Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials also recorded deaths in Forrest, Hinds, Warren, and Leake counties.

As Katrina moved further north and made a second landfall along the Mississippi/Louisiana border, the NWS Doppler Radar in Mobile (KMOB) measured winds up to 132mph between 3,000-4,000 feet above ground level in the morning. Katrina also caused a number of power outages in many areas, with over 100,000 customers affected in Tennessee, primarily in the Memphis and Nashville areas. By 6:00 pm CDT on August 28, 11 counties and cities issued evacuation orders, a number which increased to 41 counties and 61 cities by the following morning. Researchers found that there were associations between experiencing damage during Katrina and birthweight, thus researchers concluded that natural disasters may have long-term effects on pregnancy outcomes.

Census Bureau. "Gas Prices Surge as Supply Drops." Hurricane Katrina formed as Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005, as the result of the merger of a tropical wave and the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten four days earlier. Chertoff designated Michael D. Brown, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as the Principal Federal Official to lead the deployment and coordination of all federal response resources and forces in the Gulf Coast region. [36], By August 26, the possibility of unprecedented cataclysm was already being considered. Observations The damage and loss of life inflicted by this massive hurricane in Louisiana and Mississippi was staggering with significant effects extending into Alabama and the western Florida panhandle. Some spills were only a few hundred gallons and most were contained on-site, though some oil entered the ecosystem and residential areas. Oil and gas industry operations were crippled after the storm and coastal communities that rely on tourism suffered from both loss of infrastructure and business and coastal erosion. These cookies do not store any personal information. It continued on a course to the northeast, crossing the Mississippi Sound and making a second landfall later that morning near the mouth of the Pearl River. HURSAT-AVHRR Satellite Imagery, Imagery Storm surge was as high as 12-14 feet in Bayou La Batre, AL and likely close to 20 feet along the Mississippi-Alabama border.

[101] The lands that were lost were breeding grounds for marine mammals, brown pelicans, turtles, and fish, and migratory species such as redhead ducks. Nagin and Blanco were criticized for failing to implement New Orleans' evacuation plan and for ordering residents to a shelter of last resort without any provisions for food, water, security, or sanitary conditions. Katrina caused eleven tornadoes in Mississippi on August 29, some of which damaged trees and power lines. [110] Five former police officers pleaded guilty to charges connected to the Danziger Bridge shootings in the aftermath of the hurricane. On August 23rd, a tropical depression formed over the southeastern Bahamas, becoming Tropical Storm Katrina on August 24th as it moved into the central Bahamas. [80] As a result of the flooding, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher declared three counties disaster areas and a statewide state of emergency. Most of the businesses on the Causeway over Mobile Bay were damaged or destroyed by the high water. [65], Levee breaches in New Orleans also caused a significant number of deaths, with over 700 bodies recovered in New Orleans by October 23, 2005. StormReady "Well, Shucks!

It was a low-income area that was mostly uninsured. After the hearing, Blanco released a copy of her letter, which showed she had requested assistance for "all the southeastern parishes including the City of New Orleans" as well specifically naming 14 parishes, including Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines. "[133], In accordance with federal law, President George W. Bush directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, to coordinate the Federal response. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers submitted the report to the U.S. Congress for consideration, planning, and response in mid-2009. The waters would soon overwhelm additional levees. [102], Katrina also produced massive tree loss along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Louisiana's Pearl River Basin and among bottomland hardwood forests. "Florida Government Finance Officers Association." According to the National Hurricane Center, 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm: 1 in Kentucky, 2 each in Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, 14 in Florida, 238 in Mississippi, and 1,577 in Louisiana. Three-hundred and fifty national guardsmen were called on duty by August 30. NOTE: The F scale was used to rate these tornadoes back in 2005. By the time the storm strengthened to a category 3 hurricane, winds exceeded 115 miles per hour. United States Geological Survey. Marine Weather

New Orleans has been protected by levees since the French began inhabiting the region in the 17th century, but modern levees were authorized for construction in 1965 after Hurricane Betsy flooded much of the city. Tree damage across Stone and George Counties in south Mississippi was very similar to the damage produced by Hurricane Ivan (2004) across Atmore and Brewton in south central Alabama. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Other large Jackson County neighborhoods such as Porteaux Bay and Gulf Hills were severely damaged with large portions being completely destroyed, and St. Martin was hard hit; Ocean Springs, Moss Point, Gautier and Escatawpa also suffered major surge damage. The Mobile State Docks surge value of 11.45 feet was very close to being the highest value ever recorded. Weather Radio

Direct Relief furnished $10 million in medical material aid and cash grants to support clinics and health centers in the area. The Sun Herald. Global warming contributed to Katrina's impact in three ways. Mobile Radar [30] The state of Mississippi activated its National Guard on August 26 in preparation for the storm's landfall. Whether this clarification served the purpose or not is a debatable question, but Katrina did prove that nature will always be a step ahead of mankind. Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) became a large and extremely powerful hurricane that caused enormous destruction and significant loss of life. Acknowledgements: Page created by Jeffrey Medlin (MIC), Ray Ball (ITO) and Gary Beeler (former WCM). [1] The hurricane subsequently weakened due to another eyewall replacement cycle, and Katrina made its second landfall at 1110 UTC on August 29, as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020. "Winds of Change."