Hurricane Katrina and the Devastation of New Orleans, 2005

The citizens of New Orleans braced for the hit of Hurricane Katrina and then blew a big sigh of relief once the hurricane came and seemed to go.

But within hours of the category 4 storm ripping through the Gulf Coast states, people’s worst fears were realized. The city’s decades-old levees were not high or strong enough to hold back the storm surge caused by Katrina, and several levees burst. Water poured into the city, flooding buildings, homes, and streets. As the water rose, people panicked. Many were swept up in the floods and drowned. Others climbed to their roofs and pleaded for helicopter rescuers to save them.

The federal government and relief organizations mobilized for help, but many complained that relief did not come quickly enough. Survivors began running out of food and water. Some began blaming racial discrimination—as many of the hurricane victims were African American—for the government’s slow response. But were those accusations fair? Or was there anything else that could have been done in the face of Mother Nature’s wrath?

In this book, author John Torres takes a very personal look at the devastation of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Based on personal interviews, this story is a moving tribute to those devastated by Hurricane Katrina.