Katrina's Disaster Analysis

Hurricane Katrina was very strong. The intensity of this hurricane is very rare. In the history of the United States, 185 1 has only been hit by three category 5 hurricanes, and the maximum wind speed of Katrina ranks second in history. Therefore, the storm surge triggered by "Katrina" is the chief culprit of this disaster. The low-lying geographical conditions in New Orleans are quite special. New Orleans is located between the 800-meter-wide Mississippi River and Lake Pontcharta, with a bowl-shaped depression. The average elevation is below sea level, and the lowest point is 3 meters below sea level. Usually, only flood levees, drains and giant pumps are used to pump water to fight floods. The huge waves and floods brought by "Katrina" washed away the flood levees, which led to this disaster. Although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) successfully predicted the hurricane and issued a hurricane warning signal, it eventually caused disastrous results. To some extent, this reflects the problems existing in the emergency system of the United States and the lack of preparation for disasters. After the warning signal is issued, people are not forced to take any measures to deal with it. Because most trapped residents in New Orleans are poor, have no transportation and can hardly leave. In addition, some people were lucky enough to be warned by the hurricane, and they did not evacuate after being warned two days in advance. The government did not force these people to move out of the city. In addition, the slow rescue operation after the disaster is also a factor in the expansion of this disaster.