Devastation facts, figures

2005-09-06 14:31

Hurricane Katrina evacuee Joseph LaCoste, of New Orleans, rests at an evacution centre inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum Monday in Phoenix. (Paul Connors, AP)

Washington - Hurricane Katrina smashed into three US states on the Gulf of Mexico on August 29, leaving in its wake the worst natural catastrophe in US history. Here, in facts and figures, is what the storm caused:

Human Toll

The provisional death toll from the storm stood Monday at 71 in Louisiana, 152 in Mississippi and seven in Florida, for a total of 230. Republican Senator David Vitter, however, estimates the final death toll in Louisiana alone could top 10 000.

At least 273 000 people made homeless by the storm are being put up in a variety of shelters in 16 US states, after they are processed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Louisiana's neighbouring state of Texas, is the foremost destination for the evacuees, with 127 000 already there on Monday.

More than one million people in Louisiana may have been displaced by Katrina.

Economic Toll

Katrina devastated 235 000 square kilometers, an area half the size of France or as big as Romania. Forty to 50 kilometers of Mississippi shoreline was obliterated. Four fifths of New Orleans ended up under water.

The storm closed down 711 offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Six days after Katrina hit, 78.98% of the area's oil producing capacity was still off line, according to the Minerals Management Service.

The cost of the damage could surpass $100bn and $35bn to insurance companies, according to business analyst Risk Management Solutions. The loss of productivity in the area costs $100m a day.

The three states affected by the storm, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, account for three percent of US gross domestic product, according to former Lehman Brothers economist Ethan Harris.

In Mississippi, the loss of several casinos along the shore deals an economic shock to the area. In Biloxi alone, 13 000 people are out of a job. The lucrative tourist trade in Louisiana, which gets 10 million visitors a year, is badly affected.

Rescue and reconstruction

Congress has released $10.5bn in emergency aid.

Promises of assistance have poured in from overseas. Two oil-rich monarquies, Qatar and Kuwait, have each pledged $600m in assistance.

More than $352m have been pledged by private individuals through the Red Cross.

More than 50 000 troops are to be dispatched to the storm-ravaged area.

Draining New Orleans of its floodwaters could take anywhere between 36 days and 80 days, according to the US army.

- AFP