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Katrina Q&A: New Orleans before and after the historic storm

Rick Jervis
USA TODAY
People come out of thier homes to a flooded street after Hurricane Katrina hit the area with heavy wind and rain August 29, 2005 in New Orleans.

What was New Orleans like before Katrina hit?

A: New Orleans was - and still is - a popular destination for tourists, known for its unique cuisine, music and arts, and, of course, Mardi Gras. But it has also been historically wrought with challenges: Public schools were some of the worst in the country; the murder rate was among the highest in the USA; there was deep-seated economic disparity between races; and the city's population had been on a steep decline for nearly a half-century.

Why did so many people die? What was the final death toll?

A: The exact death toll is still a matter of debate, but the generally accepted number is 1,833 across the Gulf Coast, with the bulk of them in New Orleans. Most of the deaths came in low-lying areas such as the Lower Ninth Ward, where the collapse of the federal levees led to floods that overwhelmed homes. Also, tens of thousands of people didn't evacuate before the storm.

If there was so much advance warning, why didn't more people evacuate?

A: Hurricanes have been hammering New Orleans since the 18th century. Notable storms to hit the region before Katrina include Hurricane Betsy (1965), Camille (1969) and Andrew (1992). Those storms caused death and damages but not the degree of flooding witnessed in post-Katrina New Orleans. Locals had adopted a culture of "riding out the storm," thinking the levees would protect them from serious flooding.

Why was the storm so devastating? How long did it take before help came and what was that help?

A: Katrina actually missed New Orleans, making landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and causing severe destruction there. It was the ensuing breach of the levee system that was responsible for most of the death and destruction in New Orleans. Rescue teams in boats went out into the deluged neighborhoods as the winds subsided, but it was difficult to reach and extract some of the more imperiled residents, many of whom were trapped in attics or on the roofs of their flooded homes. The rescue effort included local fire and rescue squads, boat teams from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Coast Guard and Navy helicopters and thousands of National Guardsmen, as well as neighbors in smaller boats.

Where are Katrina victims now (which states)?

A: Katrina evacuees fled to states all across the USA, but the largest number went to Texas. Some resettled in cities like Houston and Austin, others returned to New Orleans. Large numbers of evacuees also resettled in Atlanta and Baton Rouge.

President Bush looks out the window of Air Force One inspecting damage from Hurricane Katrina while flying over New Orleans en route back to the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005.

Why was so much criticism directed at George W. Bush after Katrina?

A: The federal government and Bush, who was president at the time of Katrina's landfall, were criticized for a perceived lack of urgency in responding to the disaster and a general lack of leadership and mismanagement at the height of the crisis. Bush was also criticized for surveying the city's destruction from aboard Air Force One two days after the storm but waiting another week before visiting the devastated city. Bush later teamed up with former president Bill Clinton to create the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, which has raised more than $130 million to support relief and long-term recovery efforts.

What was the controversy surrounding the trailers? How long were people in trailers?

A: FEMA issued thousands of temporary trailers to Katrina victims who remained in the city and didn't have a home, but many of those trailers were later found to have high levels of formaldehyde and other toxins. Residents lived in trailers from a few weeks to several years, depending on the pace of their home rebuilding.

Can you explain what happened inside the Superdome and why it became such an icon of the disaster?

A: Thousands of New Orleanians forced from their homes in the wake of the floods evacuated to the Louisiana Superdome, which wasn't prepared to take in so many people. People lived in putrid, crowded conditions for days until they were relocated to temporary housing outside the city. Several people, mostly elderly, died while waiting to be relocated, but reports of sexual assaults inside the arena were largely unsubstantiated. TV news crews captured the squalid conditions at the Superdome and the sports arena became an iconic symbol of the city's suffering during the crisis.

The last of the Hurricane Katrina survivors who used the Superdome in New Orleans as shelter rest on Sept. 2, 2005.

If another Katrina-type hurricane hit New Orleans, would it be as devastating as it was 10 years ago?

A: Quite possibly. The city and surrounding area has a new, $14.5-billion storm and flood-protection system designed to protect it from a so-called 100-year storm. Katrina was a 400-year storm when it made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A direct hit from a similar storm could overwhelm the system and send floodwaters again rushing into low-lying neighborhoods. Experts agree only a massive buildup of the surrounding coastal wetlands would truly protect the city from future storms.

Besides New Orleans, where else was hit? What was the cost of cleanup for the Gulf Coast region?

A: Katrina made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and wreaked damage in four states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It remains the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, causing an estimated $151 billion in damages to the region.

What happened to the Lower Ninth Ward?

A: The Lower Ninth Ward is still struggling to rebuild. Despite a $500 million investment from the city, fewer than half of the 14,000 residents who were there pre-storm have returned.

What is New Orleans like today?

A: Today, New Orleans is alive with a spirit of continual rebuilding. New residents have moved in, opening businesses and bringing fresh ideas to the city. The culture – including restaurants, musicians and Mardi Gras Indians – have rebounded arguably stronger than before. And flood-wrecked neighborhoods have been rebuilt with stronger, flood-resistant homes. But pre-storm problems linger, including violent crime, economic disparity and gentrification.

Sources: National Hurricane Center, The Data Center, City of New Orleans, U.S. Census Bureau, USA TODAY research

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