Impact Of New Orleans On The Orleans - 1390 Words

Robert Mayhue Geography Mr. Sullivan October 5, 2014 Katrina New Orleans as time has progressed has become more susceptible than most cities when it comes to the detrimental power of hurricane force and storm surges. There are two reasons for this. The first is that New Orleans has a very low elevation relative to the surrounding sea level, the second is the lack of Louisiana’s natural defense against storm surges; that is the coastal wetlands and its barrier islands. The location of the city has always been very low in relation to the sea level, but the amount of human growth and expansion has caused the city to sink deeper into the landscape. When New Orleans was originally being laid out they were in short supply of good, usable†¦show more content†¦There were many storms that hit the gulf coast, but Katrina was a wakeup call. As Katrina grew stronger and stronger, the warnings were crystal clear. As said by National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield Aug. 28 as the storm approached; â€Å"All signs point to it becoming one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the United States.† One Weather Service meteorologist even voiced a very prophetic Katrina announcement, stating that: Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks. Even though the warnings were dire many people it believed as if very few in government had heard their calls for help. Below is a partial transcript of an interview with a resident of New Orleans after the flooding happened; I can t know I cant get out. How am I [sigh] expected to get out?. I m scared, I m so scared. I don t know what is going to happen, The main big failure was the levee system. Three hundred fifty miles of levees and floodwalls that were created to protect the city of New Orleans failed and the flooding allowed the entire Ninth Ward and much more to be swept away. A field reporter described it as this after a few days of the flooding; Over 80 percent of the area is under water, the residents are dealing with some of the worst of human conditions in the world, definitely in the United States. In the beginning, the Army Corps of Engineers insisted it was not at fault for the failure of the levees. As stated by Gen.