How Many People Died During Hurricane Katrina?

At least 1836 people died during hurricane Katrina - either from the hurricane or the floods caused by it.  It was the third deadliest hurricane in U.S. history and was the deadliest one since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane.  Let’s look at all the effects hurricane Katrina had on the United States. 

We know that at least 1836 people died during Hurricane Katrina, but where and how did the deaths occur? 

• Hurricane Katrina made landfall in both Florida and Louisiana. 
• There were some deaths in Florida, but most of them occurred in Louisiana, where Hurricane Katrina had strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall.  
• One of the reasons there were so many deaths was due to the failing of the levee system in New Orleans. 
• The levees didn’t actually fail, but parts of the levee system had been replaced with walls and these walls could not stand the force of Hurricane Katrina. 
• 80% of the city and many parishes near by were flooded. 
• Severe damage occurred on the Gulf coast, as many beachfront towns were flooded and severely damaged.  
• Hurricane Katrina holds the record as the costliest natural disaster in the history of the U.S. 
• The property damage is estimated to be $81 billion. 

As of 2010, there are still thousands of displaced people from Louisiana and Mississippi who are living in temporary housing. 

Other Deadly Hurricanes

The deadliest hurricane in US history was the 1900 Galveston hurricane, sometimes called the Great Galveston Hurricane. 

• It made landfall on September 8, 1900 as a Category 4 and killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. 
• Most estimates put the death toll at around 8,000. 
• The hurricane was only a tropical storm when it entered the Gulf of Mexico. 
• The waters were very warm and the storm grew into a hurricane in a few days. 
• The highest point of land in Galveston is 8.7 feet and the storm surge from the hurricane was over 15 feet, which means the entire island was covered with rushing and deadly water. 

Second Deadliest Hurricane

The second deadliest hurricane was the Okeechobee hurricane which hit the Leeward Islands, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Florida in September of 1928. 

• It was the only Category 5 hurricane to ever hit Puerto Rico and killed 300 people there. 
• In south Florida, the storm surge from Lake Okeechobee breached the dike and flooded hundreds of square miles, killing at least 2500 people. 
• Overall, at least 4078 people died as a result of the Okeechobee hurricane.

Life of a Hurricane

Hurricanes start out as tropical storms over the warm waters and humid air near the equator. As warm air rises, less air is left at the surface and a low pressure area develops. Clouds begin to form and soon the whole storm is spinning and growing. An eye forms and the storm spins faster.

In order to grow, a tropical storm needs to be over water that is 79 degrees F. or higher. When the wind speed reaches 74 miles an hour, the storm is classified a hurricane.

According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, there are five categories of hurricanes. Here is a break down of each category:          

• Category 1 = wind speed 74-95, minimal damage, some flooding, 4-5 ft. storm surge
• Category 2 = wind speed 96-110, moderate damage to buildings, more damage to vegetation, flooding, 6-8 ft. storm surge
• Category 3 = wind speed 111-130, extensive damage to buildings, mobile homes destroyed, extensive flooding, 9-12 ft. storm surge
• Category 4 = wind speed 131-155, extreme damage to buildings, erosion of beach, massive flooding, 13-18 ft. storm surge
• Category 5 = wind speed more than 155, catastrophic damage with complete roof or building destruction, extreme flooding, over 18 ft. storm surge

So, now you know how many people died during Hurricane Katrina, as well as some other key details about the storm.