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Credit: Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA.
A flooded neighborhood in New Orleans six days after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi.

Explorations: New Orleans and Hurricanes

Chapter 1 of The AMS Weather Book opens with the experiences of the National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist who issued a dire warning of Hurricane Katrina’s effects on the New Orleans area the day before the storm hit. His experiences and those of his extended family illustrate how anyone living anywhere that a hurricane could hit should prepare for and respond to a hurricane watch and warning.

Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans was no surprise; many organizations and individuals had been warning of the danger for many years.

The resources below will help you learn more about both what Hurricane Katrina did when it hit and what scientists, forecasters, and emergency managers knew about the likely effects of such a storm.


Credit: Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA.
A U.S. Coast Guard boat transports residents and their pets from their flooded New Orleans neighborhood a week after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi.

The eight-day Hurricane Pam emergency response drill, in July 2004, showed emergency officials from 50 parishes (in Louisiana, counties are called parishes), state, federal, and volunteer organizations many of the things that should done to address the hurricane threat to Louisiana. Below are a few Hurricane Pam links:


Credit: Win Henderson, FEMA.
Evacuees wait to board buses to take them out of New Orleans the day after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi.

Katrina and New Orleans Bibliographies
Meteorology and Forecasting of Katrina

book jacket
The AMS Weather Book:The Ultimate Guide to America’s Weather
Jack Williams
With Forewords by Rick Anthes and Stephanie Abrams
©2009, 368 pages, 140 color plates, 70 halftones 8-1/2 x 10-7/8
Cloth $35.00 ISBN: 9780226898988



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