Hurricane Isaac makes landfall hours ahead of Katrina anniversary
The Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Isaac only hours before the seventh anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The storm, a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall on Tuesday evening in southeast Louisiana packing 80-plus mph winds and a storm surge battering the coast.
New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina photo/US Coast Guard
2005’s Katrina caused massive flooding and ultimately the breaking of the levee’s which led to widespread destruction, deaths and political fingerpointing. Isaac will be a test of the $14.5 billion improvements to the 133-mile ring of levees, the flood walls and pumps added by the Army Corps of Engineers since 2005.
President George W. Bush never escaped accusations of missteps and errors by the Federal Government in handling the Katrina relief efforts. Some Republicans are quick to point to Louisiana Governor and New Orleans Mayor Nagin, who didn’t ask for Federal assistance, didn’t utilize public buses or execute their own evacuation plans properly.
Painful memories return of people stranded on rooftops, a city completely flooded with bacteria infested water and over 1,400 deaths.
Katrina was a much stronger storm than Isaac, as Katrina blew windows out of hotels, reportedly hurling beds from the top floors. The Superdome sustained significant damage causing the New Orleans Saints to relocate their home games for the remainder of the 2005 season.
The aftermath of Katrina was equally painful to endure with widespread reports of looting, violence and other criminal activity. Transportation and communication systems had collapsed and police could do little battle crime as residents were left to defend their own property.
While Hurricane Isaac is not expected to replay the damage of Katrina, the difficult memories and stories will certainly flood the airwaves, our hearts and our minds.
