Hurricane Katrina

A Natural Disaster?

Hurricanes are natural occurrences that cannot be prevented, only prepared for. The similarities between Hurricane Hugo and Katrina included their size and equally terrifying wrath. Both hurricanes were Category four, with winds that soared up to 160 miles per hour, and engendered intense flooding in the regions they hit. The adverse conditions of Hugo made it the most destructive hurricane to ever strike the United States north of Florida, and one of the costliest hurricanes with over seven billion dollars in damages. When Hugo landed directly in South Carolina, Charleston and Myrtle Beach sustained significant damage from storm surge; the impact was severe. Katrina’s wrath primarily affected New Orleans, causing massive flooding in the city. This catastrophic event nearly destroyed New Orleans, and is responsible for an estimated 80 billion dollars in damages. What makes these two hurricanes strikingly different, however, is the extent of their aftermath. These differences are portrayed clearly through the lack of preparation the government and its citizens displayed when faced with the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Hugo was a tragic natural disaster that completely altered the lives of many people affected by it. In 1989, the year I was born, my parents and I lived on an oceanfront lot in Myrtle Beach. When Hugo struck, most of the city was flooded, with some areas under twenty five inches of water. A clear evacuation plan was presented, which most of the city’s residents followed, traveling north to Greenville. When we returned to our house, we found nothing but rubble and debris piled up in twelve inches of salt water. The President flew to the areas affected by Hugo to view the devastation, and immediately granted 1.1 billion dollars in aid. In addition, the Red Cross and Salvation Army donated to those in need, and over 1,000 National Guardsmen graciously provided their services. Thousands of electricians, builders, and volunteers from all over the nation amalgamated to lend their skills in rebuilding Myrtle Beach. Flooded areas were immediately pumped out, and the city was reconstructed with alacrity. Local banks lowered their interest rates, insurance companies offered lower payments, and people responded generously to help in the rebuilding effort. The response of the government and other organizations concerning Hurricane Hugo were quick and effective. In the next couple of months, our house was rebuilt and recovery was in progress.

South Carolina is more susceptible to hurricanes than most other states; the fact that the city is prone to these natural disasters and will be affected by them is inevitable. What is essential, however, is to have precautions and proper evacuation plans to limit the extent to which these disasters may danger lives. Unlike Hurricane Katrina, the concerns and warnings of Hugo were heard and attended to appropriately.

Hurricane Katrina was undoubtedly a horrific natural disaster. The extent of its aftermath, however, greatly exceeds a natural disaster. It is partially the mistakes of the ISDR, or International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, that made and continues to make this catastrophic event’s effects differ from those of Hugo’s. Prior to Katrina, studies conducted by scientists gave speculations that if a hurricane hit New Orleans, the effects from flooding would be catastrophic. Rather than being acted upon, the exigent need for protection was ignored. When Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans on August 29th, 2005, the horrifying predictions became realities. The inadequate planning by the Army Corps of Engineers caused the levees that held back the Mississippi River and other bodies of water surrounding New Orleans to break. In addition, the federal government failed to fund projects that badly needed improvement, including the security of the levees. When they did in fact break from the pressure of the storm surge, an immense rush of water approached the city of New Orleans, nearly 80 percent of which is below sea level, almost fully immersing it in water. Katrina left a plethora of environmental problems that also resulted from poor planning and lack of concerns pertaining to the susceptibility of the city to destruction. The ISDR accurately approximated that the city would have a wide range of issues if a large hurricane like Katrina approached New Orleans. Multiple oil spills occurred primarily from tanks above the ground. Leaking of underground fuel tanks also contaminated the water allowing toxic chemicals to pour into it. These and other harmful substances were washed out into the environment. The water also flooded sewage treatment plants and buildings causing disease to spread, infecting hundreds of residents. Government actions concerning health and safety should have occurred; the deaths of hundreds of people could have been reduced in the wake of the hurricane.

A confluence of different factors made Hurricane Katrina a disastrous event, but the extent of its wrath was precisely a matter of poor policies and decisions. Unlike Myrtle Beach and other locations that