Hurricane Katrina (2005)

Hurricane Katrina, a record storm that was part of a record hurricane season, was the costliest disaster to strike the United States, and also one of the deadliest when it struck the nation on August 29, 2005. In the United States, the storm most directly affected South Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Other nations, particularly, Cuba, also were affected by the storm. Many communities along the Gulf Coast were severely damaged or destroyed in the storm. In particular, Katrina's effect on New Orleans, Louisiana, stood out to many as emblematic of the severity of the storm and the problems in disaster preparedness and response, as well as some broader social problems it revealed.

Katrina began as Tropical Depression Twelve of the 2005 hurricane season in the ...