Hurricane Katrin The United States - 6790 Words

In late August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina descended on the Gulf Coast of the United States, forever altering millions of lives. The category 5 hurricane became the third largest storm to hit the United States. It caused $150 billion in property damages (not including the destruction of the New Orleans levees) making it the costliest hurricane in United States History. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the United States Coast Guard rescued over 34,000 people in New Orleans alone. Others were saved only by the bravery and kindness of their neighbors. Despite these heroic efforts, this catastrophe still killed 1,836 people. Another 700 people are still missing 10 years later (â€Å"Hurricane Katrina†, 2015). Before the storm hit,†¦show more content†¦The country looked towards New Orleans in pity and disgust. The city was falling apart simply because disaster response organizations (namely FEMA) were not adequately responding to the disaster. Critics claim that the government’s mismanagement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to blame for the disappointing relief efforts. FEMA has been accused of taking too long to act and then for not even having a plan of action. Many people agree that the agency had no idea of just how much damage the storm caused and failed to accurately prepare for such a catastrophe (â€Å"Hurricane Katrina†, 2015). Senator Joseph Liberman stated, â€Å"’Government failures preparing for and responding to Hurricane Katrina allowed much more human suffering and property destruction to occur than should have. That is the sad and stunning fact’† (Shoup, 2005). Local officials accused FEMA of inadequate communication practices and lack of leadership. The Louisiana Governor complained saying, â€Å"’we wanted helicopters, food and water. They wanted to negotiate an organizational chart’† (Shoup, 2005). There were even †Å"reports of FEMA turning down personnel and supplies offered by police forces and emergency crews† (Shoup, 2005). The director of the agency, Michael Brown came under a lot of fire for his execution of the relief efforts. His defense was simple: â€Å"no one could have prepared for the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flooding of New