Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina made landfall at Hallandale Beach, Fl August, 25 2005 as a Category 1 Rating. I remember it well as I was within the eye center on a few miles to the North in Ft Lauderdale. This puts my location on the dirty side of the storm's center Northeast quadrant. Forming over the Caribbean we had little time to prepare and some didn't. Hurricane Katrina was one of six consecutive weeks of Friday Afternoon Hurricane Emergency Alerts in South Florida in 2005.



I remember Katrina well because as she left South Florida she was headed for the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico drawing more strength. Within a day or two she hit 175 mph qualifying her as a Category 5 storm. The projected landfall was New Orleans, La. As a very scary storm. Less than 24 hours out she took a slight jog to the Northeast and wind speeds dropped to 120mph Category 3. Still a very strong storm.
Katrina scored 14 deaths in Florida as a Cat 1 storm.

The Storm made landfall in Mississippi/Louisiana border on Monday August 29th 2005.
Bush 43 declared a state of emergency on August 27, 2005. New Orleans did nothing in preparation for the impending catastrophe at sea. The National Weather Service did their job. Everyone from Wasthington, DC to Baton Rogue, La new it was bad for the Gulf Coast residents.

For reasons unclear to myself the people of New Orleans waited four days for the destruction to arrive. The first line of defense was the Mayor 's Office to protect his city. The people who live in the crater of a Volcano should have an exit strategy plan in place. New Orleans Plan was evidently to rely on the Federal Government to save their city.

Never put your faith in the Federal Government for anything. To rely on the Fed will always be disappointing. I consider this the first and biggest mistake of the New Orleans Catastrophe.


The New Orleans catastrophe was not about wind speeds or flood surge. The New Orleans Catastrophe story is a referendum on the the people of New Orleans. Nothing was planned and therefore nothing was finalized. The pumps and levies were not maintained and nobody did anything other than complain to others to come fix my problem.

The preparedness plan for Florida would be significantly different for New Orleans. South Florida Water Management services their pump station as a means of conservation. They must work to provide water to it's enormous population. Water is pumped out prior to hurricanes in anticipation of the deluge. Excess water is runoff. New Orleans hasn't any runoff as they live below sea level. Hurricane Andrew roared ashore in August 92 with winds of over 220 mph and the loss of life was minimal.

The people of Minnesota don't rely on the Fed to push their snow. They know it's gonna snow and prepare accordingly. They rely on FEMA as a secondary measure of support after states declare aid is needed, not before.

1577 people in New Orleans died needlessly, had they been prepared. The question today is are they prepared or are they going to rely on Uncle Sam as a lifeguard again.

The Federal Government failed the people in 2001 against a band of deranged thugs commandeering airliners. Then again 2005 New Orleans Catastrophe. The again in the Bankster Scandal of 2007. Then again 2010 Wright Eggs Gate and again 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Explosions.

This isn't bad luck we suffer from, it's bad government who is the villain.