Preceden

Hurricane Katrina Timeline

(August 23, 2005 – August 31, 2005)

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Forming over the Bahamas in late August 2005, it intensified into a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 3 storm on August 29, 2005. The failure of levees in New Orleans flooded roughly 80% of the city, causing over 1,800 deaths and approximately $125 billion in damage, while exposing critical gaps in emergency preparedness and response. Less

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Impact and Destruction

Katrina remains costliest tropical cyclone on record

Aug 2005

The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $125 billion (2005 U.S. dollars), making it the costliest tropical cyclone on record, tying with Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and one of the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history.

18 tornadoes strike Georgia

Aug 29, 2005

At least 18 tornadoes formed in Georgia on August 29, 2005, the most on record in that state for one day in August.

New Orleans flood protection fails; city submerged

Aug 29, 2005

Katrina's storm surge caused 53 breaches to various flood protection structures in and around the greater New Orleans area, submerging 80% of the city.

Over 700 bodies recovered in New Orleans

Oct 23, 2005

Levee breaches in New Orleans caused a significant number of deaths, with over 700 bodies recovered in New Orleans by October 23, 2005.

Image source: Hurricane Katrina

Over 700 bodies recovered in New Orleans

Storm Development and Landfall

Katrina becomes twelfth tropical cyclone of 2005 season

Aug 2005

Katrina was the twelfth tropical cyclone, the fifth hurricane, the third major hurricane, and the second Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.

Tropical wave forms near the Lesser Antilles

Aug 19, 2005

On August 19, 2005, a weak tropical wave combined with the mid-level remnants of Tropical Depression Ten and an upper tropospheric trough near the Lesser Antilles, setting in motion the system that would become Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina reaches Category 5 peak intensity

Aug 28, 2005

After attaining Category 5 hurricane status on the morning of August 28, Katrina reached its peak strength at 1800 UTC, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 902 mbar (26.64 inHg).

Katrina makes landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana

Aug 29, 2005

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, with 125 mph (200 km/h) winds, as a strong Category 3 hurricane. It was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States.

Second landfall as high-end Category 3 hurricane

Aug 29, 2005

The hurricane weakened due to another eyewall replacement cycle, and Katrina made its second landfall at 1110 UTC on August 29, as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (201 km/h), near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana.

Response and Recovery

Chertoff takes over federal response operations

Aug 30, 2005

Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, decided to take over the federal, state, and local operations officially on August 30, 2005, citing the National Response Plan.

Looting begins in New Orleans

Aug 30, 2005

Shortly after the hurricane moved away on August 30, 2005, some residents of New Orleans who remained in the city began looting stores.

American flags ordered half-staff for victims

Sep 2, 2005 - Sep 20, 2005

American flags were ordered to be flown at half-staff from September 2, 2005, to September 20, 2005, in honor of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Chertoff calls Katrina worst catastrophe in US history

Sep 3, 2005

On September 3, 2005, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as "probably the worst catastrophe or set of catastrophes" in the country's history, referring to the hurricane itself plus the flooding of New Orleans.

Indian Air Force delivers relief supplies

Sep 13, 2005

An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft delivered 25 tonnes of relief supplies for the Hurricane Katrina victims at the Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, on September 13, 2005.

Corporate donations reach $409 million

Sep 13, 2005

On September 13, 2005, it was reported that corporate donations amounted to $409 million, and were expected to exceed $1 billion, much as they did after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

About 200,000 people return to New Orleans

Jan 2006

By late January 2006, about 200,000 people were once again living in New Orleans, less than half of the pre-storm population.

FEMA sets final deadline for hotel cost coverage

Feb 7, 2006

To provide additional housing, FEMA paid for the hotel costs of 12,000 individuals and families displaced by Katrina through February 7, 2006, when a final deadline was set for the end of hotel cost coverage.

Bush administration requests Louisiana cost-sharing

Feb 2008

In February 2008, the Bush administration requested that the state of Louisiana pay about $1.5 billion of an estimated $7.2 billion for Corps of Engineers levee work, in accordance with local cost-sharing principles required by Congress, angering many Louisiana leaders.

Jindal urges Bush to fund Louisiana levees

May 2, 2008

On May 2, 2008, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal used a speech to The National Press Club to request that President Bush free up money to complete work on Louisiana's levees. Bush promised to include the funding in his 2009 budget but rejected including it in a war bill.

260 families still in FEMA trailers

Mar 30, 2010

As of March 30, 2010, there were still 260 families living in FEMA-provided trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly five years after the storm.

Investigations and Aftermath

ABC News poll shows blame for disaster response

Sep 2, 2005

An ABC News poll conducted on September 2, 2005, showed more blame was being directed at state and local governments (75%) than at the Federal government (67%), with 44% blaming Bush's leadership directly.

'Katrinagate' coined as runner-up word of the year

Dec 2005

The neologism Katrinagate was coined to refer to the controversy surrounding the government's response to the disaster, and was a runner-up for "2005 word of the year".

Katrina name retired by World Meteorological Organization

Apr 2006

Due to the destruction and loss of life caused by the storm along the Gulf Coast, the name Katrina was retired from the Atlantic hurricane naming lists in April 2006 by the World Meteorological Organization.

Katia selected as replacement name

Apr 2006

Following the retirement of the name Katrina, it was replaced with Katia, which was first used for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

Corps admits levee design flaws

Apr 5, 2006

On April 5, 2006, months after independent investigators had demonstrated that levee failures were not caused by natural forces beyond intended design strength, Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock acknowledged flaws in the Army Corps' work on the flood protection system.

ASCE report blames floodwall failures for flooding

Jun 2007

A June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers determined that two-thirds of the flooding was caused by multiple failures of the city's floodwalls, primarily the result of system design and construction flaws.

Judge Duval rules Corps immune from liability

Jan 2008

In January 2008, Judge Stanwood Duval of the U.S. District Court ruled that despite the Corps' role in the flooding, the agency could not be held financially liable because of sovereign immunity in the Flood Control Act of 1928.

Army Corps recommends MRGO de-authorization

Jun 2008

In June 2008, the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District submitted a Deep-Draft De-authorization Study of the MRGO stating there was no federal interest in continued operation of the channel. Congress ordered the MRGO closed as a direct result.

Study reveals psychosocial needs of evacuees

Jan 2016

An article published in the Community Mental Health Journal from January 2016 revealed information about a study on the psychosocial needs of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who temporarily resided in Dallas, Texas.

AP style guide change on Katrina coverage

Sep 2022

In September 2022, the Associated Press issued a style guide change regarding Katrina, stating that reporters writing about the storm in New Orleans should note that "...levee failures played a major role in the devastation in New Orleans."

NHC updates Katrina death toll to 1,392

Jan 4, 2023

On January 4, 2023, the NHC updated the Katrina fatality data on the basis of a 2014 report, which reduced the total number from an estimated 1,833 to 1,392, making it the deadliest American hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane.

Key Facts

  1. Hurricane Katrina formed near the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and reached Category 5 status with winds of 175 mph before weakening to Category 3 at landfall.
  2. Katrina made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2005, near Buras-Triumph, with sustained winds of about 125 mph.
  3. Levee and floodwall failures in New Orleans flooded approximately 80% of the city, with some areas under more than 10 feet of water.
  4. The hurricane caused over 1,800 deaths across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and an estimated $125 billion in damage, making it the costliest U.S. disaster at the time.
  5. The widely criticized federal, state, and local responses—particularly FEMA's slow relief efforts—led to major reforms in disaster management policy.

Source

This Hurricane Katrina timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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