What Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts Were Successful?

After an initial blow to Florida, Hurricane Katrina strengthened and hit Louisiana with a vengeance in 2005. It was the costliest hurricane in history, leaving thousands homeless and jobless. Because it was such a destructive hurricane, many relief organizations were scrambling to help. The relief efforts after this devastating hurricane hit were numerous. Some were disorganized and poorly run; however, many relief efforts were successful.

On Sunday, August 28th, Hurricane Katrina became a major hurricane. New Orleans Mayor Nagin declared a mandatory evacuation and opened the Superdome for those who were unable to leave. The National Guard stationed 550 troops there to screen people for weapons, and the Louisiana National Guard delivered food for 15,000 people that would last three days.

• Monday, August 29th - Katrina made landfall. The Louisiana National Guard had called around 3500 to active duty. The evacuation of the city was called successful, thanks to the Guard’s coordinated effort with neighboring states.

• Tuesday, August 30th - 7500 guardsmen were on duty. The USS Bataan was positioned near New Orleans before Katrina was thought to hit, and began relief operations on August 30.

• Wednesday, August 31st - Relief supplies arrived at the Superdome. The number of guardsmen on duty rose to 8300.

• On Thursday, September 1st - Supply trucks and 475 buses bring food to the Superdome.

Organizations Which Sent Relief

Many organizations were very successful in the relief effort:

• The American Red Cross mounted its biggest relief effort in its history. It organized tens of thousands of volunteers to help out. The Red Cross sent 74,000 volunteers who helped provide shelter to more than 160,000 people, and supplied more than 7.5 million meals.
• Feeding America, formerly known as America’s Second Harvest, collected over 33 million pounds of food for Katrina relief. They set up a temporary warehouse and distributed food even before Katrina hit, as well as after. Their food bank in New Orleans, the Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, was up and running in just a few days after the hurricane came ashore.
• Aramark served more than 110,000 meals a day for 26,000 evacuees and also provided cleaning and maintenance services. Aramark was praised by the American Red Cross for their efforts.
• Camp Hope helped with damaged homes in the aftermath of Katrina. They went in and removed debris out of houses which was a health and safety hazard, so they could be rebuilt instead of demolished. They basically gutted the houses so they could be reclaimed. As of August 2006, 1668 homes were finished.

There were many more organizations which helped out in the relief effort. 

According to the Department of Homeland Security, as of September 3, 2005, 11,500 lives were saved, 25,000 people were evacuated, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed 6.7 million liters of water and 1.9 million MREs (meals that are ready to eat). The number of people sent from the Coast Guard was 4,000, the National Guard deployed 22,000, and FEMA sent 5,000.

After Katrina

Damage to homes and buildings was only part of the total damage that Hurricane Katrina left in her wake.

• Major highways were destroyed.
• Thirty oil platforms were obliterated and nine refineries were sufficiently damaged to require closing.
• Environmental damage was also devastating. 
• There was a tremendous amount of beach erosion.
• Some islands off the coast were severely damaged.
• Over a million acres of forest are totally gone.
• Sixteen National Wildlife Refuges have been closed.
• The flooding alone has killed much wildlife and plant life.

Some of this damage will never be fixed, others will take more time and effort. It will be a while before New Orleans is restored to her former glory.