Poor (black) people were the victims of the flood since the middle class and rich white people had already fled the state before the devastating flood. Between 1.600 and 2.000 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Had help been on time, babies and old people would have survived. A lot of people dehydrated and died and a lot more drown in their attics where they seek refuge from the flood. Hurricane Katrina is America’s costliest natural disaster in history. 80% of New Orleans was under water. The world will never forget the grim scenery at the Louisiana Superdome where most people went to wait for help. The Superdome housed more than 25.000 people and with no authority in sight criminals raped, killed and robbed ordinary citizens. When people could no longer wait for help they started looting super markets and stores. During the looting people lost their lives when the police and guards gun down civilians who were looking for food and water. They were mistaken for criminals who were taking advantage of the situation and were committing severe crimes.
5 years after Katrina what is to make of New Orleans. In certain era’s in New Orleans new housing projects has sprung up, folks are picking up their life and as much as it can the state is getting lively again. The congress approved a $14 billion budget to fix and upgrade the levees and other defenses. The job is half done and it seems the Army Corps are going to meet their deadline. However, schools, transportation, hospitals and other facilities are still limited. Work unemployment is high and the crime and murder rate is still rising. More than 60% of the New Orleans’s citizens are black. Most of them are poor living in poor conditions. It is sad to see people struggling to foresee their basic needs in a western country, which is not supposed to be a third world country. We wish the resilient people of New Orleans all the best as they confront their daily struggle.