Hurricane Katrina: 10 years later

10 years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall and proceeded to cause a level devastation that amounted to one of the worst disasters in US history.

Much damage was caused by heavy rain and relentless winds, but for some areas around the Gulf Coast (mainly Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi) it was the huge storm surge and failure of defences which led to the worst impacts.

Approximately 1,800 lives were lost, more than 400,000 displaced, and over $100 billion of property damaged. New Orleans, Louisiana suffered the worst when 80% of the city was flooded to depths of up to 8 metres.

In response to the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation order, tens of thousands of evacuees took shelter in the The Superdome – what became a symbolic feature of the city’s battle against the storm.

This video below shows a documentary of Hurricane Katrina, covering all aspects of the storm and its impacts.

The 10th anniversary of this disaster raised discussion over recent progress and preparedness for future disasters. A short commentary available from Fox News is provided in the video below.