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Comparing Hurricanes Ida and Katrina

Hurricane Ida was one of the worst hurricanes ever recorded in the USA, but its impact was less devastating than that of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This case study compares the impacts of these two hurricanes.

Massive flooding and destruction in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina 8 September 2005

At the end of August 2021, the southern coast of Louisiana in the USA was hit by Hurricane Ida, one of the most severe hurricanes ever recorded. Ida began to develop close to Cuba (see back page, Figure 1) and the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea enabled it develop from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane, which hit land at Port Fourchon, just south of New Orleans, with winds reaching 240 km/h. Remarkably this is only about 80 km from where Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the same date in 2005.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina made it the deadliest and most expensive hurricane ever to hit the USA. Over 1,800 people died and the city of New Orleans was severely damaged, mainly by floodwater.

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Handling exam questions about unfamiliar fieldwork

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Hurricane Ida

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