Introduction
This Website is about one of the worst (if not the worst) natural disasters in the history of the United States. This is about the havoc that a hurricane shed on a very large region of the United States. It's not just about New Orleans, its about the entire Gulf Coast, the entire United States. The devastation is beyond belief, and this online experience is about education, humanity, and hope for the future. In this experience you will learn something about hurricanes, but more importantly a lot about the region and the people that this particular hurricane, "Hurricane Katrina" impacted. Hurricane Katrina brought havoc to an area of approximately 90,000 square miles. This activity and resource is designed to help us understand the magnitude of this natural disaster, and to point us toward ways to reduce the destruction and loss of life caused by natural disasters.
The Storm, a PBS Documentary about the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina is an important resources for teachers and students. HBO has created a television series entitled Treme, which is ongoing, and linked on this page.
Objectives of the Website
Use the resources of the website as a teaching resource to explore the following questions:
- How did Hurricane Katrina originate, how did it develop, and what was its path of destruction?
- In what ways was the geology and topography of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast a contributing factor to the storm's destructive power?
- What preparation was taken in advance of hurricane Katrina to lessen the impact of the storm on the Gulf Coast region?
- How did people cope or not cope with the aftermath of the Hurricane and the subjequent flooding of New Orleans?
- How did FEMA and state and local agencies react to the disaster?
- What are some measures that the government, agencies, developers, and people can take to lessen the impact of future hurricanes?