Hurricane Katrina facts – 38 Interesting Facts About Hurricane Katrina

Facts About Hurricane Katrina

40 percent of the deaths in Louisiana were caused by drowning, and more than 50% were above 70 years.

The Hurricane Katrina forced work in 614 oil platforms to be stopped, and workers were evacuated inland. The Hurricane led to a fall in oil production by a third.

Mississippi had a flourishing forest industry which was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The storm affected 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2) of forest and lost to industry was estimated to the tune of $5 Billion.

Hurricane Katrina led to one of the largest evacuation in US history 1.3 million people were evacuated from South East Louisiana while another 400,000 were evacuated from New Orleans. New Orleans had a population of 488,674 in 2000, and in 2014, the population was 384, 000.

The storm forced the closure of 15 National Wildlife Refuges

National Wildlife Refuge lost 50% of its area in the storm.

The habitats of numerous species like sea turtles, Mississippi sandhill cranes, Red-cockaded woodpeckers and Alabama Beach mice was destroyed.

New Orleans faced the brunt of Katrina’s fury, and 80% of the city was flooded, and 900,000 residents had to go without electricity. Loss was to the tune of $150 billion.

Moore than 9000 people took refuge in the Louisiana Superdome along with 550 National Guardsmen. It became the last refuge for people who were unable to evacuate in time.

Most of the roads leading into and out of New Orleans were damaged leaving only two roads; westbound Crescent City Connection and the Huey P. Long Bridge were left functioning.