Let’s look at some statistics from Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, as a Category 3 storm with winds of nearly 197 mph.
– Severe flooding affected cities along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi.
– Numerous levee failures around New Orleans caused devastating flooding in the city.
– Approximately 25,000 storm evacuees took shelter at the Louisiana Superdome, a sports arena. Wind and water damage to the roof created a dangerous situation and authorities conducted an emergency evacuation of the Superdome.
– According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the total damage caused by Katrina is estimated at $125 billion ($200 billion in 2024 dollars).
NOAA Report
– Direct deaths: 520 people
– Indirect deaths: 565 people
– Undetermined cause: 307
– Total number of deaths: 1,392 people
An analysis of 971 deaths in Louisiana and 15 additional deaths among storm evacuees found that 40% of deaths were due to drowning. 25% were due to injury or trauma, and 11% were due to heart disease.
Almost half of Louisiana’s deaths were in people 74 and older.
Insurance Information Association Report
Insurers are paying out an estimated $41.1 billion on 1.7 million different claims for damage to vehicles, homes and businesses in six states. Almost 56% of the losses occurred in Louisiana and nearly 30% in Mississippi.
By 2007, 99% of the 1.2 million personal property claims were settled by insurance companies.
The National Flood Insurance Program paid out $16 billion in claims.
June 2006 – The Government Accountability Office releases a report concluding that at least $1 billion in disaster relief payments paid by FEMA are inadequate and potentially fraudulent.
More than 1 million people were evacuated in the Gulf region due to the storm. At its peak, 273,000 people were in hurricane relief shelters. Approximately 114,000 families were subsequently housed in FEMA trailers.
In the first decade after the storm, FEMA provided more than $15 billion to Gulf states for public works projects, including repairing and rebuilding roads, schools, and buildings. The agency also provided $6.7 billion in recovery assistance to more than 1 million people and households.
The bulk of the total federal aid, about $75 billion out of $120.5 billion, funded emergency relief efforts.
New Orleans’ population decreased by more than 50%, from 484,674 in April 2000 to 230,172 in July 2006. By 2025, the estimated population has increased to 362,154 people, according to the census.
70% of occupied homes in New Orleans, or 134,000 homes, were damaged by the storm.
Hurricane Katrina: Then and Now
