The end of New Orleans

August 28th 2005

Hurricane Katrina strengthens to a category five hurricane.

August 29th 2005

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall as a category five hurricane with sustained winds of 175mph (and gusts over 200mph) fifty miles east of New Orleans. On August 29, Katrina's storm surge caused 55 different levee breaches in greater New Orleans submerging eighty five to ninety percent of the city. A June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers indicated that two-thirds of the flooding were caused by the multiple failures of the city's floodwalls. The storm surge also devastated the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, making Katrina the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, and the deadliest hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $137.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars), well over double the cost of the previously most expensive storm, Hurricane Andrew, when adjusted for inflation.

As of May 19, 2006, the confirmed death toll (total of direct and indirect deaths) from Hurricane Katrina stood at 2,836, mainly from Louisiana (2,277) and Mississippi (538). However, 1,705 people remain categorized as missing in Louisiana, and many of the deaths are indirect, but it is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of some of the fatalities.

As the eye of Hurricane Katrina swept to the north, it subjected the city to hurricane conditions for hours. Although power failures prevented accurate measurement of wind speeds in New Orleans, there were a few measurements of hurricane-force winds. From this the NHC concluded that it is likely that much of the city experienced sustained winds of Category 3 or Category 4 strength.

Most of the major roads traveling into and out of the city were damaged. The only routes out of the city were the westbound Crescent City Connection and the Huey P. Long Bridge, as large portions of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge traveling eastbound towards Slidell, Louisiana had collapsed. Both the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and the Crescent City Connection only carried emergency traffic.

On August 29, at 7:40 a.m. CDT, it was reported that most of the windows on the north side of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans had been blown out, and many other high rise buildings had extensive window damage. The Hyatt was the most severely damaged hotel in the city, with beds reported to be flying out of the windows. Insulation tubes were exposed as the hotel's glass exterior was completely sheared off. The Superdome, which was sheltering many people who had not evacuated, sustained significant structural damage. Two sections of the Superdome's roof were compromised and the dome's waterproof membrane had essentially been peeled off, within 2 hours sections of roof had collapsed causing the Superdome to be evacuated during the height of the storm.

New Orleans is heavily damaged, anyone who cannot help with the rebuilding of New Orleans is given a mandatory evacuation order.

Within a month the season's 18th tropical depression was named Rita, less than a day after forming, the depression became the 17th tropical storm of the season on September 18 and was named Rita. A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the entire Florida Keys.

Rita was slow to become a hurricane; National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports early on September 20 estimated the storm's sustained surface winds at hurricane force (75 mph or 120 km/h). However, Rita lacked a complete eyewall; forecasters identified Rita as a tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds overnight. Aircraft observations released at 9:45 a.m. EDT showed a closed eyewall and winds clearly at hurricane strength. Four hours later, the NHC reported that Rita had reached Category 2 hurricane strength, with 100 mph (160 km/h) maximum sustained winds.

Hurricane Rita encountering the Gulf Loop Current and Eddy Vortex.Warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, 1 °F (0.5 °C) above average, favored storm intensification. As Rita entered the Gulf, rapid intensification began. National Hurricane Center advisories issued every three hours each showed strengthening from 5 p.m. EDT on September 20 to 11 a.m. EDT on September 21, when Rita's maximum sustained winds increased to 140 mph (225 km/h). Rita continued to gain strength unabated. An update at 2:15 p.m. CDT (1815 UTC) said maximum winds had increased to 150 mph (240 km/h) and Rita's minimum pressure was 920 mbar (hPa). Less than two hours later, at 3:55 p.m. CDT, another update reported that Rita had strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum wind speeds of 165 mph (265 km/h). On the same day mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin orders the complete and mandatory evacuation of Greater New Orleans area. He also says that anyone stupid enough to stay will be on their own for up to 2 weeks.

Hurricane Rita makes landfall 20 miles west of downtown New Orleans as a category 4 hurricane, the storm surge is over 3 metres above normal water levels, the hurricane strikes at high tide causing major flooding in the remaining unflooded areas of New Orleans, lightning strikes in the french quarter cause major fires that burn out of control for the next three days. Fires also break out in other areas of the city caused by lightning strikes and broken gas mains.