New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina, a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, with 125 mph (200 km/h) winds as a strong Category 3 hurricane, and as the eye of Hurricane Katrina swept to the northeast, it subjected the city to hurricane conditions for hours. Katrina's storm surge caused 53 levee breaches in the federally built levee system protecting metro New Orleans and the failure of the 40 Arpent Canal levee. Failures occurred in New Orleans and surrounding communities, especially St. Bernard Parish. The major levee breaches in the city included breaches at the 17th Street Canal levee, the London Avenue Canal, and the wide, navigable Industrial Canal, which left approximately 80% of the city flooded.[1] As a result of the sheer magnitude of the damage, many of these flooded portions were left empty for several years after the water receded and continued to sustain damage caused by natural weathering until they were finally cleared.
Coverage[]
These abandoned parts of New Orleans are featured in Waters of Death, where 4 years after people have seen the future that's already visited the city, the real devastation often comes after a long-term siege. Mike Folse guides and explains the destructive effect of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Landfall[]
Hurricane Katrina damages the levees, flooding the area.
On August 29, 2005, the storm waters of Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the levees and tore through the city, destroying 160,000 homes, and 4 years later, the scars remain. Mike Folse shows the waterline was from Hurricane Katrina; here it is less than two feet below the levees, meaning it is little more than 17 feet above the ground.
The Aftermath[]
After Katrina, four years later, the mud and debris have been cleared, the 270 gates & the 520 miles of levees have been fortified, and new homes are being built. However, recovery has lagged in parts of the lower Ninth Ward, providing a grim preview of life after people. 19,000 people once lived in the area; a few were celebrities like rock n' roll legend Fats Domino, and others were part of the lifeblood of New Orleans, staffing the hotels and playing in the cafes. Many lost almost everything they had to Katrina, and 4 years later, fewer than 20% had returned. Mike Folse stated that Hurricane Katrina destroyed houses so they couldn't be repaired, and the people washed out of the area.
A ruined house; though the building was stripped to its wooden frame, the ceramic floor tiles have survived more or less intact.
The ruins of the homes are a warning to other flood-prone communities, and the roof of the home had buckled and broken under the flood's weight as waters surged in from above and through walls and windows. Mike Folse shows a typical wood-framed house that one can find in the lower Ninth Ward or St. Bernard Parish. He explains that the water was above 16 feet high in the area, and water has put a lot of force on wood. He continues after 4 years; it was initially gutted and continued to deteriorate. However, one material endured the destructive power of water: the ceramic tiles, bonded to the hidden concrete slab, may be the last part of the house to go. The clay and water compound has been sealed with a chemical glaze that keeps out heat, moisture, and bacteria, and most ceramics combine elements of oxygen or nitrogen with aluminum, calcium, or silicon, making them strong, crystalline, and atomic structures that resist moisture. Ceramic tiles have kept out water and decay for centuries around the world. Mike Folse predicts that the floor will last for hundreds of years. Although intact, it will soon be buried by what's left of the roof. Mike Folse stated that a good gust of wind will hit it and knock it over the rest of the way because it doesn't have a lot of residual strength in it. He continues that once the bricks fall over, the frame doesn't have a lot of resistance to wind, and he predicts in 10 years, it will be a pile of rubble on the ground and could happen next year if another major hurricane arrives.
Stachybotrys on the walls after Hurricane Katrina.
Between the 18th century and the first decade of the 21st century, New Orleans suffered a dozen direct hits from hurricanes and severe tropical storms, but drainage pumps always dried things out, and people always rebuilt. Mike Folse told the story of Hurricane Betsy in 1965 when the area they're in was about eight feet of water. He continues that he lived a couple of miles to the east in St. Bernard Parish, where they got three feet of water in the house, and it took the neighborhood a year to recover. He stated that Hurricane Betsy was nothing like Hurricane Katrina, which was 10 times worse. Many homes in St. Bernard Parish not only bear the marks of Katrina's savagery and man's neglect but also show the spread of a microscopic predator that infests all homes threatened by water. Inside the apartments, high moisture levels encourage the growth of mold spores, and out of more than 100,000 kinds of mold, the most common species associated with water damage in homes is stachybotrys. The mold decomposes all of the wood beneath, undermining the structure of the walls and ceilings, which leaves the apartments more vulnerable to the hurricanes that are guaranteed to strike again.
Exploration Conclusion[]
The episode ends the exploration with a quote from Mike Folse stating that in 20 years, the buildings will be piles of rubble on the ground with trees and vines growing over the top of the rubble.
Errors[]
- Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, but the show's information is for August 28, 2005, or the day before its actual landfall.
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