Facts and Statistics about Hurricane Katrina

July 14, 2007 7:46 AM

I am in need of current and historical facts and numbers regarding Hurricane Katrina. For example, how many people are still living in FEMA trailers? How many people have left New Orleans for good? Also, historical numbers, how many homes were destroyed? How many people were left homeless? etc. Thanks
posted by captainscared to law & government (10 comments total)

Various reports and articles the Washington Post has done.

A whole list of reports and surveys about the impact of Katrina on the the health of and care available to people affected by Katrina.

National Public Radio has done some outstanding reporting on this as well.

If I'm remembering right - I think I read this in one of the recent WaPo pieces - New Orleans is only at about 50% occupancy compared to pre-Katrina figures.

Hope these help.
posted by rtha at 8:10 AM on July 14, 2007

check out
factcheck.org

there are several articles on katrina including: href="http://www.factcheck.org/society/katrina_what_happened_when.html">Katrina: What Happened When
posted by mrmarley at 8:49 AM on July 14, 2007

This CBS news story says that 86,000 families across the Gulf region are still (as of May 2007) living in FEMA trailers.
posted by rtha at 9:51 AM on July 14, 2007

Ah! What looks like lots of good demographic info at the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.

What looks like more good stuff from the Brookings Institution.
posted by rtha at 9:56 AM on July 14, 2007

How about a Katrina search on Taxpayers for Common Sense?
You'll get interesting stuff like Katrina's Costly Wake [pdf], as well as this little nugget called Contracts of Interest [also pdf].

Quote:
- The Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Agriculture purchased a
HP-C120 Laptop Computer, Executive leather case, travel battery, USB diskette drive,
and a HP docking station. The purchase was made from Dykon Computer Help Center,
Inc., for $25,078.
- The Federal Supply Service purchased a pastry decorating tip set with 10 tubes from
American Military Supply Incorporated. Five sets of different sizes were bought for a
total of $54.00.
/quote

Can I ask what this is for?
posted by realchild at 9:58 AM on July 14, 2007

It's background info for a documentary.
posted by captainscared at 11:05 AM on July 14, 2007

Anecdotal Evidence: I just (last week of June) got back from a trip to New Orleans, where we mudded/gutted out houses. When I first heard about the trip, I thought there would be almost nothing left to do. I was sadly mistaken. One of the homes we worked on literally had not been touched since the hurricane, some 2 years ago. It's incredible to think that the country has all but forgotten about Katrina and the devastation in the Gulf Coast, but there is so much more that still needs to be done.

If you are able to share your work, I'd love to see it on Projects or something similar.
posted by niles at 12:03 PM on July 14, 2007

The NYT has a series called Patchwork City (latest: New Life Afte Katrina Is Closed to Many that has hit some of these points.

Among the takeaways is that 56% of New Orleanians have returned, according to postal data, but the majority are those who were better off in the first place. The poorest, least employable, and of course the elderly and disabled, are among those who may never be able to return. NO had 77,000 rental units before the storm, but almost none of them have been rebuilt.

As of late May ... there were still more than 30,000 families displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spread across the country in apartments paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and another 13,000 families, down from a peak of nearly 18,000, marooned in trailer or mobile home parks, where hunger is so prevalent that lines form when the truck from the food bank appears.

Hm, scratch 56%, there's a 56K figure in there. Last year NO was at 49.5% of pre-storm population, this year it's at 62% (some of that new people, from Brangelina on down).
posted by dhartung at 12:24 PM on July 14, 2007

You're doing a documentary? Do not forget that many Mississippi Gulf Coast towns were practically wiped out by Katrina, hundreds of people lost their lives and everything they owned. Many are still in crappy FEMA trailers, too. The rebuilding continues, but SO slowly. Yes, I know New Orleans was inundated. But to see mega-destruction, visit the Biloxi/Gulfport newspaper's website -- www.sunherald.com -- and view its archives. Or order the books "Katrina: Before and After" and "Katrina: Eight Hours That Changed the Mississippi Gulf Coast Forever." The newspaper won a Pulitzer for its coverage, and many Sun Herald personnel were working while their homes floated away or were blown to bits. I wish more people would realize that New Orleans was not the only city to suffer tremendously. Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula -- all along the coast -- were, sadly, victims, too.
posted by Smalltown Girl at 1:42 PM on July 14, 2007

Foetry Guy, yes, they own a home in the French Quarter.

Not to be picky here, but New Orleans was fine for the most part after the storm. When the leeves broke is when the city experienced severe flooding. With the ciy surrounded by leeves and no electricity, there was no way to get the water out.

I'm still in a fema trailer, my home was destroyed by the storm surge of Katrina. I am rebuilding on the same site and should be ready to move in around late August.
posted by JujuB at 8:08 PM on July 14, 2007