Case Study Topic and Thesis Statement

Case Study Topic and Thesis Statement

University of phoenix

SCI/362 Environmental Issues and Ethics

Case Study Topic and Thesis Statement

A). Case Study Topic: Hurricane Katrina

1. Chapter: 5

2. Pages: 110-111

3. Author: Raven

B). Thesis Statement:

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating time for the United States of American, even for the people who did not live in the state of Louisiana or the city that had the greatest impact of New Orleans. This category 5 storm struck a wide swath of destruction in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. Katrina is estimated to have caused close to $81 billion in damages (Raven, 2009). A category 5 storm has wind-speeds greater than 155 mph and typical storm water surges are greater than 18 feet (Raven, 2009). This paper will look at the events during and immediately after the storm hit New Orleans. By the time the storm hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the storm had lost some intensity and been downgraded to a category 3 storm, a storm with winds of 127 mph. The storm hit during high tide which intensifies the water surge swell. Though images of sections of the roof of the Superdome blowing off may seem to counter the argument, it was not the strong winds that caused a majority of the damage. Many scientists have determined the majority of the damage was inflicted by flooding; flooding that occurred due to catastrophic failure of the levee system (Raven, 2009). The flooding was exacerbated by specific hazards related to building a city in a delta, wetland environment. Poor governance on local, state and national levels also intensified the hazards. However the flooding focused the nation's attention on the factors and inequality that lead to the increased vulnerability of certain segments of New Orleans population.

Hurricane Katrina had major implications for many demographic segments of New Orleans; however, people with limited means and resources were impacted the most. New Orleans...