Hurricane Katrina Devastates the Gulf Coast

On Monday, August 29th, 2005 hurricane Katrina a strong category four storm struck the Gulf Coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm brought widespread devastation to the Gulf Coast where it struck, flattening town and destroying much of what was in its path. Forty-eight hours before the hurricane hit the mayor of New Orleans ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city. The storm did not make a direct hit on New Orleans, and initially, there was a sigh of relief that the city had been spared the worst. Tuesday however two of the levees protecting the city gave way, totally flooding the city and trapping scores of people. Over 1 million people were displaced. The economic cost of the disaster was hundreds of billions of dollars.