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Let’s call it simply, “A disaster of Biblical Proportion” and leave it at that. Most of it was from flooding from two huge breaks in the levee on
Lake Pontchartrain caused by Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans on the morning of August 29, 2005. A city of about half a million people was cast in ruin. This was a disaster, indeed, equivalent
to over 150 Twin Towers disasters and truly one that won’t be forgotten in many of our lifetimes..
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AP File Photo taken August 30, 2005
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These three photos (above, upper left, and below) are taken from an article written on 9-5-2005. Left: Sheriff’s deputies are looking through the ruins in the
French Quarter. Lower left: A navy pilot surveys the flood near downtown New Orleans. Below: Bob Rue leaves a promising note to potential looters.
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Hurricane Katrina was the largest disaster in the USA in 2005, though it may just be a memory, it did affect all of us in the United States, whether in the form of
higher gas prices (though we don’t know what the excuse is these days) or you might have known people directly affected by the disaster.
The good news was that the body count from the disaster was much lower than had originally been expected. The total confirmed death count in Louisiana due to
Hurricane Katrina was 972, and 221 in Mississippi. This stastic was taken from an article published in the Pahump [NV] Valley Times on October 22, 2005.
I would like to thank you for your visit to the Gates of Dixie. Feel free to browse the rest of our site for some great “before” pictures and history of the
area. If you would like to donate to help us keep The Gates of Dixie going, there is a tip jar at the bottom of the screen that you’re welcomed to use. Anything helps.
Gil Davis and Jay Barrymore
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Above, New Orleans Canal St. looked just like a canal
This photo taken August 30, 2005
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Gil’s
Point
of
View
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I realize that many of our visitors found our site due to the mention of the “Twin Spans Bridge” along Interstate 10 and are looking to see a picture as it
was after the hurricanes. As you can see from this photo taken on August 30, 2005, the bridge connecting New Orleans to Slidell, Louisiana on I-10 was totally washed out. The Pontchartrain Causeway
survived with little damage, however. Of course, I-10 was rebuilt very quickly after it was damaged. I have had the opportunity to drive on it since then and the last time I drove on it in, there were some
highway construction signs , but traffic was flowing normally. But just west of the bridge were LOTS of signs of the aftermath.
Did this disaster have to be this severe? Click
here for some interesting stories (does not necessarily represent our views). Go to the archives and look up August, 2005.
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It is in my opinion that the effects of the disaster could have been lessened greatly, had the local, state, and federal governments been responsible
entities. Money was made available by the Army Corps of Engineers to help rebuild the levees. The money was not used for that purpose by the city or the state. We were (still are at the time of this
update) in a war with Iraq and many of our military helicopters were unavailable for emergency use here at home. The National Guard was stretched thin, as well. This is not a place to discuss whether or
not that war is going to benefit the citizens of the USA, but I’ll leave you to decide that for yourself, and how our homeland services helped (or didn’t) through this disaster.
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