According to experts, the storm was as a result of a tropical depression that had formed in the Bahamas early on in August 23, 2005. Although the authorities in metrology were able to warn the authorities earlier, the federal government remains accused of taking its time evacuating people in the Gulf Coast (U.S. House of Representatives, 2006). According to a warning that was passed by the National Weather Service, the Gulf Coast would become inhabitable for months after the hurricane hit. According to statistics, New Orleans has been hit nearly five times before Katrina. However, experts state that Katrina remains the worst hurricane yet to hit the city.
During the 80s and 90s, the army engineers had built systems that surrounded the city such as seawalls and levees that were meant to keep water out of the city (Levitt, Whitaker, 2009). According to data, systems that were built along the Mississipi river, were strong enough to hold back the water. However, the seawalls and levees that were built along lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain and swamps that surrounded the city were faulted even before the hurricane. According to the layout of the city, almost half it was six feet above sea level. Before the storm hit, authorities were concernd that these seawalls and levees were not strong enough to withstand a strong storm. Authorities stated that before the storm hit a warning had been passed down to people who lived in the lower part of the city of the impending danger concerning the systems.
One of the questions that are still asked till date was wether the president was well informed of the dangers prio to Hurricane Katrina. According to research, the authorities responsible, this including the countries metrological department, the depertment of human services, the homland security and the federal government, were not well equiped or took too long to make any step or plans (U.S. House of Representatives, 2006). However, prio to the harrican hitting an inadequate amount of planning is reported to have been put in place. The authorities knowing the danger that the storm posed, inadequately prepared the people on what to do or where to go. However, the National Harricane Center and the National Weather Service are comended for their timely forecast on the imminent danger.
Experts state that, was it not for this timeliness, more people, would have died. Although the mayor, this being Nagin and Blanco, who was the Governor of New Orleans, being warned a good 56 hours before the storm hit, no plans were made to evacuate immediately the populace. According to research, the populace did not know of the imminent danger or learnt about it very late. Due to this, a lot of lifes and properties that could have been saved was lost.
Some of the factors that led to the planning falours of Hurricane Katrina include luck of information being passed down to the populace by the authorities this being the mayor and the governor. Communication break down between the system led to unnessesary loss of lives that would have been saved. The orgernisation or authorites that were in charge of the evacuation by not making adiquate plans that would save people from all over seenig that they recived the information 56 hours prio to the storm hitting. Some of the lessons that were learned from Harrican Katrina are first and farmost the state govement has a crucial and integral role to play whiel preparing for emergency. The state government has to be on top of its game whenever an impending catrasophy is about to happen (The White House, 2006).
Effective planning should be layed down on the evacuation of the populace. Also and most important a risk assesment should be of utter most in looking at threats of syestem falour such as the seawalls and levees not holding. Some other areas that need to be assesed include infustructurs such as electricity sewerage and water supply, communication and transport. Another leasson that was lerned from the storm is that a proper planing to provide critical public services such as food and housing for a long extended time to a lerag number of victims need to thought of and evaluated criticaly. Emergency systems were also considered important in warning the populace of the imminent danger (The White House, 2006).
U.S. House of Representatives. (2006). A failure of initiative: Final report of the select bipartisan committee to investigate the preparation for the response to Hurricane Katrina. 109th Cong., 2nd Sess. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
The White House. (2006). The federal response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons learned. (H. Rpt. 109-377). Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/
Levitt, J. Whitaker, M. (2009). Hurricane Katrina: America's Unnatural Disaster Justice and social inquiry. Nebraska. U of Nebraska Press.
