New Orleans Hurricane Katrina

GEO 1000 ­ Natural Disasters
Hurricane Report Governor Bobby Jindal,
INTRO
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina had a large negative effect on the city of New Orleans and it’s surrounding areas. In this paper I will discuss the initial impact Hurricane Katrina had on the population and demographics of New Orleans, and deeply examine changes and progress from the day of the disaster to present day.
IMPACT
Hurricane Katrina reached land from the gulf of Mexico on August 29th, 2005, just 10 miles east from New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina drastically impacted the population and demographics of New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans was the 31st largest city in the country with a population of 454,863 in 2005. The 2004 American Census reported that 69% of
city’s population was black, whites 28%, and Asians 2%. Of this population about 24% were living under the poverty line. New Orleans post­Katrina population reduced to only several thousand. The storm left only 36% of homes undestructed yet still 70% of jobs remained intact.
Despite regrowth, 8 years later most evacuees have yet to return (Action Plan for New Orleans:
The New American City).
NINE YEARS LATER
Nine years after Katrina, New Orleans is a much smaller city. The 2010 Census concluded that the population is 343,829. Although the city has regained a majority of it’s population since the levees failed, it is still shy by over 100,000 residents. Changes in

demographics include 118,526 fewer African Americans , 24,101 fewer whites, 1,019 fewer
Asians, but the number of Hispanics grew by 3,225. African Americans still represent 60 percent of the city’s population. Today the poverty rate is the same as it was pre­katrina, 27%. New
Orlean’s crime rate remains the same as it was in 2000, twice the national rate. Although the recovery of the population of the city is not complete due to the fact that the same population levels have not been reached, with time this completion will occur. Through government funding draining, cleaning, and reconstruction have taken place drawing populations back in. Funds have gone to the improvements of the Levee system to prevent this scale of damage from occurring again. On January 11th, 2006 the New Orleans’ urban planning committee proposed an
action plan ­ “The New American City”.
This plan is composed of the construction of better flood and stormwater protection, new public transit, parks and open space, and neighborhood rebuilding.
The city has been reinforced by a new system of levees, pumps, and gates to protect the city.
New high speed light rail trains have been added to connect people throughout the city and it’s surrounding regions. Multi­functional parks have been created in every neighborhood in an attempt to connect neighborhoods and employment (The Data Center). All of this was an attempt to bring population back, and increase land value and overall quality of life for residents.
It is crucial to rebuild the city as it is the center of a metropolitan area with over $500 billion in real estate assets (Action Plan for New Orleans: The New American City). New
Orleans is attracting a new type of person. Demographers conclude that there has been a large increase of college aged individuals now residing in the city as means of a place to begin their

careers (New Orleans Since Katrina: Before And After). With time New Orleans will return to it’s booming self as residences return to their old home, and as new residents build theirs.
REFERENCES
Action Plan for New Orleans: The New American City. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/documents/2006/jan/CityPlanningFinalReport.pdf New Orleans Since Katrina: Before And After. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/new­orleans­since­katrina_n_1834696.h tml
The Data Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.datacenterresearch.org