August 25-31, 2005:

Hurricane Katrina created a path of destruction across southern Florida, and caused devastation into parts of southeast Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The storm then tracked northward into Tennessee and Kentucky and points northeast from there, where heavy rainfall was the main impact of the storm. Total losses as a result of the storm are estimated at just over $160 billion in damages and more than 1,800 deaths.

Impact:

• CPI-Adjusted Estimated Cost: $161.3 billion
• Deaths: 1,833

Related Resources:

• Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina [Report with Appendices]
• Additional resources related to Hurricane Katrina
• HSDL In Focus: Hurricanes

Photo: Houston, TX., 9/1/2005 — Thousands of hurricane Katrina survivors from New Orleans are bussed to refuge at a Red Cross shelter in the Houston Astrodome. (Credit: Andrea Booher/FEMA)