The neighbourhood of New-Orleans, Louisiana, USA, post-Hurricane Katrina
On 29 August, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, a city of 1,400,000 inhabitants. With eighty per cent of the city lying below sea-level, Louisiana’s principal metropolis is like a bowl, surrounded by the large Lake Pontchartrain on the North, the River Mississippi on the South and Lake Borgne on the East. With winds of over 200 km/h, waves washed over the levees, which broke in several places, flooding more than seventy per cent of the city. Yet, to some extent, the disaster could have been avoided. Local and federal authorities had long been alerted to the deterioration of the levees and the shortcomings of the evacuation system. New Orleans is not unique. Many cities worldwide are vulnerable to similar hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, storms and landslides, without their inhabitants being aware of these dangers.