Introduction
Weather disasters on Earth have occurred long before humans walked the Earth. I am sure that when Earth was young, weather disasters would have been much more extreme and violent. During the Jurassic era and times before we came along in the early ages of mammals, it was said to be very hot here on Earth. In the Arctic Circle during the Jurassic period, the landscape looked much different. Instead of polar bears and penguins, there were palm trees, sharks and crocodiles. Moving to the other side of the globe, sea-surface temperatures were extremely high reaching 86 degrees Fahrenheit (Brannen, 2018). You may ask “Why is that even important?”,
when Earth starts to warm it runs the risk of surges in natural disasters. In the U.S. over a trillion dollars in damages has accumulated since 1980 due to these natural disasters (Chappel, 2018). To sum that up, the $1.5 trillion in damages due to natural disasters from 1980-2010 would amount to $50 billion dollars a year spent on disasters and the aftermath. Money is of course not the main fallout from natural disasters, the rising death tolls are nearly 10,000 within the same time period (AghaKouchak & Vahedifard, 2018). Hurricanes can severely damage forestry in its path and cause loss of vegetation. This is due to the increased chances of other natural disasters like landslides and floods that also cause a lot of damage.
Hurricane Katrina
Choosing Hurricane Katrina was pretty easy for me, I remember it vividly and everything that came after. Hurricane Katrina made landfall off the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina was an extremely destructive Category 5 hurricane with winds that were at one point 175 mph. The ensuing destruction and loss of life, the storm is often considered one of the worst in U.S. history. Hurricane Katrina because the helicopter squadron I was in played a huge role in search and rescue efforts and humanitarian assistance operations (see below). Hurricane Katrina has caused extensive damage, loss of life and environmental impacts.
Damages
Damages, Hurricane Katrina resulted in massive destruction and loss of life. Our country experienced one of the most destructive and costly natural disasters in its history. Now damages is a broad category, in this section, we will talk about the damages to the cities, levees, infrastructure and the impact of the hurricane. There were three states that were hit hardest by Katrina and they were Lousiana, Mississippi, and Alabam. The news was flooding the airwaves about the levees failing as they were only designed to withstand CAT 3 hurricanes and not CAT 5’s. Due to the failing of the levees, storm surges and extensive flooding lead to 80% of New Orleans being under water. You can still see the water marks on buildings and homes in New Orleans for how high the water levels were (CNN, 2015). The death toll from Katrina devastation is estimated to be over 1,800 with hundreds still missing. Hurricane Katrina also amounted to our most costly weather disaster in the history of the U.S.
Death Toll
It is hard to imagine there being any weather disasters more devasting that Hurricane Katrina but the U.S. has a long, unfortunate history of uncomprendable damage and loss of life. The 1900 Galveston hurricane resulted in what is estimated to be 6,000 to 12,000 deaths, making Katrina seem like it was a baby disaster. The question is why did this storm result in so many deaths? The three major levees that failed were the main contributor, putting much of the city of New Orleans under water. Massive flooding and storm surges gave many residents no chance to evacuate or get out of dodge. There was so many that could not afford to get out or go anywhere, the old and the sick were all trapped. One of the saddest stories of the loss of life was that of how many victims were overwhelmingly elder. Most lived near the levee breaches in the 9th Ward and Lakeview. Having been trapped in unimaginable circumstances two-thirds fell to illness, injury or drowned being in houses that were surrounded by the water (Schleifstein, 2017).
Economic Impact
The economic impact of Hurricane Katrina is still being understood and calculated. Being that this hurricane was the costliest in U.S. history it can be said the economic impact was immense. The region where the hurricane-impacted roughly 15 million Americans and resulted in tens of thousands of lost jobs and ruined farming (Burton & Hicks, 2014). Such a widespread disaster it ended up impacting the entire region preventing any movement of goods and services. Everything just stopped. Katrina hit a part of the gulf where 17% of our country’s oil refining ability lies and had 92% of oil production shut down for weeks. I remember this is when I first started driving and how the gas prices skyrocketed to over $3.00 a gallon as the country panicked and people were rushing to the pumps. Gas stations all around the United States were completely selling out to meet the demand (Moore, 2010).
Impact on Earth
The variable is how did Hurricane Katrina impact Earth. Did it have any lasting damages and what damages were occurred in the aftermath? I think directly, the main environmental impact was in the areas that were hit the hardest. An entire city was under water and the rest flooded with up to 20 ft in water. Erosion and loss of wetlands were some of the profound impacts on the from Katrina. There were also noxious and toxic chemicals that spilled due to the flooding from the storm surges and hurricane. Data from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documents 575 reports of petroleum or hazardous chemicals spills (“Hurricanes: Katrina Environmental Impacts”, n.d.). The gulf which Katrina hit accounts for 17% of the nations oil refining ability and 35% of the daily crude oil output. 92 percent of oil production was shut down for weeks after the storm. With the nation’s prices for oil and gasoline already at an all-time high, this only further raised the price to over three dollars. Gas stations all around the United States were completely selling out to meet the demand (Moore, 2010).
References
- Brannen, P. (2018, August 06). Scientists Have Uncovered a Frightening Climate Change Precedent. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/08/earths-scorching-hot-history/566762/
- Chappell, C. (2019, February 06). Natural disasters cost $91 billion in 2018, according to federal report. Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/06/natural-disasters-cost-91-billion-in-2018-federal-report.html
- AghaKouchak, A. (2018, October 25). The risk of ‘cascading’ natural disasters is on the rise. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.greenbiz.com/article/risk-cascading-natural-disasters-rise
- CNN. (2005, August 31). New Orleans shelters to be evacuated. Retrieved January 27, 2019, from http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html?section=cnn_us.
- Schleifstein, M., & Schleifstein, M. (2017, December 22). Study of Hurricane Katrina’s dead show most were old, lived near levee breaches. Retrieved January 28, 2019, from https://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/08/answers_are_scarce_in_study_of.html
- ‘Hurricanes: Katrina Environmental Impacts.’ Environmental Science: In Context. . Retrieved February 03, 2019 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/energy-government-and-defense-magazines/hurricanes-katrina-environmental-impacts
