Hurricane Katrina on August 29,

Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, category 4 Hurricane Katrina (winds up to 160 MPH) roared onto land, creating unbelievable destruction from Grand Isle, Louisiana on its western edge to Mobile, Alabama on its eastern edge. In all, 90,000 square miles - the size of Great Britain - felt the brunt of this brutally powerful storm. According to the Discovery Channel, the confirmed death toll was 1,577, although there are still 705 people listed as "missing" in Louisiana. The hurricane caused devastation for over 100 miles. An estimated $75 to $91 billion in damage was caused by Katrina. The levies that collapsed, allowing water to flood most of New Orleans - some water levels reaching 20 feet high - were not designed or maintained properly, according to the National Science Foundation quoted by the Brookings Institution.

Rather than initially ordering a mandatory evacuation of the city the day before Katrina hit, which is part of the New Orleans' "Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan," Mayor Ray Nagin orders a voluntary evacuation, then changed his mind on Sunday the 28th of August.

The FEMA response to the disaster was totally incompetent and insensitive to the needs of the people who got caught in the floods and destruction. Over ten thousand people were herded into the Superdome in New Orleans, most of them African-American; and many went without adequate food and water for several days, the Discovery Channel fact sheet asserts. One hundred and fifty National Guardsmen are stationed in the Superdome with weapons, but inadequate food and water created chaos. On Monday, the 29th, as Katrina makes landfall, FEMA Director Michael Brown sent 1,000 FEMA workers to New Orleans but "gives them 2 days to arrive," according to the Brookings Institution. Looting is reportedly widespread and police and National Guardsmen begin dealing with that problem instead of rescuing people (mainly black) from rooftops. By Tuesday, the Brookings Institution reports, an estimated "50,000 to 100,000" people were still on roofs, waiting to be rescued.

But thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard, there was good news too. Re-staged Coast Guard units in North Carolina, Texas and Florida began their rescue operations as soon as weather conditions allowed. Thousands of personnel from Coast Guard units nationwide rushed to the scene to provide 1,380 Aids to Navigation discrepancies, to assist in 1,129 pollution cases (seven major pollution incidents) and provide help to 1,000 salvage cases including more than 200 grounded vessels. More than 3,900 Coast Guard personnel responded to the disaster.

While the FEMA effort stumbled and fell far short of its intended goal, the United States Coast Guard Reserve and Auxiliary joined with regular USCG service members to rescue more than 24,273 people from perilous wind, pounding rain, and killer floodwaters..

The Coast Guard assisted with the evacuation of 9,462 patients from hospitals and nursing care facilities on land. Using eighteen HH-60J and 25 HH-65 helicopters "rescued 12,661 people from peril," according to the Coast Guard data ().