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How Did Hurricane Katrina Affected New Orleans

Decent Essays

On August 29th, 2005, tragedy struck New Orleans, Louisiana, and the surrounding areas. After this day, New Orleans would never be the same. The tragedy that changed New Orleans forever is called Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina affected the culture, the government and the spirit of New Orleans. It also affected all of the citizens that evacuated and stayed at home. Although Hurricane Katrina occurred almost 10 years ago, the effects of the storm will forever affect New Orleans. New Orleans has always been regarded as a “mixing pot” of cultures. From its origins, the mix of Spanish, French and Haitian cultures defined New Orleans as a city very different from others. New Orleans is also known for its annual celebration of Mardi Gras. …show more content…

Their preparedness methods became more rigorous and the idea of evacuating became a more familiar choice. Missie Noel describes the effects of the storm by saying, “ I think I’m more prepared and I take more things with me when I evacuate. I don’t just assume that we’ll be back home the next day and everything will be fine.” Citizens were more aware of the danger that surrounded them and tried to improve their community as much as possible to prevent a tragedy like this ever happening again. However, New Orleans residents did find a light at the end of the dark tunnel that this storm created for them. With hard work and perseverance, recovery began. Not only New Orleans residents, but people from all over the world came to New Orleans to rebuild. Billy Sothern supports this idea by writing: …But in these moments the people have led, in our noble tradition, and worked to lessen the burden of those who struggle. This is why thousands of people have come to New Orleans and the Gulf coast to help. This is how the tragic deaths of more than a hundred women in the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory ultimately led to the New Deal more than twenty years later. This is what the dedicated citizens of New Orleans and this country will make real for themselves. This is the best that anyone can ever hope will arise from …show more content…

In a study by University of Mississippi researchers, 55 Louisiana ZIP codes were examined and researchers found that the July 2007 population was an estimated 806,545, about 25 percent below the 1,080,456 population that was expected if Katrina had not happened. Factors that could have led to this large population decline are evacuees staying where they evacuated or residents’ homes being destroyed and having to relocate. Since Katrina, New Orleans has overcome many hurdles to what the city is today. A steady increase of people relocating back to New Orleans and tourism revenue has been the main force behind the recovery. When the Saints won the Superbowl in 2009, a revived sense of pride in New Orleans occurred. Tourism began to increase again with Mardi Gras visitors, business conferences and the Superbowl that was held in the city in 2013. Ian McNulty discusses the new image of New Orleans by writing: As New Orleans emerges from Katrina, inevitably smaller, tougher, and maybe smarter than before, I hope the Big Easy nickname can finally be retired as obsolete. If we need a nickname, I’d endorse an older one— the Crescent City, an elegant tribute to the great bend in the Mississippi River that gave the port town its original form and purpose. Better still, though, I’d prefer to update that old nickname for more recent history. For me, New Orleans will always be the Unsinkable Crescent

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