By Staff and Wire Reports
Published September 1, 2005
Here are answers to some questions about the devastating effect of Hurricane Katrina:
Is the evacuation of the entire city of New Orleans the largest evacuation in U.S. history?
Not even close. In September 1999, 2.6-million coastal residents of five states including Florida were ordered from their homes as Hurricane Floyd approached. It was, according to Vice President Al Gore, the largest peacetime evacuation in the nation's history. By comparison, many of New Orleans' 462,000 residents left before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Now the rest are being told to go.
Why did so many people stay in harm's way?
Some had survived Hurricane Camille in 1969 and thought they could do it again. Many of the poor had no way to get out, no credit cards, no cars or not enough vehicle capacity to accommodate entire families, and no ready cash. Others were simply stubborn.
How does Katrina compare to the hurricanes that hit Florida last year?
Current estimates have pushed damage assessments for Katrina past the $25-billion mark, and that could go much higher. This is more than the combined damage done by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in Florida last year, which came to almost $21-billion.
Is Katrina the deadliest storm in history?
That's impossible to know yet, as Louisiana hasn't even started counting the dead. Some officials expect the toll there to be in the thousands. The deadliest storm in U.S. history was a Category 4 storm that hit Galveston in 1900, killing 8,000. Florida's deadliest storm was a Category 4 storm that hit the Lake Okeechobee area in 1928, killing 1,836.
How long can people trapped in rubble and in attics survive without food and water?
An individual can live a month without food, but only a few days without water, depending on the environment. The heat of a New Orleans summer could accelerate dehydration.
What has happened to historic and scenic landmarks in New Orleans?
Virtually everything in the Latin Quarter and the Garden District suffered some damage. Much of the turquoise-and-white facade of Commander's Palace in the Garden District is gone. So is one wall of Antoine's, famous for Oysters Rockefeller. The Cafe du Monde, home of smoky chicory coffee, did not appear to suffer extensive damage. Many of the city's oldest neighborhoods, including the Bywater and the 9th Ward on the east side, were lost under the floods. On Burgundy Street, a building that once housed slaves collapsed. At one historic above-ground cemetery, a lot in the Garden District known as Lafayette No. 1, uprooted magnolia trees destroyed part of a 200-year-old wall believed to contain human remains. The stately U.S. Mint in the French Quarter, once seized by the Confederate army, is missing part of its roof. No one knows what has become of the artifacts inside.
Why weren't the levees that held back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River built to withstand major hurricanes?
Cost. If all structures were built to withstand every worst-case scenario, none of them would be affordable. What probably caused the breach in New Orleans was wind-whipped waves crashing over the levee and eroding it. The more erosion worsened, the more water rushed over until the structure was completely compromised.
How long will it be until residents can return to the city?
Mayor Ray Nagin estimates 12 to 16 weeks, but given the extent of the damage and the pollution, that might be an optimistic assessment.
How long will it take for the city to dry out?
At midday Wednesday the water levels in Lake Pontchartrain, which flooded the city through a 500-foot long breach in a levee, equalized with the water level in New Orleans, which stopped the flow. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated it would take a month to pump the water out of the city after the levee break is plugged, and that work was progressing slowly.
What's happening to the mail?
The Postal Service has shut down operations in New Orleans and in nearby storm-damaged areas. Some local post offices were reopening in Mississippi, but more than 200 lacked electricity and officials are planning to make first-of-the-month checks available at designated sites. Federal Express, UPS and other delivery services also have suspended operations.
The United States is always sending disaster relief overseas. Have any foreign countries offered to help us?
According to Forbes.com, Venezuela has offered emergency funds and fuel and a humanitarian aid task force to help in the recovery from Katrina. The U.S. State Department, however, says it has no knowledge of this offer.
Some famous trains run to and from New Orleans. What's happening with them?
For the time being, Amtrak says the City of New Orleans to and from Chicago will terminate in Memphis, the Crescent to and from New York will terminate in Atlanta, and the Sunset Limited, which usually connects Los Angeles and Orlando through New Orleans, will run only between Los Angeles and San Antonio.
-- Compiled by staff writer Jean Heller. Information from Times news researchers and Times wire services was used in this report.
