X

Images: Deadly Katrina hits Gulf Coast

The hurricane hit land in Louisiana but changed direction to miss New Orleans--but spread devastation into Mississippi instead.
By Bill Detwiler, Contributor
11806.jpg
1 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

Recovery efforts from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina are underway. The U.S. Navy is sending ships to provide relief to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima is one of four ships that will bring six disaster relief teams with amphibious construction equipment, medical personnel, and supplies.

11807.jpg
2 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

The Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship USS Grapple is also en route to the Gulf Coast. It was built for salvage, diving, firefighting and heavy lift capabilities. It can add hurricane recovery to its resume.

11808.jpg
3 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

slowing down

This satellite image is from around 10:30 a.m. CST on Aug. 31, 2005, as Tropical Depression Katrina storms the Great Lakes. The hurricane was responsible for at least 120 deaths and billions of dollars in damages.

11809.jpg
4 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

hitting Louisiana

It was a different scene the morning of Aug. 29, as Katrina hit land in southeastern Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

11810.jpg
5 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

power path

This chart shows the path of Hurricane Katrina and the power that it picked up as it swept from Florida across the Gulf of Mexico. The warm water increased the strength of Katrina's hurricane-force winds (red) and the tropical winds (brown). The winds weakened when the storm hit land.

11811.jpg
6 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

The predicted path of Tropical Storm Katrina, as of 4 a.m. CST on Aug. 30, 2005. The storm continues to lose force as it moves farther inland.

11812.jpg
7 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

Hurricane Hunters

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force Reserve, flew propeller-driven Lockheed-Martin WC-130 aircraft directly into the eye of Katrina. This archived photo shows the "stadium effect" that occurs in the eye of a strong hurricanes. It looks like you are in the middle of a stadium of clouds. Videos on the site let you take a tour inside the eye of a hurricane.

11813.jpg
8 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

Wind fall

Winds from Hurricane Katrina are expected to diminish by about 80 percent over 72 hours as the storm moves inland.

11814.jpg
9 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

Doppler radar from New Orleans taken Aug. 29 as Katrina hits land shows the concentration of heavy rains--indicated by the red and brown areas--in the center of the storm.

11815.jpg
10 of 10 Bill Detwiler/ZDNET

water vapor

This satellite image shows water vapor over the Gulf of Mexico and the southern United States on the morning of Monday, Aug. 29.

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos