Katrinag5

=Hurricane Katrina=

Overview
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the United States. It also cost the most in damage repair. It was the sixth strongest of all Atlantic hurricanes. The hurricane damaged many homes and left many people homeless for a long time after the storm. The storm also sort of brought the country together as many donations and volunteers went to New Orleans to help.

Central Issue [[image:kat2.jpg width="150" height="106" align="right" caption="Destroyed houses"]]
Hurricane Katrina formed around the Bahamas on August 23, 2005. It crossed Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, where it caused some deaths and flooding there. It went through the Gulf of Mexico and picked up strength. It hit land a second time as a Category 3 storm on August 29 in Louisiana. At its highest it was a Category 5 hurricane. It caused severe damage in New Orleans, Louisiana because the levees broke and let a lot of water into the town. Eventually 80% of the city was flooded.

Conclusion
About 1,836 people died in the hurricane and in the floods and 705 people were reported missing. The hurricane caused between $81 and $91 billion in damage. The hurricane left about three million people without electricity. As of 2006, the Bush Administration got $105 billion for repair and reconstruction in the affected area. 1.3 million acres of forest was destroyed, and thousands of people were left without jobs. About 33, 500 people were rescued by the US Coast Guard in New Orleans. The American Red Cross and many other organizations raised about$4.25 billion in donations. On September 13, 2005, it was reported that corporate donations were around $409 million. The Salvation Army raised about $365 million and served more than 5.7 million hot meals, and 8.3 million sandwiches in New Orleans in the year following the storm. Salvation Army officers, employees and volunteers put in more than 900,000 hours of service.