must first understand what goes into making a hurricane and the different types of storms.

A tropical cyclone is “a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters” (National Hurricane Center). These storms are fueled by warm, moist air and can grow to be very large. There are three main types of tropical cyclones: tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

A tropical depression is the weakest type of storm and has winds that range from 22-38 mph. A tropical storm is a bit stronger, with winds reaching 39-73 mph. The last and most severe type of storm is the hurricane. These storms have winds that surpass 74 mph and can cause catastrophic damage (National Hurricane Center).

Now that we know what goes into making a hurricane, we can begin to understand how Katrina formed. The conditions for this particular hurricane were just right; it had all of the necessary ingredients to turn into a category 5 storm.

More Essays

• Why Is New Orleans So Vulnerable? Research Paper
• Katrina Movie Analysis Essay
• Values In The Movie Purge Essay
• Practical Water Poem Analysis Essay
• Pros And Cons Of Wind Energy And Tidal Energy Essay
• Geoffrey Parker Why The Armada Failed Analysis Essay
• The Pros And Cons Of Surface Mining Research Paper
• Adversity In Night Essay
• Three Mile Island Case Study Essay
• Japanese Encephalitis Research Paper

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Hurricane Katrina

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 28, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

Early in the morning on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale–it brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles per hour–and stretched some 400 miles across. 

While the storm itself did a great deal of damage, its aftermath was catastrophic. Levee breaches led to massive flooding, and many people charged that the federal government was slow to meet the needs of the people affected by the storm. Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were displaced from their homes, and experts estimate that Katrina caused more than $100 billion in damage.

Hurricane Katrina: Before the Storm

The tropical depression that became Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and meteorologists were soon able to warn people in the Gulf Coast states that a major storm was on its way. By August 28, evacuations were underway across the region. That day, the National Weather Service predicted that after the storm hit, “most of the [Gulf Coast] area will be uninhabitable for weeks…perhaps longer.”

Did you know? During the past century, hurricanes have flooded New Orleans six times: in 1915, 1940, 1947, 1965, 1969 and 2005.

New Orleans was at particular risk. Though about half the city actually lies above sea level, its average elevation is about six feet below sea level–and it is completely surrounded by water. Over the course of the 20th century, the Army Corps of Engineers had built a system of levees and seawalls to keep the city from flooding. The levees along the Mississippi River were strong and sturdy, but the ones built to hold back Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and the waterlogged swamps and marshes to the city’s east and west were much less reliable. 

Levee Failures

Before the storm, officials worried that surge could overtop some levees and cause short-term flooding, but no one predicted levees might collapse below their designed height. Neighborhoods that sat below sea level, many of which housed the city’s poorest and most vulnerable people, were at great risk of flooding.

The day before Katrina hit, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation order. He also declared that the Superdome, a stadium located on relatively high ground near downtown, would serve as a “shelter of last resort” for people who could not leave the city. (For example, some 112,000 of New Orleans’ nearly 500,000 people did not have access to a car.) By nightfall, almost 80 percent of the city’s population had evacuated. Some 10,000 had sought shelter in the Superdome, while tens of thousands of others chose to wait out the storm at home.

By the time Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans early in the morning on Monday, August 29, it had already been raining heavily for hours. When the storm surge (as high as 9 meters in some places) arrived, it overwhelmed many of the city’s unstable levees and drainage canals. Water seeped through the soil underneath some levees and swept others away altogether. 

By 9 a.m., low-lying places like St. Bernard Parish and the Ninth Ward were under so much water that people had to scramble to attics and rooftops for safety. Eventually, nearly 80 percent of the city was under some quantity of water.

Hurricane Katrina: The Aftermath

Many people acted heroically in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Coast Guard rescued some 34,000 people in New Orleans alone, and many ordinary citizens commandeered boats, offered food and shelter, and did whatever else they could to help their neighbors. Yet the government–particularly the federal government–seemed unprepared for the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took days to establish operations in New Orleans, and even then did not seem to have a sound plan of action.

Officials, even including President George W. Bush , seemed unaware of just how bad things were in New Orleans and elsewhere: how many people were stranded or missing; how many homes and businesses had been damaged; how much food, water and aid was needed. Katrina had left in her wake what one reporter called a “total disaster zone” where people were “getting absolutely desperate.”

Failures in Government Response

For one thing, many had nowhere to go. At the Superdome in New Orleans, where supplies had been limited to begin with, officials accepted 15,000 more refugees from the storm on Monday before locking the doors. City leaders had no real plan for anyone else. Tens of thousands of people desperate for food, water and shelter broke into the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center complex, but they found nothing there but chaos. 

Meanwhile, it was nearly impossible to leave New Orleans: Poor people especially, without cars or anyplace else to go, were stuck. For instance, some people tried to walk over the Crescent City Connection bridge to the nearby suburb of Gretna, but police officers with shotguns forced them to turn back.

Katrina pummeled huge parts of Louisiana , Mississippi and Alabama , but the desperation was most concentrated in New Orleans. Before the storm, the city’s population was mostly black (about 67 percent); moreover, nearly 30 percent of its people lived in poverty. Katrina exacerbated these conditions and left many of New Orleans’s poorest citizens even more vulnerable than they had been before the storm.

In all, Hurricane Katrina killed nearly 2,000 people and affected some 90,000 square miles of the United States. Hundreds of thousands of evacuees scattered far and wide. According to The Data Center , an independent research organization in New Orleans, the storm ultimately displaced more than 1 million people in the Gulf Coast region. 

Political Fallout From Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of the storm's devastating effects, local, state and federal governments were criticized for their slow, inadequate response, as well as for the levee failures around New Orleans. And officials from different branches of government were quick to direct the blame at each other.

"We wanted soldiers, helicopters, food and water," Denise Bottcher, press secretary for then-Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana told the New York Times . "They wanted to negotiate an organizational chart."

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin argued that there was no clear designation of who was in charge, telling reporters, “The state and federal government are doing a two-step dance."

President George W. Bush had originally praised his director of FEMA, Michael D. Brown, but as criticism mounted, Brown was forced to resign, as was the New Orleans Police Department Superintendent. Louisiana Governor Blanco declined to seek re-election in 2007 and Mayor Nagin left office in 2010. In 2014 Nagin was convicted of bribery, fraud and money laundering while in office.

The U.S. Congress launched an investigation into government response to the storm and issued a highly critical report in February 2006 entitled, " A Failure of Initiative ."

Changes Since Katrina

The failures in response during Katrina spurred a series of reforms initiated by Congress. Chief among them was a requirement that all levels of government train to execute coordinated plans of disaster response. In the decade following Katrina, FEMA paid out billions in grants to ensure better preparedness.

Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers built a $14 billion network of levees and floodwalls around New Orleans. The agency said the work ensured the city's safety from flooding for the time. But an April 2019 report from the Army Corps stated that, in the face of rising sea levels and the loss of protective barrier islands, the system will need updating and improvements by as early as 2023. 

HISTORY Vault

Stream thousands of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries and captivating specials commercial-free in HISTORY Vault

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

• Contact George W. Bush
• Order Photos

These online exhibits and digital collections explore some of the artifacts, photos and videos, and documents housed in the George W. Bush Presidential Library. 

The George W. Bush Presidential Library maintains approximately 43,000 artifacts, primarily foreign and domestic gifts given to the President and Mrs. Laura Bush, and other items obtained throughout the presidency.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library gives researchers a look at American history, the American Presidency, and important issues of public policy.      

Discover educational resources for teachers, parents, and students. The education program provides engaging, hands-on classroom resources, professional development programming, information on the Civics for All of US program, and more.

Get Involved

Find out ways to be part of the mission and support the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

Hurricane Katrina

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina during landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Courtesy of NASA.

The George W. Bush Foundation owns and operates the George W. Bush Presidential Museum. For tickets go to  https://www.bushcenter.org/ plan-your-visit  

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States. An estimated 1,833 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed. Millions of people were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina caused approximately $161 billion in damage, and is the costliest hurricane on record.

On August 23, 2005, a tropical depression formed over the Bahamas, and became Tropical Storm Katrina on August 24, 2005. The storm made landfall in Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, then moved into the Gulf of Mexico where it intensified into a Category 5. When it made landfall in southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Category 3, with recorded wind speeds of 140 miles per hour. The hurricane then tracked east and devastated communities in Alabama and Mississippi.

New Orleans experienced wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour and extensive flooding after levees in the city were breached by flood waters. By August 31, 2005, 80% of the city of New Orleans was underwater.

President George W. Bush gave a speech from the White House on August 31, 2005, in which he described relief efforts. On September 2, 2005, the President visited affected areas in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The recovery would take years, President George W. Bush noted in his August 31 speech. However, he also emphasized that he believed recovery was possible:

The folks on the Gulf Coast are going to need the help of this country for a long time. This is going to be a difficult road. The challenges that we face on the ground are unprecedented. But there's no doubt in my mind we're going to succeed. Right now the days seem awfully dark for those affected -- I understand that. But I'm confident that, with time, you can get your life back in order, new communities will flourish, the great city of New Orleans will be back on its feet, and America will be a stronger place for it.

At the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August 2008, near the end of President George W. Bush’s second term, relief efforts were ongoing. At that time, the federal government had committed more than $126 billion to Gulf Coast rebuilding, and had appropriated $12.85 billion to repair and rebuild the New Orleans levees. The Department of Education provided $2 billion in grants to schools.

The following resources, some of which are from the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, provide further information about Hurricane Katrina. 

Archival Research Guide

For a more complete guide of the archival records that are open for research, please download the Archival Research Guide:

Document Material at the George W. Bush Presidential Library Pertaining To Hurricane Katrina

Additional Resources

• Hurricane Katrina: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast Region
• Hurricane Katrina Speeches and Press Releases Archive
• Hurricane Katrina: Response and Recovery
• President Bush: Comforting Those in Need
• Mrs. Bush: Comforting Those in Need
• Mrs. Bush: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
• National Day of Prayer: Remembering Our Fellow Americans
• The National Weather Service. “ Hurricane Katrina .”
• The National Weather Service. “ Extremely Powerful Hurricane Katrina Leaves a Historic Mark on the Northern Gulf Coast. ”
• Office for Coastal Management. “ Hurricane Costs. ”
• The White House. “ Fact Sheet: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast .”
• The White House. “ President Outlines Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts .”
• Additional photo essays, Presidential Messages and Statements, press releases, and more from 2001 - 2009 are available through the  Archived White House Website .

Discover More Topic Guides

The Iraq War

Executive Office of the President

International Trade

USA Freedom Corps

Office Of Faith-Based And Community Initiatives

President's Role

Essay on Hurricane Katrina

Students are often asked to write an essay on Hurricane Katrina in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Hurricane Katrina

What was hurricane katrina.

Hurricane Katrina was a big and very bad storm that hit the United States in August 2005. It was one of the worst disasters in the country’s history. The storm grew very strong before it reached land near New Orleans, Louisiana.

The storm caused a lot of destruction. It broke dams, and water flooded many homes and streets. Thousands of people lost their houses, and many had to leave the city. Sadly, some people also lost their lives.

The Response

After the storm, people from all over the country came to help. They gave food, clothes, and a place to stay to those who lost everything. The government and charities worked to rebuild homes and help the city recover.

Lessons Learned

Hurricane Katrina taught everyone a lot about preparing for big storms. Now, cities and people make better plans to keep safe when a hurricane is coming. It showed how important it is to help each other in tough times.

250 Words Essay on Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a giant storm that hit the United States in August 2005. It was one of the strongest storms ever to strike the country. Katrina started over the ocean, where warm water made it grow bigger and stronger. It then moved towards the city of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

The Impact of the Storm

When Katrina reached land, it brought very strong winds and huge waves. These waves, called storm surges, pushed water onto the land and flooded many areas. New Orleans was especially hard hit because it is built below sea level and relies on walls called levees to keep water out. Sadly, the levees broke, and most of the city was covered in water. Many homes were destroyed, and people had to leave their houses.

Helping After the Disaster

After the storm, many people needed help. They had no electricity, food, or clean water. Groups from all over the country came to give aid. They brought food, water, and clothes. They also helped people find places to stay. The whole country worked together to help those affected by the storm.

Hurricane Katrina taught us a lot about preparing for big storms. Now, cities have better plans for when such disasters happen. They make sure levees are strong and help people leave dangerous areas before the storm arrives. Katrina was a tragic event, but it made people realize how important it is to be ready for nature’s power.

500 Words Essay on Hurricane Katrina

Introduction to hurricane katrina.

Hurricane Katrina is remembered as one of the most powerful and destructive storms in the history of the United States. It struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. This storm caused a lot of damage in many places, especially in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Many homes were destroyed, and a lot of people had to leave their homes and move to other places.

What is a Hurricane?

A hurricane is a huge storm that forms over warm ocean waters and has very strong winds. These winds spin around a calm center called the “eye” of the hurricane. Hurricanes can cause heavy rain, high winds, and big waves called storm surges. These storm surges can flood the land near the coast.

The Power of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was very strong. It was a Category 5 hurricane, which is the highest level on the scale that measures how powerful hurricanes are. When it reached the coast, it was a Category 3, but it still had winds of up to 125 miles per hour. These winds and the storm surge caused the sea to rise and flood the coastal areas.

The Impact on New Orleans

New Orleans was one of the worst-hit areas. The city is built below sea level and is protected by walls called levees. But during Hurricane Katrina, the levees broke, and water flooded into the city. Many houses were covered with water, and people had to go to their rooftops to wait for help. The flood made it very hard for people to get food, water, and medical care.

Rescue and Help for People

After the storm, many people came to help those who were affected by the hurricane. The government, charities, and volunteers from all over the country worked together. They gave out food and water, and they helped people find safe places to stay. Rescue teams used boats and helicopters to save people who were trapped by the floodwaters.

Rebuilding and Remembering

It took a long time for New Orleans and other places to start to look like they did before the hurricane. People had to rebuild their homes and fix the damage. Even years after Hurricane Katrina, some areas were still working to get back to normal. The storm taught everyone a lot about being ready for such disasters and how to build stronger buildings and levees.

Hurricane Katrina was a very sad event that showed how powerful nature can be. It reminds us that we need to be prepared for big storms and help each other when they happen. Even though it was a time of trouble, it also showed how people can come together to help those in need. Katrina will always be remembered, not just for the damage it caused, but also for the strength and kindness people showed in the face of disaster.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on New Zealand Culture
• Essay on Nothing Is Impossible
• Essay on Non Renewable Resources

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: a Deeper Dive

This essay is about exploring Hurricane Katrina from a unique perspective, delving beyond conventional narratives of disaster. It discusses the storm’s profound societal impacts, highlighting systemic inequalities and failures exposed in its wake. The essay emphasizes the resilience of affected communities, the need for equitable recovery efforts, and the call for reimagined disaster response strategies. Ultimately, it urges a shift towards more inclusive governance and sustainable practices to address the lingering challenges and foster a future defined by justice and resilience for all At PapersOwl, you’ll also come across free essay samples that pertain to Hurricane Katrina.

How it works

Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophic event that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, is often painted as a story of devastation and recovery. However, peeling back the layers reveals a narrative that diverges from the norm. This essay embarks on a journey to unearth the less explored facets of Hurricane Katrina, shedding light on its broader implications beyond the surface-level destruction.

Katrina’s impact transcended mere physical ruin; it laid bare the entrenched socio-economic disparities festering within the region. The storm disproportionately targeted marginalized communities, shining a spotlight on systemic issues of race, poverty, and environmental injustice.

The breach of levees and flood protection systems, exacerbated by insufficient investment in infrastructure, served as not just a natural disaster but also a testament to governance failures and societal neglect.

In the aftermath of Katrina, tales of resilience emerged, illuminating the strength and solidarity inherent in affected communities. Everyday individuals morphed into unsung heroes, spearheading rescue missions and extending a helping hand to those in distress. Grassroots movements and volunteers emerged as unsung heroes, driving the recovery efforts forward and showcasing the potency of collective action in times of turmoil.

Yet, the Katrina saga isn’t merely a saga of triumph; it’s also one fraught with missed chances and lingering dilemmas. Despite promises to rebuild with greater resilience, many communities continue to grapple with inadequate housing, economic strife, and mental health challenges. The sluggish and unequal pace of recovery underscored the enduring disparities that existed long before the storm’s fury descended upon the land.

Moreover, Katrina prompted a reassessment of conventional disaster response paradigms. It laid bare the inadequacies of centralized, top-down approaches and underscored the importance of community-driven initiatives and localized knowledge. The call for more inclusive and equitable strategies reverberated loudly, urging policymakers to prioritize the needs of the most marginalized segments of society.

Looking towards the horizon, the legacy of Katrina beckons as a clarion call for systemic transformation. It urges us to reimagine our relationship with the environment, placing emphasis on sustainability and resilience. It demands heightened investment in social infrastructure and economic opportunities for marginalized communities. It compels a shift towards more egalitarian governance structures that empower communities to chart their own destinies.

In summation, Hurricane Katrina transcends the confines of a conventional disaster narrative; it serves as a poignant societal awakening. It lays bare the fault lines of inequality and injustice entrenched within our societal fabric, beckoning us to confront them with courage and conviction. By embracing this unconventional perspective, we can glean invaluable lessons from the past and endeavor towards a future defined by justice and resilience for all.

Cite this page

The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive. (2024, Mar 01). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/

"The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive." PapersOwl.com , 1 Mar 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/ [Accessed: 21 Apr. 2024]

"The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive." PapersOwl.com, Mar 01, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/

"The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive," PapersOwl.com , 01-Mar-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/. [Accessed: 21-Apr-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Unconventional Narrative of Hurricane Katrina: A Deeper Dive . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-unconventional-narrative-of-hurricane-katrina-a-deeper-dive/ [Accessed: 21-Apr-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

• PHOTOGRAPHY

Portraits of Katrina: Seven Photos of Destruction and Resurrection

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the United States Gulf Coast and became one of the most devastating storms in the country’s history. Failed levees in New Orleans, along with poor preparation and a slow governmental response, would have repercussions for years to come. The city became a focus of human tragedy and triumph that riveted the world.

As part of our ongoing coverage of Katrina’s ten-year anniversary, we selected photographs that tell a story of resilience—from views of destruction made soon after the storm to present-day portraits showing the vitality of the Mardi Gras Indian and second-line parades. The photographers who made these images show us loss, renewal, and survival. They remind us that New Orleans, iconic as ever, is still thriving in a precarious landscape. 

I flew to New Orleans two days before the storm made landfall. The National Guard arrived in force on September 2 with aid from the outside and a convoy of trucks to distribute food, water, and supplies to those still at the convention center. This was the day the tide started to shift psychologically, as proper relief appeared. People had been stranded in the city for four or five days, many stuck in the Superdome or the convention center. The stench and heat were overwhelming and unforgettable. — Mario Tama

After Katrina I would go out driving in New Orleans, where I was raised. In the complete darkness of a city without electricity, I found locations by using my headlights. Many of the street signs had been washed out, and I often became lost in my own city—a place made surreal by the hurricane and the mass exodus it had caused. Though I’ve searched many times for this grocery store, I haven’t been able to find it again, and so this photograph has become emblematic for me of the disorientation and displacement I felt after the storm. — Frank Relle

The first trip I made to New Orleans was six weeks after the flood. Nothing could prepare me for what it felt like to be there: the smell, the mud, the stale air, the heat, the mold, the pain, the sheer magnitude of it all. Everyone’s possessions were strewn about the streets. I kept seeing flood-damaged family photographs among all the debris. The faces in these pictures, peering up at me, stopped me in my tracks every time. Here was the evidence of people’s lives before the storm. I began photographing these altered snapshots as a way to tell the story of the people who weren’t there. — Will Steacy

Two weeks after the levees collapsed, New Orleans was deserted. While photographing each dwelling, I could imagine its residents. The pictures I took show traces of interrupted and discarded lives. Most of the people didn’t die but became refugees in their own country and from their own lives. They had to move on, either living someplace else or perhaps later coming back, but the life they used to live, surrounded by their objects of personal value, was gone forever. — Robert Polidori

Last year I made a series of portraits of Mardi Gras Indians from the different “tribes” in New Orleans. They are African Americans who, during Mardi Gras, wear heavily feathered costumes that reference traditional Native American dress. The organized groups are called tribes, and the members each have roles, including that of chief. I was interested in the history of this ritual, which some people believe stems from stories of Native Americans who sheltered escaped slaves. Many of the Mardi Gras Indians I photographed lived through Katrina. I tried to capture the resiliency of their mythology, their energy, and the intensity of their spirit. — Charles Fréger

Photography has allowed me to understand New Orleans in a way I never did growing up there. Here, a bus takes participants from the Lower Ninth Ward to the start of the Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Club second-line parade . “Second line” refers to the dancers who follow the first line of musicians in a jazz parade. Social-aid and pleasure clubs have origins in the 19th-century African-American benevolent societies that helped pay health and burial costs for members. Post-Katrina, second-line parades served as places where dispersed people could reconnect, pass on information, and enjoy pride in their community again. — Tyrone Turner

Almost nine years after Katrina, I made this image. My goal was to show how the architecture was being adapted for rising seas. The change from 2006 was dramatic: resilience and restoration in some areas, abandonment in others. The colorful new buildings were designed to withstand the next hundred-year storm. This project has made clear to me that we have decisions to make—and some will be easier than others. —Stephen Wilkes

“Portaits of Katrina: A Photographer’s Journal” is featured in the August 2015 issue of National Geographic August 2015 issue of National Geographic .

Proof has been looking at how communities in and around New Orleans have healed in the ten years since Katrina. The first post, “Holding on to Heart and Soul in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward,” is here .

FREE BONUS ISSUE

Related topics.

• PEOPLE AND CULTURE
• HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION

You May Also Like

‘Society of the Snow’ is based on a true story. Here’s what really happened.

A rare and puzzling ‘domino effect’ triggered 4 powerful quakes in Afghanistan

Remember when NASA crashed into an asteroid? It had some unintended consequences.

Will Baltimore bridge collapse force U.S. to pay more attention to its infrastructure?

These Japanese mythical creatures were born from disaster

• Perpetual Planet
• Environment
• History & Culture
• Paid Content

History & Culture

• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Home — Essay Samples — History — Hurricane Katrina — The Outcomes Of Hurricane Katrina

The Outcomes of Hurricane Katrina

• Categories: Environmental Issues Hurricane Katrina

About this sample

Words: 1256 |

Published: Oct 2, 2020

Words: 1256 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Environment History

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1308 words

3 pages / 1415 words

2 pages / 821 words

2 pages / 945 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina is one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in United States history. It struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, leaving a trail of destruction and death in its wake. The storm surge, strong winds, and [...]

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of the United States. It made landfall on August 29, 2005, causing widespread destruction and loss of life across the Gulf Coast region. The [...]

The documentary Trouble the Water is the story of Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, Ninth Ward citizens of New Orleans, as they survive Hurricane Katrina. The movie opens with footage taken by Kim before the storm [...]

The purpose of this paper is to explore a specific aspect of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the collective response (governmental and otherwise) to this situation. Because of the physical destruction of this natural disaster [...]

Thomas Jonathan Jackson was a great Confederate general that a big part of the American Civil War, and he was one of the best known Confederate commander after Superior general Robert E. Lee. Jackson was born on January 21, 1824 [...]

The trials took place in colonial massachusetts. A few young girls were claiming to be possessed by the devil and suspicions began to grow. This caused many people to grow frantic and in order to settle this franticness, a [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

The House Republican Going After Universities on Antisemitism

Representative Virginia Foxx is a blunt partisan. But her life in rural North Carolina informs her attacks against these schools, starting with whether Harvard is truly “elite.”

Representative Virginia Foxx at the House committee hearing that led to a national controversy and the resignation of two university presidents. Credit... Tom Brenner for The New York Times

Supported by

• Share full article

By Anemona Hartocollis

For this story, Anemona Hartocollis traveled to the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, part of Representative Foxx’s district.

• April 16, 2024

Virginia Foxx, the Republican congresswoman from North Carolina, has spent the last few months giving elite schools a hard time.

As the chairwoman of the House committee on education, she oversaw a tense hearing in December that spurred the resignations of the presidents of University of Pennsylvania and Harvard. She has led an investigation of a half-dozen institutions for their handling of antisemitism claims. She has subpoenaed internal documents, and called Jewish students to testify.

On Wednesday, she will preside over another hearing, this time with officials at Columbia University.

The drubbing is part of a campaign by Republicans against what they view as double standards within elite education establishments — practices that they say favor some groups over others, and equity over meritocracy. Others see it as partisan attack.

Representative Foxx, 80, does not like the term “elite,” and questions whether these schools even deserve the title.

“I call them the most expensive universities in the country,” she said the other day, while traveling around her district, which winds through small working-class towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

She is known for her conservative views and blunt manner. But her current work, she said, is rooted in personal experience. Over her years in office, she has repeatedly told her life story, of growing up in a sparsely populated rural area, in a house without running water or electricity. She and her brother, Butch, carried drinking water from a spring. There was no outhouse, so “we went to the woods,” she recalled.

She went on to junior college, state college and graduate school, eventually earning a doctorate from the University of North Carolina, leveraging her way into intertwined careers in politics and education, becoming president of a community college.

But it is her religious beliefs and identification with the underdog, she said, that inform how she is dealing with the bitter campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

“The people here believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people, and I grew up in the Baptist Church believing that,” she said.

After reading news accounts last fall of rising antisemitism on prominent campuses, she said that she resolved to investigate these institutions that most of her constituents cannot imagine ever attending.

“It was unconscionable what was happening,” she said. “Students were unsafe, and the administration was doing nothing to help them.”

“As chair of the committee,” she said, “How do I ignore that?”

Others see a not-so-hidden agenda.

“Both sides are using higher education as proxies in a culture war,” said Jon Fansmith, head of government relations for the American Council on Education, a trade association. “And to a real degree, we’ve seen that reflected in this Congress in the Education and Workforce Committee, in a way we haven’t before. She sets the agenda.”

Representative Foxx represents a solidly Republican district in a purple state, and her views reflect that.

She is against abortion rights and against allowing trans women to compete on women’s teams in college sports.

She has said she has “ little tolerance ” for students who graduate from college with large student loan debt.

Arguing against a hate crimes bill in 2009, she called it a “hoax” to say that Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, had been killed a decade earlier because he was gay. After an outcry, she apologized to his mother.

She voted against federal aid for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and once said there was more to fear from Obamacare than from terrorists.

When a reporter asked about Republican efforts to overturn the 2020 election at a news conference, the congresswoman told her to “shut up.”

In a district tour, along curvy, two-lane mountain roads, she seemed eager to show a softer side, bringing a favorite cousin, Helen Pritchard.

Dr. Foxx was born in New York City, the first of four children to parents who never made it past ninth grade. Her father, Nunzio Palmieri, a construction worker, was a son of Italian immigrants in New York. Her mother, Dollie Garrison, was the daughter of a coal miner.

In 1950, when she was 6, they moved to western North Carolina, living in a house shared with Ms. Pritchard’s family.

To get there, “you had to ford the river and then open two cattle gates,” Dr. Foxx said. “No, seven,” Ms. Pritchard corrected.

Just then, the driver yielded for a barking dog that was blocking the car. “Go forward,” Dr. Foxx urged. “You can’t be cowed by a dog. That dog has got enough sense to get out of your way.”

In high school, a teacher gave her a list of 100 classic books to read, advising her to go to college and marry a man with a degree.

She listened. She married Tom Foxx at 20, and had a daughter. It took her seven circuitous years to earn her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, working the whole way.

She went on to earn a master’s in sociology from Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Her brother had a different trajectory, becoming a carpenter. Because of him, she considers it her mandate to help people who are, as she put it, “un-degreed.”

“There are millions of people in this country who say the same thing my brother would say, ‘I don’t want to be a second-class citizen,’” she said.

In the same vein, she forbids her staff to use “the T-word” — “training” — instead of “education.”

“You train dogs and you educate people,” she said. “Electrician, plumber, I don’t care what the skill is, you need a person who can think.”

Her political career began in the mid-70s, after a friend challenged her to run for school board.

When she said that she was not qualified, he replied, “You mean you’re not as qualified as those turkeys?”

“Like many women I doubted my capabilities,” she says now.

With her husband’s encouragement, she won in 1976, and remained on the board for 12 years.

As an assistant dean at Appalachian State, she campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, incensed by a tire salesman who refused to give her a line of credit without her husband’s authorization.

“I thought well, this is wrong,” she says now. “I can understand why there were people who were skeptical of the E.R.A., but at the time, I was a supporter.”

On leave from the relatively liberal outpost at Appalachian State in the mid-’80s, and working for a Republican governor, she won the presidency of Mayland Community College.

She is touchy about anything that implies community colleges are lower status institutions. “Community colleges in particular use the T-word a lot,” she said.

Her loyalty to these institutions is real, said Peter Lake, director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law.

“The community college world sometimes have felt like they were the second cousins at the third table,” he said.

Her seven-year tenure at Mayland, however, was dogged by a lawsuit accusing the college of purging Democratic administrators and faculty, using financial pressure as a pretext. She says now that she did not care about their political affiliation, and would have guessed they were Republican, because almost everybody was. A jury found for her and the trustees.

In an interview, John West Gresham, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the faculty “were good people.”

She was so partisan, he said, that he thinks her concerns about antisemitism are more about politics. “It casts those liberal universities in a bad light, doesn’t it? he said.

Her political savvy helped lead to a stint in the State Legislature, before she entered Congress in 2005. And her latest crusade has vaulted her from local to national news.

She said that she did not anticipate that the Dec. 5 hearing would have such an impact. The presidents of Harvard, M.I.T. and Penn were asked, hypothetically, if they would punish students who called for the genocide of Jews. They infamously answered that it would depend on the context.

Widely criticized, and vulnerable for other reasons, Harvard’s Claudine Gay and Penn’s Elizabeth Magill resigned.

On Wednesday, the committee has scheduled a hearing with the president of Columbia University, Nemat (Minouche) Shafik.

“No one escapes,” Dr. Foxx said.

Her last district stop is her house on a hill with spectacular views of Grandfather Mountain. She explained her dedication to exposing antisemitism over tea and Pepperidge Farm cookies. She said discrimination of any kind is wrong. And she knows her Old Testament, paraphrasing Genesis 12:3.

“There are verses in the Bible that ministers will quote, that if you bless the Jewish people you will be blessed,” she said. “If you curse the Jewish people you will be cursed.”

Many of her constituents feel the same, she said. “I believe that I’m representing the community.”

Kirsten Noyes , Sheelagh McNeill and Jack Begg contributed research.

Anemona Hartocollis is a national reporter for The Times, covering higher education. More about Anemona Hartocollis

Advertisement

Disaster’ Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina Essay

Introduction, first responder, the emergency medical service, the response to katrina, national incident management system, improving performance of emergency response, works cited.

The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina was a very serious one and an eye-opener to the emergency medical service providers and the fire department. Indeed it was the most powerful hurricane to have ever hit the United States. The fire departments are traditionally the first responders to many of such incidences of disaster and accidents.

The fire department not only responds to hurricanes but to all kinds of emergency circumstances, including bomb attacks, as the one the US experienced on September 11th, 2001. due to the fact that the fire department is the first responders to emergency calls, the medical emergency services have joined the panoply and are part of the fire brigade or come as a third party. During a disaster incidence, many governmental and non-governmental bodies turn out to assist in the management of the problem. This has stimulated the incorporation of public works departments into disaster response as the need for a combined effort, and coordinated operation is critical in the event of a disaster.

It can be remembered that the fire department, along with its emergency medical service team, was the first organized group that responded to the bombing of the world trade center in New York City. Other responses were from individuals from police, security guards, and maintenance staff (Daniels 98). The organized response was more effective as the fire department and emergency medical services had brought protective gear, garments, and equipment. The organized response is usually very efficient because of the preparedness they portray in terms of discipline, Command, and the proper equipment for carrying out the job of emergency service provision (Christopher et al. 57).

The responsibility of first responders in the event of a disaster is critical and warrants some discussion here. In most cases, the EMS personnel come to the scene first when an emergency strikes. This emergency medical personnel, including paramedics, begin immediately trying to save lives by offering medical intervention. The reaction of the first response shapes the way the whole disaster response mission would be like (Daniels 103). Upon arriving at the scene of an emergency, the first responders should carry out a brief evaluation by use of a situation report. This report (SITREP) offers a standard format of the scene assessment, and this informs other responding organizations appropriately (Daniels 108).

Hurricane Katrina of 2005 was the deadliest; hence an emergency medical service response was very important. As a requirement by any organized group that responds to a disaster and provide medical assistance, the emergency medical services, otherwise abbreviated as EMS, had to take a lot of precaution in handling the situation (Hogan& Burstein 78). Emergency medical services are designed to give pre-hospital and in-hospital treatment to victims of a disaster, just like hurricane Katrina. The treatment is to help the victims (ill or Injured) to reach the hospital and get the proper treatment that would enable them to attain the physical capabilities they had before the emergencies.

Emergency Medical service is the total combination of services and equipment that help provide medical assistance to the victims; it includes ambulances, paramedics, and other first-aid providers like the Red Cross (Hogan& Burstein 78). The hurricane Katrina victims greatly benefited from the services by the EMS, but the service was challenged by some operational problems that need to be improved ( Chan 1230) . Making a comparison with the situation in 2001 when the world trade center was bombed, the performance of the emergency service providers was quite improved in the 2005 Katrina disaster. This improvement could have resulted from the lesson learned from the previous.

Disasters are dynamic and unpredictable events that present threatening challenges to live and hence require critical management measures. In most cases, vital factors inherent to salvaging the situation are destroyed, like power loss, breakdown of communication, and destruction of transport means (Hogan& Burstein 78). Furthermore, the rescue could be restricted by jurisdiction disputes, economic limitations, and insufficient preparedness.

There are five critical elements that add up to the action to be taken and resources to be used for developing and adequately executing the rescue mission ( Chan 1230) . They are prevention, arrangement (plans), grounding, response, and analysis. Nonetheless, the EMS personnel are expected to remain calm, flexible, and realize that these elements are all equally important.

Disaster concentrates its efforts on identifying the specific hazards and then taking the relevant preventive measures to mitigate the loss of property and life ( Chan 1230) . EMS plays a vital duty of preventing disaster escalation through their extensive interaction with the members of the neighborhood, offering insights into medical attention and providing the infrastructure as well as their knowledge of the area geography. Moreover, EMS personnel are responsible for initiating preventative community education on handling victims ( Chan 1230) . They also insist on communication and utilization of information like hospital contacts or standard operating procedures.

Preparedness

Thorough planning, together with practical training, is vital for preparedness and is one of the strong factors of effective disaster management. EMS personnel and the responders are required to be very innovative so that they can improvise things to use for rescue ( Chan 1232) . Nonetheless, devoid of a properly practiced framework within which to operate, the response activities can be ineffective and disjointed. There are some very articulate responder guidelines prepared by the DHS office of disaster preparation describing the degrees of performance and management training. Disasters are rare, but when they occur, they are usually very stressful and therefore need a very high degree of competence for handling the case (Christopher et al. 57). Dairy drills for the EMS and fire department should include disaster management skills

The EMS has an Incident Command System (ICS) used for directing response operations. The ICS paradigm is vital for effectual disaster emergency response. The operations are categorized into Command, staging, medication, transportation, logistics, and triage. All the above functional elements are specific responsibilities for the EMS (Christopher et al. 58). Failing to perfume the duty properly in anyone of the can be very detrimental to the rest as well.

Conventionally, representatives of the fire department are required to have worked as Incident commanders (IC); however, regardless of who is the IC, the work has to be done within the ICS (Saqib 2). EMS also has a medical commander who is in charge of identifying casualties and organizing medical attention so that the injured persons can stabilize after treatment and that they are transported to a definitive healthcare facility. The success of the rescue mission greatly relied on the degree of training, facilities, and planning done by the EMS taking on the mission of rescue ( Chan 1237) .

The national response plan of the United States identifies the response to any disaster incidence as the responsibility of the local government. In case the local government runs out of their resources, they can then request assistance from the county level, and similarly, the request proceeds to the federal government (Brinkley 123). Some disaster management of Katrina started some time before the hurricane, especially by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Other outstanding assistance teams were the coast guard who rescued over 33,000 people stranded in New Orleans, and the service of the armed forces.

The United States Northern command came up with a combined coordination program that helped to control and manage the operation of the Shelby camp in Mississippi (Brinkley 123). The joint task forces acted as military on-scene Command, and close to 60,000 security personnel were enlisted to deal with the aftermath of the storm. The troops were drawn from all over the 50 states of the united state (Saqib 2). Most of the assistance that was provided by the government was not an immediate one though it was of great importance to the survival of the victims.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided help to house more than 700,000 household which had been left without homes. It also paid hotel residence for 12,000 individuals and families. Law enforcement and public safety agencies have also played a crucial role after the disaster, especially in Louisiana and some parts of New Orleans, by providing manpower and equipment for house construction (Brinkley 126).

It’s a framework that the US uses to coordinate the way emergency incidences will be managed and also take of the incidents at various stages of government like local, state, and federal levels. NIMS is used by government and non-government bodies when responding to disasters or terrorist attacks. This system was initiated by President Bush in 2003 (Brinkley 129). Homeland security was made responsive to developing and implementing the program. The program works on two principles, which are the flexibility of service and standardization. Regarding flexibility, NIMS offers a steady, flexible, and modifiable nationalized structure within the government and non-government entities (Christopher et al. 59). The response can be made together despite the size, place of complexity.

For standardization, NIMS offers a benchmark framework and set the requirements for the rescue, processes, and systems intended to develop operability among authorities and disciplines in several areas.

The major components of NIMS include Command and management chain and preparedness. The nationally recognized systems of Command are the Incident command system – this is a system developed to enable effective and efficient management of emergency situations by the integration of personnel, facilities, and processes; other systems include the Multi-Agency Coordination System and Public Information System (Saqib 3).

The component of preparedness is a range of vital tasks and undertaking appropriate to develop, uphold and advance the operational capacity to avert, guard against, respond to and recover from household events within NIMS; the concept of preparedness is focused on creating guidelines and standards for training and certifying personnel and equipment (Saqib 3).

Resource management components require that there be an efficient system in place to identify the resources that are obtainable at every jurisdictional point so as to allow well-timed and unhindered right to use to resources that are needed for preparation, response, and recovery from an emergency (Saqib 4). This is how mutual aid agreements come into play, use of specialized personnel from the local, state, and the federal government.

EMS Mutual aid is a response policy program to ensure that the rescue mission in the event of a disaster is successfully accomplished in a well-timed and dependable manner. The EMS mutual aid appeal, has to be done with the intention of creating the closest obtainable EMS unit respond to the victim’s medical needs, at the moment when the resources of the agency making the request are temporarily not available or have been exhausted (Saqib 4).

The risk involved in the rescue of victims involved in a disaster is the first problem that hinders the effective performance of the emergency medical service. The sites of the disaster are always risky, and at times they may lead to the loss of lives of the paramedics and the firefighters. The major improvement that has helped improve the performance of the emergency health care service providers have been the introduction of specialized units in the department (Cottone 213).

Paramedics provide first aid services to the victims as other firefighters put out any fires that may endanger the rescue plan. The health hazard has also been reduced by the provision of safer garments and equipment (especially modified breathing equipment) the fire without endangering their lives. The safer equipment is systematized into engine, ladder, and dangerous material units; all these enable assignment specific work that allows effective utilization of manpower and the apparatus (Cottone 213).

The on-scene operation has been a serious problem with some individuals working independently and bringing out confusion, which is risky to the victims who are in need of medical service (Cottone 216). The fire department has to restructure the on-scene command system managing all the aspects of the operations taking place at the scene of the disaster.

The management of the fire department is another area of concern that needs to be restructured to allow easier administration of the departments involved. Staffing in the populated communities requires that the fire department operate larger machines and attend to incidences that they cannot simply handle on their own. Working together with other departments of firefighter becomes necessary as disaster management requires mutual collaboration (Christopher et al. 59). Such conformity would require that agreement be made and executed between elected bodies and managers rather than working directly within the departments.

The ambulance transport system offered by the private sector has been very inefficient, resulting in problems and loss of lives. The United States developed specialized pre-hospital health care units to replace these simple ambulances. These allow the paramedics to offers some form of treatment before the victims are loaded into the ambulance to be taken to the hospital (Cottone 217). All local hospitals are required to have emergency sectors to handle such occurrences.

Improving the provision of emergency health care to victims of disasters is very important, and is, therefore, the duty of each one involved to make sure that the service is efficient. Major improvements made include the use of standing orders or protocols as compared to the radio calls that unreliable, sponsoring specialized teams that include rescue operations, vehicle searches, and hazardous material units. In order to increase the chances of survival of victims of disasters, the emergency health care providers have included other activities such as blood pressure screening, healthy living education, or pulmonary resuscitation teaching. Another notable advance in the provision of emergency medical care came with the development of modern emergency management replacing the civil defense system.

Brinkley, Douglas. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. New York, William Morrow. 2005. Print.

Chan, Theodore, Killeen, Jim, Griswold, William, a nd Lennert, Leslie. Information Technology and Emergency Medical Care During Disasters. Academic Emergency Medicine , 11.11(2004): 1229–1236, 2004.

Christopher, Farmer et al. Providing Critical Care During A Disaster: The Interface Between Disaster Response Agencies And Hospitals. Critical Care Medicine , 34.3(2005): 56-59, 2005.

Ciottone, Gregory. Disaster Medicine, 3 rd Ed., Philadelphia, Elsevier/Mosby, 2006. Print.

Daniels, Ronald., Kettl, Donald., and Kunreuther, Howard. On Risk And Disaster : Lessons From Hurricane Katrina . Philadelphia; University Of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Print.

Hogan, David and Burstein, Jonathan. Disaster Medicine, Philadelphia; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007. Print.

Saqib, Dara. Worldwide Disaster Medical Response: An Historical Perspective. Critical Care Medicine , 33.1 (2008): 2-6.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 17). Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disaster-health-and-medical-aspects-hurricane-katrina/

"Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina." IvyPanda , 17 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/disaster-health-and-medical-aspects-hurricane-katrina/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina'. 17 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina." February 17, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disaster-health-and-medical-aspects-hurricane-katrina/.

1. IvyPanda . "Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina." February 17, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disaster-health-and-medical-aspects-hurricane-katrina/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Disaster' Health and Medical Aspects: Hurricane Katrina." February 17, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disaster-health-and-medical-aspects-hurricane-katrina/.

• Do Paramedics Need Degrees?
• Shortage of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians
• The Fire and EMS Training
• Mitigating the Risks and Impact of Assaults on Fire and EMS Responders
• EMS: Environmental Management Systems in Small and Medium Enterprises
• Disaster Management: the Case of Hurricane Katrina
• EMS Treatment From Opioid Overdose
• "Protecting EMS Personnel from Assault" by Maguire et al.
• Ambulance, Air Evacuation, and GIS
• Public Health Lapses in Dealing With Hurricane Katrina
• Public v. Private Agenda-Setting & Decision-Making
• Medi-Cal Expansion of Mental Health Services
• Rashid Hospital's Strategic Fall Prevention Plan
• Patient Care Organization: Customization vs. Standardization
• Accountability and Mistakes in Clinical Practice