Hurricane Katrina's Impact on the Environment

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of Hurricane Katrina's impact on America. Specifically, the writer discusses the hurricane's impact on the environment. The writer notes that Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and the nation is still being assessed. The writer points out that this was one of the nation's worst natural disasters and many survivors of Katrina have left the New Orleans area forever. The writer maintains that the long-term effects of the chemicals, oil spills, massive landfills and other environmental aspects of Katrina should be studied in order to learn how to protect our environment from disasters in the future. The writer concludes that the environmental impact of the storm will be felt for decades throughout the Gulf Coast.

From the Paper:

"One aspect of this chemical nightmare really did not get that much attention, but the oil spills from Katrina rivaled the oil spills of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, but they were not contained or cleaned up nearly as easily. Studies show there were at least 44 oil spills around the area, with two major spills, totally several million gallons each. After the Exxon Valdez disaster, it seems just about everyone knows the incredible damage an oil spill can do. Pictures of birds, fish, and other animals killed by spills are vivid reminders of how pervasive an oil spill can be. In this case, spills took place in neighborhoods, too, and that includes oil and other chemicals leaking from all the submerged cars. There was a sheen of oil all over the floodwaters of New Orleans, and most of it ended up in Lake Pontchartrain or the Gulf Coast. There were many wetlands devastated by the oil spills, and no one was allowed back into their communities until it had all been cleaned up, a process that sometimes took months or even years."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "Eighteen-Month Anniversary." EPA.gov. 2006. 23 April 2008. <http://www.epa.gov/katrina/18months.html>
• Editors. "Katrina: The Aftermath." PBS.org. 2006. 23 April 2008. <http://www.pbs.org/now/science/katrinaenviro.html>
• Editors. "Katrina's Wake: Arsenic-Laced Schools and Playgrounds Put New Orleans Children at Risk." NRDC.org. 2007. 23 April 2006. <http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/wake/contents.asp>
• Spotts, Peter M. "Environment: A First Battle Against Rising Oceans." Christian Science Monitor. 2006. 23 April 2008. <http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0831/p01s04-usgn.html>

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