Catastrophic+Hurricane+Katrina

In the midst of the War on Terror of which America was involved, Hurricane Katrina, a category three hurricane with winds of 125 miles per hour, desecrated the Gulf Coast. Katrina first made landfall along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi causing heavy flooding and damage in cities within those areas. Cities such as Biloxi, Mobile, and New Orleans were hit quite hard by the storm. In the city of New Orleans, levees were destroyed and so over 80% of New Orleans flooded due to the serious rainfall. The storm caused over 30 feet of flooding in some areas and killed over 1,600 people throughout the Gulf Coast. It left thousands of people homeless and many areas were left without electricity and sanitary drinking water. In the speech given by President Bush about the matter of the storm, he spoke of people he talked to and how the storm affected them.

“When I met Steve Scott of the Biloxi Fire Department, he and his colleagues were conducting a house-to-house search for survivors. Steve told me this: "I lost my house, and I lost my cars, but I still got my family, and I still got my spirit" (as qtd. in Bush: 'We will do what it takes'). This was the case with many residents of New Orleans.


 * Economic Effect –**

The economic impact spread throughout the country. Since Hurricane Katrina also disrupted the oil production in the Gulf Coast, American gas prices mounted which affected the rest of the country. Prices hit record high prices and attributed to the economic state that America was in. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was harshly criticized for its response to the catastrophe.


 * (FEMA)’s handling of the situation –**

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was criticized greatly for its reaction to the storm. Critics claimed that the FEMA failed to fully prepare for the wrath of the storm. They were also criticized for their slow response to the relief efforts. Eventually the Federal Government asked for over $100 billion in federal funds to help revitalize the region. President Bush spoke out about the storm and his plan to aid the area in his address to the nation about the storm.

“To every person who has served and sacrificed in this emergency, I offer the gratitude of our country. And tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes. We will stay as long as it takes to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again” (qtd. in Bush: 'We will do what it takes').

President Bush said he would do what it takes to help the region hit by the storm, but acted slowly thus causing harsh criticism of his administration. This caused his approval rating to lower even more. Hurricane Katrina has gone down in history as one of the worst catastrophic events that the United States has ever encountered.