Hurricane Katrina summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina, Tropical cyclone that struck the U.S. in 2005. The storm that became Hurricane Katrina was one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, with winds in excess of 170 mi (275 km) per hour. On August 29 the hurricane struck Louisiana and, later, Mississippi. It caused massive destruction, especially in New Orleans, where the levee system failed. By August 30, about 80 percent of the city was underwater. A public-health emergency ensued, and civil disorder was widespread until an effective military presence was established on September 2. Ultimately, the storm and its aftermath caused more than $160 billion in damage and claimed more than 1,800 lives. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Gulf of Mexico Summary

Gulf of Mexico, partially landlocked body of water on the southeastern periphery of the North American continent. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, running between the peninsula of Florida and the island of Cuba, and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatán Channel, which

New Orleans Summary

New Orleans, city, southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Unquestionably one of the most distinctive cities of the New World, New Orleans was established at great cost in an environment of conflict. Its strategic position, commanding the mouth of the great Mississippi-Missouri river system, which drains the

Louisiana Summary

Louisiana, constituent state of the United States of America. It is delineated from its neighbours—Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and Texas to the west—by both natural and man-made boundaries. The Gulf of Mexico lies to the south. The total area of Louisiana includes about 4,600

Mississippi Summary

Mississippi, constituent state of the United States of America. Its name derives from a Native American word meaning “great waters” or “father of waters.” Mississippi became the 20th state of the union in 1817. Jackson is the state capital. Mississippi is smaller than most of the U.S. states and is