SOCIAL EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SOCIAL EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA - Essay Example After some days of disaster, the flood water gradually went down so that officials could identify the losses caused by the Katrina. Although the deaths had been estimated as 10,000 in New Orleans, the actual numbers were much more than that. Dead bodies were found even after six months from the disaster. Louisiana lost 1,080 people out of the confirmed deaths whereas it was more than 200 in the case of Mississippi. The elderly people had been mainly struck by the disaster and 75% of them lost their life out of 15% elderly population of New Orleans (66-67). In addition to the massive deaths, there were countless people who got seriously injured. At the same time, many people missed their family members and they did not get any information about their loved ones. Similarly, huge numbers of animals, birds and other pets also perished. Although the rescue volunteers had saved number of animals from the damaged building parts, they could not properly handover these animals to their master s. The intensity of the disaster was immeasurable for it destroyed acres of land and trees and thereby a wide range of mammals and reptiles lost their habitats. The violent attack of Katrina shattered a large number of people who had mainly depended on fishing and forestry. Gallons of oil spilled across various parts of the country including Gulf coast and neighborhoods of St. Bernard Parish (Palser). The oil components and other chemicals were mixed together and formed different toxic compounds. Scientists reported that this mixture compounds would affect the ecosystem for decades. The remnants of the buildings caused many allergic reactions and breathing problems. Similarly, large amounts of sludge formed across the affected parts of the United States; it dried later thereby the dust mixed with air, which caused adverse health problems. The Hurricane Katrina produced heaps of dirt in the cities, which would result in sequences of immunity problems. Although officials had declared that the city was safe enough to live, some scientists disagreed with the argument since they could find some poisoning substances in the soil (Palser). The Hurricane Katrina was the most ‘expensive’ natural disaster in the US history. The government spent billions of dollars for the rescue operations, financial assistance, and rehabilitation activities. There are no accurate data available on indirect financial losses such as job losses, impact on fishing and forestry, and other soil related consequences. The disaster also raised some political problems in US due to the delayed governmental response; and it led to the resignation of Michael brown, the head of FEMA. Likewise, great dilemma prevailed regarding the renovation of the city, New Orleans. The FEMA took considerable efforts in structuring schooling facilities in the city. Part II Rehabilitation After the flames of the disaster had been removed, there arose a cumbersome task of rebuilding the cities and providi ng rehabilitation to people. Since the Katrina completely swept away the whole and soul of the affected cities, the government had to take huge efforts to rebuild the town from ‘vacuum’. As we described above different politicians had different views on the matter. Similarly, some people argued that New Orleans should not be rebuilt (Palser, 2007, p.79). They pointed out that