Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a powerful Category 5 that hit Florida and the Gulf Coast in late August of 2005. The highest winds were 175 mph and the hurricane caused 1,836 casualties. The storm formed over the southern Bahamas on August 23, 2005, as Tropocal Depression 12. It quickly became a Category 1 hurricane and hit Florida, though not causing much damage. It then moved to the Gulf of Mexico, where it gained speed and intensity from a loop current. It was redirected and now headed toward Louisiana. It made landfall in Louisiana on August 29. Cities alll along the Gulf, especially New Orleans, were impacted the worst. The storm surge was about 25 feet high and caused 50 foot waves. Though the storm cause a lot of damage, the aftermath was even more devastating. The storm broke the levees along most of the gulf states, leading to massive flooding. To add to the mass flooding, the government was extremely slow to meet the needs of the people affected by the storm. The storm caused 108 billion dollars in damage, making it the costliest storm to ever hit the U.S.