Hurricane Katrina And Its Impact On The United States

Hurricane Katrina is considered as one of the worst hurricanes ever recorded in the history of the United States. It was the sixth strongest Atlantic hurricane ever and the third strongest on record that had reached the United States (Chambers, 2007). According to Brinkley (2006), the hurricane occurred on August 29th, 2005, and had a massive physical impact on the land and to the residents of New Orleans City .Before the hurricane; there was massive destruction of the wetlands besides construction of canals which increased the erosion rates in the lands. After the floods, much of the city’s water was contaminated leading to the loss of the aquatic lives and indigenous plants (Galea Brewin, 2007). Introduction Arguably, the hurricane†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Brinkley (2006) observed that the hurricane indicated a clear defective levee system and the Orleans City gave a true picture of American government’s neglect, prejudice, inequalities and total dysfunction of its engineering sector especially in the city. This was evident at every stage before the occurrence of the hurricane and after. There were several failures in the logistics concerning disaster preparations and management, engineering malfunctions and failures as was revealed after Hurricane Katrina (Galea Brewin, 2007). The paper tends to highlight the environmental crimes committed before and after hurricane Katrina. The paper also vividly illustrates the lessons learned from the disaster and possible ways of improving from the shortfalls. Lastly, it concludes the main findings of the effects of the Hurricane Katrina. Environment Crimes before the Hurricane Katrina For a long time before the human-driven developments along the Mississippi Delta, the Delta was well maintained by the sediments that replenished the wetlands. These sediments helped clear the accumulation of sands which were brought by erosions (Kessler Parker, 2006). These wetlands and barrier islands protected the region along the Gulf Coast for thousands of years (Kirk, 2012). Over the years, the population along the Delta region rose and most people had a negative perception on the perennial flooding. Levees that were erected on the banks to act as protection soon become