Hurricane Katrina: A Modern American Disaster

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[@geographicstravel]

Thanks to Bespoke Post for sponsoring this video! New subscribers get 20% off their first box - go to bspk.me/geographics20 and enter code GEOGRAPHICS20 at checkout.

[@hobbymlati]

How about an episode about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis?

[@jjlortez]

Hmm his kid is not in the B-Roll someone got it trouble. What comes after the basement?

[@barrydysert2974]

Fact Check: 5:15 SUBSIDENCE Not subsistence!

[@kellychuang8373]

I can say also good video and if you haven't may want to look into this interesting disaster that's described as the modern Vesuvius, Mt. Pelee of the Saint Pierre eruption of Martinique with really interesting survivors like a prisoner who survived through the impossible anyway Google, KZbin or find out all you can about this.

[@Neauxluh]

I was there for Katrina and Ida. Ida was a worse storm. It hit the suburbs where actual productive people live. We're still struggling and no one is helping bc there's not muh black victims all over tv. Same goes for Lake Charles, no one cares if it's white lower or middle class Americans. Not enough victim points to go around.

[@Marb227]

Typically whenever natural disasters happen, we're left to fend for ourselves. People seldom mention that Mexico sent us a lot of aid from military to supplies. The Mexican marines were deployed to assist US forces in rescue and cleanup efforts. The first time that the Mexican military was deployed to the US in like 150 something years.

[@invadererc2365]

Awesome point. Mexico really rode in on a white horse when we needed them most.

[@aragos32727]

I never actually knew that.

[@nachoisone]

I remember reading an article about that when it happened. I covered it for homework in social studies where we had to present a current event!

[@sallyintucson]

I’ve never heard of this before. Thank you.

[@aint_no_saint8782]

Not to take away from the Mexican Government stepping up, but other neighbours helped out too. Granted Mexico may not have the resources of other countries so their contribution is more significant.

[@chefjrmz]

I had moved from Huntsville AL to Houston earlier that year. Some friends in NO had to come stay with us for awhile. Then Rita came. Houston began evacuating and I was given the week off to go back home and get the rest of my stuff. It took 24 hrs just to get to the Tx La state line. At one gas station that had fuel, there was a couple of officers trying to keep the peace. One sat indifferent, the other losing patience. He had signaled that I would be the last before he shut it down. When my turn came, he forced me off. When I responded that he had given me permission, he threatened to arrest me. I made it to the next available place but had to push my truck 3 car lengths to the pump since I ran out right then. It took another 12 hours to get to my father's house. A 12 hr trip that took 36. When we got there my uncle was watching it go down on the weather channel. A Texan was live on a phone, and in typical texas fashion said "yeah it's raining, but where's the hurricane?" About an hour or 2 later the tornado warning sirens went off. The woman who had traveled with me freaked out asking what it was. My uncle and myself were unphased. That's just a tornado, we're fine. Typical Bama fashion lol. End of the week I put her in a plane to go back and rented a uhaul for my truck. I didnt account on the gas shortage happing. On my way back, at about 3AM I ran out. I got out and abandoned my stuff and started walking. A man from Mobile saw my truck and trailer then found me a few miles down. He stopped, with his young daughter, and picked me up. He had several gas cans full and took me back to my truck, which took 2 overshoots to get to on the interstate. We filled my tank with enough and he followed me to the nearest working station that was about 35 miles away. He wouldnt accept any payment for the fuel he donated. To this day I help strangers in the same way. Once even getting a standing ovation from a womans group, Mommies of the Heights, after I helped one change a tire early one morning. She happened to be running for a school council seat and knew where I worked. Didnt ask for the owner, although she had heard what I did, and didnt ask for the head chef. My mother warns that I'm gonna get hurt or robbed doing this but I remind her that I've been stranded worse and a good man helped me. It is my duty and honor to pay it forward. Wherever you are, Sir, I won't forget. Bless

[@barrydysert2974]

Love Joy Blessings 🙏

[@prtdiva]

Sad and beautiful story. Thank you for sharing ❤️

[@BrandyHoelscher]

That’s a beautiful story. We see the best in humanity when the kindness and generosity of strangers triumphs over unexpected or traumatic situations. Being able to pay it forward later is a great feeling.

[@PMickeyDee]

We traveled from calcasieu parish to pearl, Mississippi what is normally a 6 hour trip took us 12 & my grandparents 36. I was too young to drive back then so I have no clue how my dad did it, but the only time I remember getting on the interstate was through Alexandria.

[@johnchedsey1306]

that reminds me of a story I once heard, with the moral being "today you, tomorrow me". In other words, help someone now because tomorrow it may be you needing help.

[@Jerorawr_XD]

I spent a few weeks in New Orleans after that disaster helping rebuild homes. It's hard to describe the deviation but one thing I will say is that you learn a lot about people from the stuff they leave behind. All the junk we hauled out of an abandoned apartment used to be people's treasures and possessions and I got to know the previous owners by what they used to eat, the DVDs they had, the posters, what kind of clothes they liked. It was surreal. I will never forget the sight of a refrigerator stuck in a tree that became home to a squirrels nest. That was in the 9th ward. Crazy stuff.

[@averagemcgee8604]

I understand what you mean. I wasn't at Katrina, but during the 08' housing crisis, and everyone was losing their homes, I was around 12. My dad lost his job, but managed to get a job working for a bank doing a "trash outs" through a friend. My dad, brother, and I, would go into repossessed homes, and have to throw out anything that was left. If we didn't do it, we would've lost our home as well, I'd say I learned a lot about people at that young age as well. It definitely is a surreal feeling throwing out people's memories, and one that has stuck with me since

[@beerthug]

@@averagemcgee8604 I hear ya, had that same job sort of here in Canada. People that didn't pay their rent in apartments and just abandoned them. The owners had a big dumpster out back and the manager told us to throw it all away and keep anything you wanted. All kinds of irreplacible things like family photos and what not, definitely a depressing job.

[@nk6studios]

thank you for your help. one thing that came out of the storm for my wife and I was a renewed sense of humanity. So many amazing people, coming together to help people in need. As a life long New Orleanian, thank you for your help, it is much appreciated.

[@veggigoddess]

Could you imagine if this was a law enforcement that existed in New York during 911? Lol they would have just run the other way like Monty Python with the killer rabbit instead of going in to the dangerous situation😂😂😂😂😂

[@blueg6demon371]

I was stuck at Loius Armstrong airport during this whole thing, it was insane - the sound was unreal. And when those us stranded at the airport were airlifted out the next day we could see all the flooding from the air.

[@hamslicemcdooogle8080]

I was inside Lance Armstrong one time when he started flooding below sea level if you know what I mean.

[@atriyawadhwani5980]

The airport is the safest place in town from flooding!

[@blueg6demon371]

@@atriyawadhwani5980 Thats what the fire fighters that were there said.

[@Replicaate]

I've never been in a hurricane or any TRUE natural disaster, so forgive me if this is a dumb question but did you fear for your life during the storm itself? An airport just feels like it'd be full of way too much breakable glass and flimsy terminal walls, I'd be praying for my inevitable end to be fast at that point.

[@JinxMarie1985]

So tragic.

[@invadererc2365]

The entire response to this disaster was sad. Our National Guard was at the border of Mississippi the next day to help with search and rescue but the Governor of the state refused to let them in. That was followed by finger pointing in the media at the President because, "The National Guard wasn't there in time! Where were they!?!?" (even though they were ready and stalled by the Governor). Sad state of affairs when we have elected leaders and the media playing politics instead of saving lives. Opened my eyes. The following reports on the "looting and raping" were just as bad. Cherry picking a few bad apples to make a story. Katrina made me realize just how pathetic politics can really be. We literally have elected leaders in our country on both sides who treat it like a game.

[@johnchedsey1306]

When it comes to natural disasters, politics MUST be set aside immediately with "how do we help our citizens as fast as possible" being the sole motivation. It's a stain on our country that even natural disasters go through the political games. If a politician isn't actively helping (whether it's their district or elsewhere in the country), they need to get out of the way or just f'n resign.

[@invadererc2365]

@@johnchedsey1306 Totally agree. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@Nichole-wd5ce]

"cherry picking"- we have all seen since that it is not "cherry picking" but typical and standard behavior for certain populations

[@mylesgaston2435]

​@@Nichole-wd5ceSo what's your solution?

[@DFSJR1203]

A group that rescued many people were the "United Cajun Navy". This was a group of Air boat owners that have helped with rescues not only affter Katrina, but also during other emergencies. Maybe you should do a SideProjects video about this group.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

They're just called the 'Cajun Navy' as far as I know, but they're a real entity of locals who make a real difference rescuing locals in boats and keeping their Southern cool in times of crisis. LaPlaaaaaaace, checkin' in! ;)

[@mgailp]

Yep, Cajun Navy for the win. Good people who come together to help others, but technically not an officially recognized group as they are often just whoever has the ability to jump in and help. Organized mostly in times of need through social media.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

Never heard of them. It would be good to hear a positive story about the "real" people doing the real work 💜

[@JordyValentine]

Good on them, but they need a better name

[@Nichole-wd5ce]

Cajun Navy is overwhelmingly white, so no, Simon won't do a video about them

[@stephd2607]

I was living in Long Beach, Mississippi at the time. Lost my house and my job. Turned out to be the best thing for me as I got hired into a great position with a construction company that I moved up in and am celebrating my 16th work anniversary with them this week!

[@invadererc2365]

Heck yeah. Good to hear these kinds of stories. Up here in MN we had refugees here who were still trying to get their feet under them 10 years later.

[@JinxMarie1985]

Sorry for your loss. But great that you've found a way to bounce back from this awful disaster.

[@lsxbird7874]

Im in gulfport. I was only 7 then, but it was a crazy experience. Learned alot living through that

[@TinyScorpion44]

A close friend of mine was 4 when it hit and his family still lives in Long Beach. They were remodeling the kitchen recently and rediscovered 7-8ft high water marks behind the cabinets

[@schawnettarobinson8584]

It was a blessing in disguise for you. Blessings.

[@emileemerryman4650]

When Katrina hit, I remember the children the most. Thousands of displaced children who weren’t sure if their families were dead or alive, and most of them had PTSD from it too. We fostered a little boy until his aunt was found and he would have horrible terrors and flashbacks when he saw trees… so sad.

[@Kiriuu]

My friend knew someone who was adopted from the tragedy. We live in Canada

[@rbryson_f]

I was young when the storm hit, and my family evacuated to Hattiesburg, and then to Memphis after the storm so we could know what happened, (HBG power was out for a week). That's how we learned about everything. I remember seeing a boy who looked a lot like a classmate of mine and my sister's. He was on the news with the faces of a dozen other children, the caption reading "Children with lost parents"

[@29jgirl92]

Poor kid, wonder where he is now and if he's doing okay..

[@zurirobinson2749]

One of the main characters in my stories is a woman who survived Hurricane Katrina when she was 10. (I was 5 when it hit, 12 when I made up the story) She was in NOLA visiting her grandmother when the storm struck. Her grandmother drowned in the storm surge and she was left to fend for herself for several days, and although she was the daughter of a wealthy real estate tycoon, she was abandoned just like all of the poor children she was surrounded by. It was then that she realized her own privilege. She developed PTSD from her ordeal and, as the story is planned, will also survive the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami in the future. I'm here to learn more for my story, but it hurts to remember that actual, real-life humans faced this horror.

[@MultiClittle]

​@@zurirobinson2749 If you ever publish that, or have already, I'd love to read it

[@guaranteedreducedquality]

I was 8yo when Katrina hit. I evacuated to Hammond where my grandmother lived. I remember the left side of the eye went directly above us. We went outside for a few minutes and I can remember the eerie stillness of the air, the clear sunlight above. I couldn’t comprehend the amount of damage at that age. We eventually returned about 5 weeks later. Our brick house on the outskirts of NOLA wasn’t hit too bad, maybe a foot of water and like 1/4 of the roof missing. The trip back home was haunting. As we got closer and closer the damage was more obvious. I saw empty lots where houses used to be. Trees fell and basically cut houses in half. In the end no one I personally knew died, but a two of my fathers coworkers died. It was a horrible event I will remember for the rest of my life…

[@iand4374]

There was an interview with a soldier, who upon return from Iraq he said NOLA looked just like the wartorn areas he patrolled

[@polignac]

I remember being a small child when katrina hit. My family lives in northern louisiana so if any hurricanes do hit us theyre usually not a threat, so we had family from new orleans stay with us. When we were watching the news and footage showed of the neighboorhood they lived in, they completely broke down. They had to move across the state from their home.

[@finchborat]

I was 13. I'm in South Arkansas and we had some Katrina evacuees come here. One was in my Algebra I class for a time that year until her family started to make their way back. Like you and your family, hurricanes aren't much of an issue when they get to AR. Aside from Rita and Laura, the hurricanes I've lived to see come through didn't cause any issues. When Ida was coming through, the most we got was wind (didn't get any rain).

[@MaineCoonMama18]

I went to the New Orleans area 2 years after Katrina (my church youth group helped put the finishing touches on new houses for people). There were still so many destroyed houses & buildings and people living in FEMA trailers. Everyone was so friendly, grateful for even the small amount of help we gave and willing to help each other.

[@MaineCoonMama18]

@@DonLicuala All of the new homes in the area were being built on stilts.

[@joeykonyha2414]

It’s 2022 and there are still areas that remain uninhabited in New Orleans East. Stores empty, houses abandoned.

[@Unb3arablePain]

Hurricane Ida was stronger and stayed over New Orleans longer than Katrina, but the Levees held. The city did lose power for a week but that's nothing compared to flooding. Unfortunately, Katrina made this "improvement" possible through blood, as many things in life have been.

[@elsawilson4418]

I wasn’t living in Louisiana at the of Katrina. Recent transplant from California and just experienced my first hurricane. But I’ve been told that Ida was definitely stronger than Katrina and if the levees had held.. I’m just in awe of the resilience of the people of the south. I did ask myself, hurricane or earthquake?

[@Unb3arablePain]

@@elsawilson4418 the entire USA is basically deciding which natural disasters you're okay with. Blizzards: North East, Tornadoes & Hurricanes: Deep South, wildfires & earthquakes: West Coast, Corn: Midwest But yes, much of the South and especially NOLA has a "we will rebuild" attitude.

[@rinus454]

As a Dutch citizen I think New Orleans is fucked right now. It's not enough to be able to withstand the current level of storms. The water is rising, the temperature is getting warmer, storms are worsening. If your city is not preparing right now for the storms of 50-100 years from now you're just waiting for a repeat. And if the flooding was bad then, what do you think will happen when the flood protection fails with the risen water level? The Netherlands has a state of the art flood protection system and even that will not be good enough 30 years from now. 'Hier gaan over het tij - de maan, de wind en wij' or 'Here rules over the tide - the moon, the wind and us' it says on a plaque at one of our flood protections. I'm very proud of that phrase, but it requires (and will continue to require) a lot of effort to be able to keep saying that. It'll take only one more 1953 for that phrase to be turned from prideful to arrogant

[@sc1338]

@@rinus454 New Orleans is fine

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

@@rinus454 You're likely right. I'm from the River Parishes region of Louisiana, but climate evolutions are more reliable than my egocentrism. But human nature being what it is, we'll make it 'float' as long as possible--'mankind is more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed' as some American patriot once said. We stay with what we know, ultimately... the 'devil you know' versus the devil you don't, knowing how to adjust/adapt/excuse. We're like America's Edinburgh, but with maybe 800 years' less 'tangible' history but just as much high-romantic gore. :)

[@Absaroka]

I remember being 8 watching the news reports. Seeing bodies floating in the streets really shattered my view of the world at that time.

[@JordyValentine]

I have a similar memory, I got up for school and my morning cartoons were replaced by the news playing footage of 911

[@danicalifornia505]

My sister was in college and got out to Jackson MS in time. When she got back in January to the city she helped gut several houses in the closet parishes.

[@montyollie]

I worked with the gutting crews on four different occasions in '06 and '07. I came down from Canada to volunteer. NOLA changed me.

[@chrisstringer4673]

I have lived in Long Beach, MS my entire life and my home, in which I stayed during Katrina, was less than half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from the coast line. We took a direct hit. When the eye passed over, there was what seemed to be a deafening silence. Although we took a harder hit in terms of wind and surge than NOLA, no one seems to speak of this. Maybe this is due to the fact that the concentration of structures and people is much greater in NOLA giving the illusion that we didn’t take as much damage. Or maybe it’s because the area where I am from isn’t nearly as iconic as the city of NOLA. Whatever the reason, I can assure you the result of the storm was nothing less than total destruction. There wasn’t a single structure standing south of the railroad tracks and the things I saw when I took a walk after the storm, I will never be able to unsee. My family was very lucky. Our home had almost zero structural damage after the storm and we didn’t realize just how bad it was until we took that fateful walk once the storm had passed. Every detail of that day will be burned into my memory until the day I die.

[@scottw5253]

I'm right there with you brother. I was born and raised on Henderson Point, 2 blocks off the beach. Having trouble knowing where you're at in the neighborhood you grew up in was a very unsettling experience.

[@crazydrummer181]

Nobody every mentions Mississippi despite the entire coast being destroyed.

[@Maidiac214]

I was expecting more from Simon. When it comes to Katrina the Mississippi Coast is always forgotten. 😔

[@ginasoliz7054]

Yep. Always the “land mass” between Louisiana and Alabama as they famously say.

[@Phillip-ino]

I’m born and raised in New Orleans.It’s been 15 years and I can say with 100% certainty that some homes still haven’t been repaired. And we just went through another bad storm last month.

[@jeffreyredmond22]

Add in the eastern side of the storm as well. What happened in MS was just as catastrophic without the extreme flooding that louisiana did. I was here in south mississippi when katrina hit. Its probably the main reason im so interested in these storms in the first place. The devastation was unbelievable.

[@austinfisher1015]

Living in Florida I remember Katrina being a cat 1. When it hit the golf, it immediately turned into a cat 5 before hitting New Orleans. When it hit Florida we all saw it basically a joke. After that we were shocked that it grew so quickly, and the damage it caused.

[@MrKingJace]

I was in Biloxi, MS when Katrina hit. I'll never forget sitting through the eye wall of that monster.

[@finchborat]

I saw the video of the guy who filmed Katrina in the Beau Rivage parking garage. Me and my parents were slated to go down there for a vacation in early June that year, but a tropical storm postponed it. We had to wait until June 2007.

[@rsxfreak03]

Fellow New Orleanian here. 6 Flags is still there albeit overrun by woods now. It’s a spooky site.

[@unitednationsspacecommand1774]

Actually it was Bay St.Louis/Waveland in Mississippi is where Katrina hit directly. New Orleans suffered because of severe flooding due to the levies failing.

[@freddy04123]

I took an ICS-300 class this year, one of the classes needed to command an emergency response incident in the US, and they used Katrina the case study for planning our disaster response.

[@JustJezBeingJez]

I tell you you never want to be in a storm like this. I was in Yapoon, Australia when cyclone Yassi hit. It was a cat 5 storm, 200mph+ wind gusts. We ensure buildings are cyclone proofed here and with this one it still picked up entire houses up and threw them fown the street like tissue boxes. The entire landscape afterwards looked like bikini attol after castle bravo. My heart goes out to everyone who survived this. They are truly terrifying storms to survive.

[@TheCorpsehatch]

The HBO documentary When The Levees Broke goes into great detail on the Katrina disaster.

[@varelisilversmith4625]

I lived in Slidell that took a direct hit... couldn't go home for nearly 4 months due to no power and water. I was lucky though, house only took roof and siding damage and had 1 busted window.

[@letitiajeavons6333]

I also heard that refused to evacuate because they didn't want to leave beloved pets behind. I think they have since changed shelter rules so people can bring pets into emergency shelters.

[@edrdnc6706]

I worked with the Corps of Engineers, (in 1979 - well before Katrina), under an engineer walking the levies to evaluate the CoE's proposal for a project to significantly strengthen and improve the levy system. The CoE's project, estimated to cost (I remember about) 5 billion, was never funded as the politicians didn't wish to risk their jobs over requesting this money from Congress. I loved living in that city, but any taste for that fled, along with the politicians and other authorities who abdicated their responsibilities (before, during, and after).

[@nightruler666]

Now it cost them 20x because the leeves failed

[@WayToVibe]

Hurricane Katrina literally spawned a government job: Emergency Management Specialist. Cause, for some reason, no one before ever thought we'd need people who study disasters and are experts on them. These folks fall under Homeland Security's umbrella and are usually found working for FEMA. Personal and private sectors also employ these people to do everything from real estate risk management research to corporate-sponsored disaster preparation training for employees.

[@eriklakeland3857]

Why prepare for natural disasters when terrorism was all the rage?

[@WayToVibe]

@@eriklakeland3857 Ugh, right? At least the new profession also has the option for training in counter-terrorism. Just in case you have to deal with a bomb threat *and* a hurricane at the same time, I suppose.

[@alexthomas5535]

2004-12 was crazy in terms of natural disasters. 2004 Boxing Day tsunamis, The entire 2005 hurricane season, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the Port-au-Prince earthquake in 2010, 2011 saw the super outbreak in the US which included the El Reno, Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes, and finally superstorm Sandy. All would make great videos and would love for Geographics to cover them.

[@awesometjgreen]

Never thought I'd see one of my favorite KZbinrs covering my favorite topic (hurricanes in general). Please do more hurricanes like the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Also I survived Katrina, she was no joke people

[@Bethany38326]

My family evacuated last minute, we were initially going to stay, but my sister was only 3 months old at the time and my mother's coworker took her shift at the hospital and said "Get that baby out of here," so we could get out. Nobody really expected things to get as bad as they did, we barely packed anything, just expected to be back within a few days. We lost everything, the water was above our house, (we lived in Arabi) it drowned our dog, the only things we were able to keep were a few pots and pans. We ended up staying with our grandparents for about a year, and came back to NOLA, and when we moved away again, came back and visited our house slab every few years until it was demolished. I was 5 years old at the time, so I don't really remember much, but I know I'll never forget.

[@joeykonyha2414]

There are many reasons people couldn’t leave. One thing about New Orleans: when there is a storm, it’s panic mode for the local meteorologists. Given the city’s geography, it’s a fair assumption that even a minor storm would be a potential catastrophe. However, there were people like me. Did not want to abandon my home. Didn’t think it’d be THAT bad. It will jink east at the last moment. In absence, “Wolf!” Had been cried too many times. Then, many people couldn’t afford to leave. Couldn’t afford hotels, had no relatives. Their choices were minimal. One thing not many realise is that there are only a handful of ways out of the city, all susceptible to being blocked or flooded. The I-10 bridge between the city and Slidell was destroyed. The roads were death traps if you’d been stuck. I lived in an area that wasn’t even badly hit, and my damage was minimal, but it was still 6 weeks before I could return home through the floods. I was lucky.

[@flynnk472]

One of my cousins evacuated with his family during Katrina and stayed with friends out of state. The city bulldozed their house afterwards since it was so damaged, but they did so without notifying my cousin until after it was done.

[@thomasmullins1783]

I was 10 years old when this happened. I lived, and still live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our first responders, national guard, charities, non profits, and everyday citizens went to help. It was so much more of a disaster than words can describe. It's still in the forefronts of those who live/have lived on the southern shores.

[@finchborat]

I was 13. I live 20 miles from the AR-LA state line and we had some Katrina evacuees come up here. One was in my Algebra I class for a couple of months. One guy was a professor and served as the writing lab instructor at my junior high that year. He stuck around for several years before he made his way back to the Gulf Coast.

[@briankachelman]

I am a Floridian and have been through several hurricanes... Nothing like the destruction on Katrina though. I felt so horrible for those people trapped in the areas hit hard. One interesting fact about Mardi Gras... New Orleans was not the first city in the US to celebrate it.... Mobile Alabama was the first city to do it. Mobile had a Mardi Gras celebration in 1702 or 1703. New Orleans was not established until 1718.

[@lesliebear9907]

Technically yes that’s true about mobile- However what Alabama doesn’t like to say about the historical fact is that Mobile was a part of the Louisiana purchase treaty and owned by the officials of New Orleans. Mobile only had Mardi Gras for a few years before it was permanentlymoved to New Orleans because of border jurisdictions and Royal decree. Had Mobile not fought with the Royals they would instead be the present day Mardi Gras city but they chose not to bend the knee as it were

[@briankachelman]

@@lesliebear9907 Mobile now loves Mardi Gras. I lived in Pensacola for a while before moving to Tampa. I went to the Mobile celebration many times. I guess they got over the issues eventually. I loved going to downtown Mobile on Mardi Gras... Lots of good food, parades and floats, people, and just overall feeling of fun.

[@pyroslev]

My cousin, who I'm godfather to, was born the day Katrina struck. I remember being in the hospital with her watching all the coverage.

[@ajc-ff5cm]

Seeing that image of the city flooded brought back a pretty God awful memory. I lived far away from New Orleans, but seeing a major American city under water and looking like a 3rd world disaster zone with so many trapped, missing, or dead left me heart broken. Even a year later when my church sent a group of us to nearby Biloxi, Mississippi to help do some cleanup, the effects of Katrina were still very much evident.

[@brianlarsen9952]

The city is below sea level and surrounded 3/4 by water...what could go wrong? Learn from our mistakes? Rebuild

[@timothybogle1461]

The Netherlands seem to manage being below sea level just fine.

[@amberowens6649]

I was a toddler when Katrina hit. At the time my family was living in Wisconsin due to my dads job as a pilot, but both my parents were Florida natives and much of my extended family lived in Florida. Our house was full of people due to majority of my relatives deciding to evacuate. Even though I was young I still remember watching the news with my family and seeing the destruction.

[@mobee5007]

I was living south east of Houston at the time Rita happened and my parents had my uncle come get me to take me into northern Arkansas, presumably out of the path, and the evacuation process was awful. The roads could not take the congestion at all, gas stations wouldn’t let people get gas or use their bathrooms so people were peeing together behind the buildings, everyone was wildly misinformed about the path of the hurricane and many drove directly into it, and it took us over 24 hours to get to the Arkansas state line without stopping. It was incredibly harrowing.

[@toddbarber7590]

Hurricane Katrina happened in my life time. Im from mobile alabama. 2 hours east of New orleans. Imagine launching boats and ships from your local grocery store to help with search efforts. An entire city with no power. Your privacy fence thrown into your neighbors yard. Three houses down. Winds whistling outside your window and the ground shaking from it. Making you think youre going through an earthquake

[@chaseweeks2708]

"Time wounds all heals." - John Crichton.

[@sarahcoleman5269]

My uncle is a music historian who has lived just outside of New Orleans all of his life. Something people don't talk about a lot is how much musical history happened in New Orleans. Fats Domino, who was a direct inspiration for the first generation of Rock n Roll, was a sickly old man left trapped in his house in the 9th Ward during Katrina. A lot of the music memorabilia in his home was destroyed. The homes of a lot of historic figures in music were destroyed.

[@jerichostevens2711]

the entire US is completely unprepared for most disasters... it's all about commerce and infinite growth... nothing put away for a rainy day.

[@eriklakeland3857]

Moreover, spending $5 billion on levee upgrades is deemed way too expensive even though it will prevent hundreds of billions of dollars in damage

[@RavingKats]

I started a new job and my first day on the phones for Cingular wireless was the day after it hit. Ppl who had sat phones could call intermittently.. I'll never forget one of my first calls was someone calling from their roof, the worst part was when their pets went by, drowned. It was awful.

[@patmullarkey7659]

The Atlantic magazine has an excellent podcast on this called Floodlines. It is season one, and boy oh boy was that disaster handled poorly and yes, the over-the-top reports of looting and deaths were not true. The poor people of that city....among local, state and federal agencies there was plenty of blame to go around on this tragedy.

[@mehtevas2653]

I was 4 I still remember my towns malls parking lot was full every time the Katrina relief trailer came

[@mathew85]

Someone in the past in Louisiana. Hey this would be a great place to build a city. The future 😬

[@oliverwells8011]

City is at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which gives access to pretty much most of the interior US.. before highways, before trains, rivers were used to transport most things.

[@mgailp]

@M85 Bienville picked the highest point tn the area. It was dry when he decided on it. No one told him why the Native Americans deserted that spot. (Don't remember which group, but there was an abandoned village in the area before the French moved in.)

[@jamescole8049]

I live right across the MS State line. I was 15 when it hit. It truly was apocalyptic.

[@jasonledet3647]

I just want to say thank you for this video, I especially want to thank you for mentioning St Bernard parish, being as I grew up there and was 16 when katrina wiped out everything my family owned. People all heard about new orleans, but no one heard about St Bernard, even though we were almost a total loss under 6-20 feet of water. We just rode out huricane Ida at my home on the northshore of lake pontchatrain, we dealt with very little damage here but my heart and mind go out to all the familys whom have lost everything like we did so few years ago.

[@soulofthedammed]

That's a long add segment you have there...

[@kingofflames738]

3 minutes is quite long. At least it was easily skipped and didn't interrupt anything. Mid video sponsors are the worst.

[@samuelparis7218]

since it is exactly a 2 minute add read it may be the required time he needs to cover the product

[@deezjeff0933]

I was 6 when Katrina hit and it is something I will never forget I remember when the water started rising and the day after. Some of what I saw floating in the water traumatized me. Even to this day seeing some of those pictures make me want to cry

[@xionmemoria]

Katrina and Ivan are the reason Southern hospitals have managed Covid so well. They already had experience rationing healthcare. Many physicians ended up getting charged with murder for euthanizing patients who couldn't be evacuated rather than leaving them to drown. Or those who were going through unreasonable suffering due to generators failing and medical equipment no longer working. They had to prioritize treating drowning victims based on who was most likely to recover with some brain function and just leave the others dead outside. The medical personnel who survived Katrina and Ivan had to make some of the most difficult and disturbing decisions ever made. And they caught the blame for it instead of the governor who turned help away.

[@Simonsvids]

A lesson to us all that building a city on land that used to be a swamp is not a very good idea.

[@kennethmcdonald2987]

Thank you for mentioning Alabama ,Mississippi,Florida and the rest of Louisianna .As an Alabamian who was hit hard along with relatives in these states we very seldom get mentioned in this disaster with Katrina .It was tramautic for a lot of us not just New Orleans something the media overlooks quit often .We rebuilt only to have Hurricane Michael hitting us hard and having to rebuild yet again .Some ask why not move elsewhere ? It isn't that easy and nature being nature can take you out anywhere at any time anyway .There is no really safe place on this planet from it .I personally blame politics for the tragedy in New Orleans not nature .They knew for a long time the levees wouldn't hold and did nothing to fix this .It was one major mess before Katrina came .A lot refused to leave who could have and the looting was really bad there according to some of my relatives there more than the media actually tells .Some people are just that way it happened right after Ida recently .It was barely gone and looting started afterwards .Most of us in the south prepare beforehand for hurricanes and tornadoes not wait until the last minute nor wait for FEMA to come to our rescue after .We have gone days and weeks after storms with no power where we live .It isn't just the storms for us living near a river we deal with the floods after also .Luckily we are on high ground and it has came close but luckily we have not been flooded out yet .We could not go anywhere due to flood waters and washed out roads .We live right in the middle of the confluence of where the parts of the river join up in every direction .Living in a remote area on high ground we get invaded by wildlife also during floods .It is nothing to see large alligators swimming near the house or bears ,bobcats and feral hogs hanging out in the yard .We are used to the snakes already having woods surrounding us .Thanks for a very unbiased video on this tragedy .RIP to the victims .

[@crazydrummer181]

We got like a five second mention lol.

[@geralddiaz2814]

i remember evacuating for hurricane Katrina, Ray Nagin gave a press conference (which we listened to on the radio) and i remember him saying "haul your ass"

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

You should do a video on the May 3, 1999 tornado that tore through the US state of Oklahoma. Highest wind speeds ever recorded on the planet (over 318mph, there was debate to label the storm the first F6 ever), unexpectedly turned the opposite direction tornadoes generally turn, was a mile wide, and left nothing but dirt and foundations from Chikasha to nearly Tulsa. Around 28 people lost their lives and thousands more were left homeless; the biggest city in the state was without power for weeks. It was the first and most powerful (and destructive) of three tornadoes that have torn through nearly the same path straight through downtown Moore in the first two decades of the 21st century. I was less than a quarter mile from the tornado's path (two streets over the neighborhood didn't exist anymore) and will never forget it; suddenly all the rain and hail stopped (softball sized hail is LOUD when it hits) and, slowly at first but then growing so loud you couldn't hear your own thoughts rattling around in your skull, it sounded like a freight train with a jet engine strapped onto it barreling straight out of hell and into a waking nightmare. Started out just like any other swelteringly humid Oklahoma day... it's still surreal to think back at how quickly things go from normal to crisis when just the right conditions form in the skies over Texas panhandle on an early spring afternoon.

[@mechntechbeau]

I'm born and raised in New Orleans and Katrina was a nightmare. My parents and I stayed because we have a nat gas whole home generator. We didn't flood but it got bad there were plenty people who were attempting to loot in our neighborhood. My pops and I were taking turns on armed defense duty. We ended up only shooting 2 people who were trying to break into our house, but we helped out a lot of people with supplies to help survive. My parents look at it this way if someone asks for help you help them. If they should arrive with malice then give them a lead or rock salt enema.

[@kenneybis1097]

I rode out Katrina and Rita and there were indeed more than six bodies, I remember the semi trucks hauling them out. Hard to believe it's been over 17 years

[@agiganticwatermelon9162]

New Orleans native, was 7 when Katrina hit and evacuated 2-3 days prior. First went to Tennessee for what was supposed to be a week, watched the city flood and went to an area near Boston. Enrolled in school almost immediately and was there for 3 months. Had a local news paper do a piece on me, was pretty cool. Coming back our house was structurally alright, but the entire A/C system was destroyed. Nothing was open, red cross trucks coming by once or twice a day to hand out hot meals and MREs. Mom cried upon returning and seeing the devastation. Overall I got out pretty lucky compared to other kids.

[@maxandmols9526]

Storm surges are not just wind blowing waves ashore, its the immense low pressure allows the water to rise up. Essentially high pressure mean there is more air there and there for more weight pushing down on the water squashing it lower, low pressure means less air the the water is compressed less.

[@Tyler-Kearney]

I currently live in the New Orleans metro, not far from the city. If you go there you do still see abandoned buildings, and honestly there are so many who lost everything and never truly recovered. It’s a beautiful city and something you must see at least once in your life, it’s sad to know climate change is such a threat to such a major piece of history.

[@Atlas60308]

I remember we were all holding our breaths as Hurricane Ian was coming in as Tampa was in it's sights. We were worried about another Katrina level event. It turned south and hit Fort Myers Beach and if that level of destruction hit Tampa... I dont even like to think about it

[@christobalcolon6601]

Home buyers: Don't close on a property if its elevation is negative.

[@CornyCF]

Germany has his own" Katrina" in 2021 called Ahrtal Flood. It starts with heavy rain. It was so much rain that the valley was flooded. It killed 134 people. One should never underestimate the power of nature

[@ew5971]

I was in college in Athens, GA during this. My eventual wife was displaced from NO. She has never been back.

[@bigbrain.exe.roshan9756]

Thanks a lot Geographics, this storm is what we had to analyse and make a report on, this helped a lot. I and my team couldn't have done it without u

[@christopherlee5584]

I grew up in Baton Rouge, and most of my family still lived there in 2005. I went down with relief supplies trucks about 8 days after the storm. The devastation was beyond any in my experience, and I had live thru a bunch of storms. The problem with the levee failures and the poor response after the storm lies solely in the hands of Nagin and Blanco, who demonstrated mismanagement and engaged in political turf wars to the detriment of their constituents. Also, a major factor is the culture of corruption and greed endemic in the governmental structures of Louisiana, even to this day. NOLA emptied out and Baton Rouge is now the open sewer NOLA used to be. Freaking sad....

[@brycetait6324]

Simon, please do a video on Johnston Atoll in the pacific ocean!

[@thorenshammer]

It did happen again... hurricane Sandy hit the New York / New Jersey area, proving devastating results, even though it was only a category one storm. It has happened before in this area, and you would think people would have hardened their infrastructure, but they didn't, to disastrous results.

[@jessicabenham2002]

I remember when hurricane Katrina hit. I was working for a corner store and we had a few of LA that came in some of the regular customers and myself paid out of pocket food, drinks, and smokes for the people that came from LA.

[@DanitaDana21]

I worked for HEB in TX when Katrina hit. HEB had a fleet of trucks prepacked and prepared to head to New Orleans as soon as the storm broke. The first truck of the fleet was filled with chainsaws and men to cut through all the down trees. HEBs fleet of trucks beat FEMA to New Orleans by three days. A grocery store of all companies beat and provided more help than FEMA could manage. Best part is HEB didn't go to the news they kept their actions to themselves and focused on helping.

[@buggeroffiam]

I am one of the many who chose not return to New Orleans after Katrina. I had no idea how horrible and corrupt the city was until I was forced out by the storm. I found a new home with good schools for my children. We have had much better lives than what would have been possible in New Orleans. In my very rare case losing everything was a blessing. Starting over with nothing as single mother was hard but worth it. I sometimes miss home (mostly the food), but my kids ended up in 4H and on sports teams instead of in gangs and on drugs so I think I made the right choice.

[@NathanCassidy721]

13:42 The media painting an image of a disaster being the worst thing since kale-flavored cookies? What a surprise…. NOT.

[@Aztesticals]

I still remember fox news reporting that the local democrat council members had purposely sabotaged the levees and were leading bands of rapists from the prisons through the town. Media was fucked

[@marcoosvald8429]

And on the anniversary of KATRINA; IDA came and hit us the same exact day all these years later. Not as much flooding but massive wind damage.

[@zzzarkka]

Fortunately my first floor apartment didn’t flood during Hurricane Ian. Storm surge is the real damage and killer. I’m not bunking down this year. If one comes my way again this year I’m not taking a chance. I’m heading north to GA.

[@toddphillips7113]

i was 15 years old in 2005 when hurricane katrina destroyed louisana and parts of alabama.

[@franl155]

Complacency, on a personal or governmental level, has killed so many people. People thinking they can ride out a hurricane in safety, authorities not taking proper precautions before, during and after the event. If you haven't done it already, can you do one on the Galveston disaster of 1900? I read something about it ages ago: the storm surge was over 20 feet, but the highest part of the city was lower than that, and up to six thousand people died.

[@ljphoenix4341]

Going to shoutout a really interesting documentary called "Rodents of Unusual Size". It's about Nutria, aka Copyu, which are large rodents that are causing major environmental degradation in the coastal regions of Louisiana. Relates to this video, and is 100% worth a watch.

[@apbeauregard]

I don't remember reporting of a ton of looting and dead bodies. What I heard was ppl were running out of food and water and didn't have anyplace to go to the bathroom. That some ppl had health issues and were not getting much needed perscription medications they ran out of or didn't bring with them. Obviously if most of a place is underwater... There would not be many places to actually loot and what they would loot would be water damaged so that wouldn't even have made sense for them to loot worthless water damaged stuff.

[@lorihattendorf8790]

I lived near New Orleans as a child but had left long before--though I still had plenty of family in the area. As I was pouring over the images, I remember the one that affected me the most was of the I-10 Twin Span over Lake Pontchartrain. It looked like a dotted line. I had been over that bridge dozens of times so it really struck me.

[@pmgn8444]

Speaking of the New Orleans "cops": Do the Danziger Bridge Incident

[@lincolnr615]

I survived Katrina and still call New Orleans home. Much of what was reported by the media was extremely exaggerated or outright wrong. The city survived the storm rather well thanks to the last minute jog to the east. The levee breaks are what fully exposed the corruption and destitution the majority of the city’s residents experienced on a daily basis. I worked in a local hospital at the time and saw the best and worst in people. There was looting, without doubt, but what most people don’t realize…desperate people will resort to whatever means they can to survive. The biggest failure was the lack of coordination between the various government agencies on all levels. It was WEEKS before all the residents were rescued and/ or relocated, and MONTHS before the last of the flood waters were removed. There was no food, no water (that was potable), and very little in the way of housing for a long while. MANY charity organizations flooded the city in the weeks and months afterwards, and can be credited with providing help and sustenance to people who really had no way out. Recovery was slow and painful. Most residents measured their own recovery by what services were restored in the weeks and months after the storm. A new grocery store opening was celebrated, reopening schools was, while painfully agonizing, also celebrated. Today, New Orleans is mostly back to normal. There are still some deep scars on the psyche of the people. Some of us have dealt with the aftermath better than others, and you can still see the remnants of the flood in many parts of the city. We still deal with the same problems most cities deal with on a daily basis, but I’m glad I chose to stay when it would been so easy to leave. Hopefully, the lessons we learned from Katrina will never have to be relearned by another population. Have hope, and be kind to each other…

[@Angel_1394]

I remember when this happened the tragedy and sadness on TV. The media blowing everything out of proportion when we're needed to be focused on was the lives lost and people stuck.

[@samanthavivian3916]

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[@elias5230]

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[@martataylor1138]

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[@wilfredowen2676]

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[@leticiaarraezrull9772]

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[@maurisandoval5036]

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[@doclewis8927]

I remember when Katrina happened people from states all across the country opened their homes to those who had been displaced. I don't think people would do that today.

[@PrezVeto]

They'd ask about vaccine status first.

[@aircraftandmore9775]

New Orleans is pretty crazy with hurricanes now

[@ernestbywater411]

You should investigate and do a video on the bushfires in Canberra, Australia in 2003. What started out as a small fire that could be easily put out turned into a major fire that devastated large areas due to the bureaucratic infighting of the management of the two fire services and their political masters delaying a suitable response until the fire had grown into a monster. The issue was the location and the access to the original fire meant that the nearest firefighters were from a different state and their bosses were more centred on who was in charge and who paid than on putting it out. Thus what was a small fire became a raging inferno before it could be dealt with.

[@Quattro_Joe]

Hurricane season for half the year😮😮😮. Why would anyone wanna risk living there.

[@KiraKamiya]

I lived in a city near New Orleans in 2005. I was 14 years old, and had just started my first year of high school a week before Katrina hit. I was living with just my mother, and we did not have a car, so we could not evacuate. We were lucky, our 2nd story apartment did not get damaged and we got away pretty much unscathed. People that I knew were not so lucky...

[@Tracy-xe9zu]

It didn't get much if any press, but I seem to remember that Mexico lent a number of its military to responding to Katrina

[@brya9681]

I was 13 when Katrina happened. I remember those long lines to get out of town. Still haven't went to the place where the house I grew up used to be.

[@roger3911]

just an fyi.....it is actually called subsidence not subsistence

[@batchmotorsport]

Actually amazing that 80-90% were able to evacuate

[@TheSeptemberSapphire]

I live about 600 miles away from New Orleans and when the remnants of the storm came through, I could smell the salt water in the air that it brought.

[@agent_meister477]

Excellent as Always

[@2IDSGT]

Just got back from Iraq when I saw footage of this on the news. Wasn’t paying attention and thought it was Haiti or something.

[@JC-ks3yk]

So much went wrong and all people could do was point fingers everywhere but at themselves.