When Hurricane Katrina made landfall Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, as a Category 3 hurricane, I--together with most of the nation--watched in horror as flood waters rose, levees failed, and the city of New Orleans was threatened with annihilation.
It was the deadliest and most destructive storm of the season, one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States. Its tragic consequences were exacerbated by the location of the city, the failure of the complex system of levees that had been constructed to protect it, and failure to close some of the floodgates.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued on Aug. 26, but many residents were unable to escape due to health problems or lack of resources. The storm surge breached levees in 53 places, submerging 80% of the city. Some areas remained submerged for weeks.
Federal disaster declarations were issued for an area as large as the United Kingdom. Almost 900,000 people lost power, though power companies seemed more interested in their shareholders than in those who depended on their services.
Many people worked heroically to rescue trapped victims, while others were conspicuous by their absence. Coast Guard units from as far away as Los Angeles responded, rescuing people from roofs and trees. Residents paddled back and forth in rowboats to bring in survivors. 1,823 were confirmed dead and damages totaled $31.2 billion, the costliest in US history.
It was the worst civil engineering disaster in U.S. history. At fault were the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which failed to maintain the integrity of levees; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was unprepared for the disaster despite warnings; some members of the New Orleans Police Department, who deserted their posts; and some residents and outsiders, who saw the storm as an opportunity for exploitation.
Hundreds of thousands of New Orleans residents were left unemployed by the hurricane. More than 70 countries, ranging from Kuwait to Bangladesh, promised aid. Six years later, much remains to be done.
Hurricane Katrina has many lessons for all of us--about the importance of maintaining the infrastructure, about disaster preparedness, about evacuation procedures, and about rebuilding.
But the most important lesson is about the value of people--all people--and the importance in a democratic society of insuring that a much greater effort is made to provide for the poor, the sick, the aged and the weak. If we would claim to be Christian, if we would claim to be a caring people, surely we can do no less.
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