Hvor meget varsel havde nye orleans før katrina?
Preparations for Hurricane Katrina
Allerede den 26. august overvejede man muligheden for en katastrofe uden fortilfælde. Nogle computermodeller placerede byen New Orleans lige midt i deres sandsynlighed for at blive ramt, og sandsynligheden for et direkte angreb blev anslået til 17 % (med en sandsynlighed for et angreb, der steg til 29 % den 28. august). Dette scenario blev betragtet som en potentiel katastrofe, fordi 80 % af New Orleans' hovedstadsområde ligger under havets overflade langs Lake Pontchartrain. Da stormfloden fra orkanens højre frontkvadrant (som indeholder de kraftigste vinde) var over 6 m nær Biloxi, frygtede beredskabsmyndighederne i New Orleans, at stormfloden kunne gå over toppen af de diger, der beskyttede byen, og forårsage store oversvømmelser. Denne risiko for ødelæggelse havde været kendt i nogen tid; tidligere undersøgelser foretaget af FEMA og Army Corps of Engineers havde advaret om, at et direkte orkanangreb på New Orleans kunne føre til massive oversvømmelser, som ville medføre tusindvis af druknedødsfald og mange flere, der ville lide af sygdom og dehydrering, efterhånden som oversvømmelserne langsomt trak sig tilbage fra byen.
Preparations for Hurricane Katrina
By August 26, the possibility of unprecedented cataclysm was already being considered. Some computer models were putting the city of New Orleans right in the center of their track probabilities, and the chances of a direct hit were forecast at 17% (with strike probability rising to 29% by August 28). This scenario was considered a potential catastrophe because 80% of the New Orleans metropolitan area is below sea level along Lake Pontchartrain. Since the storm surge produced by the hurricane's right-front quadrant (containing the strongest winds) was more than 20 ft (6 m) near Biloxi, emergency management officials in New Orleans feared that the storm surge could go over the tops of levees protecting the city, causing major flooding. This risk of devastation had been known for some time; previous studies by FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers had warned that a direct hurricane strike on New Orleans could lead to massive flooding, which would lead to thousands of drowning deaths, as well as many more suffering from disease and dehydration, as the flood waters slowly receded from the city.
Preparations for Hurricane Katrina