Hurricane Katrina is one of the most devastating of the hurricanes in recent history. It is now considered to be the sixth strongest hurricane of all Atlantic hurricanes and is also the deadliest hurricane causing the loss of 1836 people. Although it is not as devastating as the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane which resulted in the deaths of 4,078 people from Puerto Rico through to Florida, the effects and impact of Hurricane Katrina continue to be left today.
Overall Hurricane Katrina impacted almost all of the United States and into Canada, but the worst hit areas where the golf coast states of Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Other states such as Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky had severe but lesser damage from the storm, winds and heavy rains. Within New Orleans, the worst hit major metropolitan area, problems from the storm surge and the storm itself broke levees and flooded over 80% of the land area in the city and in the surrounding parishes. Some of the floodwater remained trapped in inland areas for months after the restoration efforts started.
In total the cost of Hurricane Katrina in US 2005 dollars was $81 billion with significant damage to the forestry, fishing, agricultural and tourism industries. In addition the delays in rebuilding, relocating to other surrounding states and even the emotional and financial devastation on an individual level continues to impact on the area where the storm came ashore.