This Day in History: <br />Hurricane Katrina <br />Slams Into Gulf Coast August 29, 2005 The Category 4 hurricane<br />became the worst natural<br />disaster in U.S. history. The city <br />of New Orleans bore the brunt. 145 mph winds turned cars <br />into projectiles and overwhelmed <br />poorly tended levees that protected <br />the city, located six feet below sea level. Though an evacuation order <br />had been issued by the New Orleans <br />mayor, tens of thousands stayed <br />behind, many with no other recourse. 80% of the city experienced massive flooding. <br />A full scale rescue effort took two days to begin. As most of those who remained were African <br />American, the perceived poor response of U.S. <br />government agencies and President George W. Bush <br />brought racial inequalities in America to the surface. Katrina led to more than 1,300 deaths, <br />displaced one million people, left almost a <br />half a million unemployed and caused up to $150 <br />billion in damages to public and private property.
