Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Hurricane Katrina exposed serious weaknesses in disaster preparedness, even in a developed country like the USA. When the category 3 hurricane hit on 29th August 2005, forecasting systems worked well - the National Hurricane Centre in Florida tracked the storm and issued warnings 26th August.
The social and economic impacts were devastating. Over 1,800 people died, 300,000 houses were destroyed, and 230,000 jobs were lost. More than 80% of New Orleans was underwater when flood defences failed catastrophically.
However, evacuation efforts saved many lives - 70-80% of New Orleans residents left before the hurricane hit. The Salvation Army served 5.6 million meals, and India donated $5 million to Red Cross relief efforts.
Environmental damage was severe too - sea turtle breeding beaches were destroyed, and oil refineries were damaged, causing massive oil spills along the coast.
Key Point: Good forecasting and evacuation reduced deaths significantly, but poor flood defences and inadequate preparation for the most vulnerable communities caused unnecessary suffering.