In August 2005, New Orleans was hit by a category 5 Hurricane known as Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city that had once been known for Mardi Gras and Creole. By the time Katrina passed a levee had broken flooding over 80% of the city and leaving more than a thousand dead. Today, the city of New Orleans still shows evidence of the Katrina’s damage and many have not returned to the place they once called home. New Orleans is not ready for another hurricane because it is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The city of New Orleans is not ready for another hurricane because the government may not be ready for a catastrophe of such proportions. New Orleans is not ready for another hurricane because it has yet to fix the levee. New Orleans is not ready for another hurricane.
Three years after Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans the city is still littered with destruction. Charity foundations like Habitat for Humanity work to rebuild homes and help the citizens of New Orleans regain some semblance of their former lives, but there are many homes that are still in shambles. The majority of those homes are the result of no insurance or insurance companies that will not pay, so people have no opportunity to rebuild their lives. So, in addition to the many lives that were lost and displaced there are also many lives that simply cannot move forward.
Another reason why New Orleans may not be ready for another hurricane is because the government may not be ready for another catastrophe of those proportions. During Hurricane Katrina, the government was slow to respond and many feel that their response caused the loss of more lives. Many citizens of the city did not evacuate although they had been instructed too. Many did not evacuate because they had no means no car, no money, no place for their pets. Those who stayed drowned in their homes waiting for help that did not come. Before the city can handle another hurricane their local, state, and national governments need to have funds in reserve to evacuate the poor and the defenseless.
New Orleans has one last major issue to tackle before it can handle another hurricane and that is the levees. Because the levees broke the city flooded and many more lives were lost. To date the levees are being repaired and there is an enormous budget to make sure that what happened in 2005 will not repeat itself; however the project is scheduled to be completed by 2011. That leaves three years in which the city will be surrounded by an insufficient levee.
What happened in New Orleans was an American tragedy. It would have been a tragedy no matter the location, but it was more of a tragedy because so many things could have been prevented if people had been more prepared. If the city receives another devastating blow rebuilding could become impossible. New Orleans is not ready for another Hurricane.
