Hurricane Katrina - Storm of The Century Aug. 29, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA - Hurricane Katrina was an extraordinarily powerful and deadly storm. One of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States, with 1,420 deaths, Katrina was also the costliest natural disaster, amassing over $75 billion in damages. Katrina is surpassed by the Galveston, Texas hurricane in 1900 that claimed at least 8,000 fatalities. Hurricane Katrina's storm surge was what made the storm so deadly. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breeched by the surge, which resulted in the flooding of about 80 percent of the city. Many survivors found themselves homeless, like Henry Rhodes, who sits in a New Orleans Police Department boat after being rescued in the 7th Ward on North Miro Street.
Picture (c) GARY CORONADO/Palm Beach Post/ZUMA Press