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105-639: The facilities include the Audubon Zoo , Audubon Aquarium , Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Park , Woldenberg Riverfront Park , Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES), Audubon Wilderness Park, and Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network (CWN). Collectively, prior to COVID, there were 2 million annual visitors. The Audubon family of nature sites and facilities began with Audubon Park – once home to Native Americans – and later, to New Orleans' first mayor, Étienne de Boré . He founded

210-514: A Confederate military camp and a Union hospital. In 1866, it was the activation site for the 9th Cavalry Regiment , the " Buffalo Soldiers ," whose defense of the United States' western frontier made an indelible mark on America's African-American heritage. Site improvements made for the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884 (Louisiana's first World's Fair ) laid

315-484: A Wednesday through Sunday schedule, and eventually expanded to Tuesday through Sunday. For a period around 2011 the Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans (LFNO) used three rooms at the zoo as classrooms on a temporary basis. On 14 July 2018, a jaguar named Valerio escaped through the roof of its enclosure, killing six animals and injuring another three before being recaptured. The incident occurred before

420-550: A bottleneck at the Rigolets Pass, forcing it farther inland. The range of surge levels in eastern St. Tammany Parish is estimated at 13–16 feet (4.0–4.9 m), not including wave action. Hard-hit St. Bernard Parish was flooded because of breaching of the levees that contained a navigation channel called the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) and the breach of the 40 Arpent canal levee that

525-660: A mandatory evacuation was ordered for vulnerable housing in Martin County . Shelters were opened across the region. Officials closed the Miami International Airport , Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport , Key West International Airport , and Florida Keys Marathon Airport due to the storm. In Monroe and Collier counties, schools were closed, and a shelter was opened in Immokalee . On August 28, Alabama Governor Bob Riley declared

630-436: A massive national and international response effort, including federal, local, and private rescue operations to evacuate those displaced from the city in the following weeks. After the storm, multiple investigations concluded that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , which had designed and built the region's levees decades earlier, was responsible for the failure of the flood-control systems. However, federal courts later ruled that

735-713: A new master plan for the Zoo. Forman and the Audubon Commission expanded the Zoo to its current 58 acres, allowing for sweeping natural habitats that mirrored wild environments: the African Savanna, North American Grasslands and the South American Pampas. Woldenberg Park opened in 1989, the same year the Friends of the Zoo evolved into Audubon Nature Institute. The Aquarium followed in 1990. In

840-518: A news conference at 10 am. EDT on August 28, shortly after Katrina was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered the first-ever mandatory evacuation of the city, calling Katrina "a storm that most of us have long feared". The city government also established several "refuges of last resort" for citizens who could not leave the city, including the massive Louisiana Superdome , which sheltered approximately 26,000 people and provided them with food and water for several days as

945-522: A peninsula between the Back Bay and the coast, was particularly hard hit, especially the low-lying Point Cadet area. In Jackson County, storm surge flowed up the wide river estuary , with the combined surge and freshwater flooding cutting the county in half. Remarkably, over 90% of Pascagoula, the easternmost coastal city in Mississippi, and about 75 miles (120 km) east of Katrina's landfall near

1050-478: A result of Hurricane Katrina and two people died in a traffic accident in the state. Residents in some areas, such as Selma, were without power for several days. Northern and central Georgia were affected by heavy rains and strong winds from Hurricane Katrina as the storm moved inland, with more than 3 inches (76 mm) of rain falling in several areas. At least 18 tornadoes formed in Georgia on August 29, 2005,

1155-548: A result of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina's storm surge inundated all parishes surrounding Lake Pontchartrain, including St. Tammany , Tangipahoa, St. John the Baptist , and St. Charles Parishes. St. Tammany Parish received a two-part storm surge. The first surge came as Lake Pontchartrain rose and the storm blew water from the Gulf of Mexico into the lake. The second came as the eye of Katrina passed, westerly winds pushed water into

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1260-415: A state of emergency for the approaching Hurricane Katrina. On the same day, he requested President Bush to declare "expedited major disaster declaration" for six counties of South Alabama, which was quickly approved. Three hundred fifty national guardsmen were called on duty by August 30. The state of Mississippi activated its National Guard on August 26 in preparation for the storm's landfall. Additionally,

1365-511: A state of emergency in selected regions of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi on August 27. "On Sunday, August 28, President Bush spoke with Governor Blanco to encourage her to order a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." However, during the testimony by former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Michael Brown before a U.S. House subcommittee on September 26, Representative Stephen Buyer (R-IN) inquired as to why Bush's declaration of state of emergency of August 27 had not included

1470-630: A strong Category 3 hurricane. Although the storm surge to the east of the path of the eye in Mississippi was higher, a significant surge affected the Louisiana coast. The height of the surge is uncertain because of a lack of data, although a tide gauge in Plaquemines Parish indicated a storm tide in excess of 14 feet (4.3 m), and a 12-foot (3.7 m) storm surge was recorded in Grand Isle . The hurricane made its final landfall near

1575-606: A variety of primates like a troop of western lowland gorillas , mandrills , black-and-white colobus monkeys , Wolf's guenons , black howler monkeys , golden lion tamarin , black-and-white ruffed lemurs , siamang and the only Angolan talapoins in North America. In front of the Savanna is the zoo's petting zoo, the Watoto Walk, which houses donkeys , miniature zebu , goats and sheep . The first enclosure in

1680-500: Is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of some of the fatalities. A 2008 report by the Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal indicates that 966 deaths can be directly attributed to the storm in Louisiana, including out of state evacuees, and another 20 indirectly (such as firearm-related deaths and gas poisoning). Due to uncertain causes of death with 454 evacuees, an upper-bound of 1,440

1785-673: Is located in a section of Audubon Park in Uptown New Orleans , on the Mississippi River side of Magazine Street. The zoo and park are named in honor of artist and naturalist John James Audubon who lived in New Orleans starting in 1821. The site of the zoo has housed animal exhibits since the World Cotton Centennial 1884 Exhibition World's Fair , though the current incarnation of the zoo

1890-626: Is noted in the paper. A follow-up study by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals determined that the storm was directly responsible for 1,170 fatalities in Louisiana. Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000 square miles (230,000 km ) of the United States, an area almost as large as the United Kingdom. The hurricane left an estimated three million people without electricity. On September 3, 2005, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described

1995-476: Is tied with Hurricane Harvey as being the costliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin . Katrina was the twelfth tropical cyclone, the fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season . It was also the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States , gauged by barometric pressure. Katrina formed on August 23, 2005, with

2100-519: The Gulf of Mexico on August 26 and rapidly intensified . The storm strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before weakening to a high-end Category 3 hurricane at its second landfall on August 29 over southeast Louisiana and Mississippi . The largest loss of life in Hurricane Katrina was due to flooding caused by engineering flaws in

2205-539: The Lesser Antilles . On August 23, the disturbance organized into Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas. The storm strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina on the morning of August 24. The tropical storm moved towards Florida and became a hurricane only two hours before making landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura on the morning of August 25. The storm weakened over land, but it regained hurricane status about one hour after entering

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2310-504: The Loop Current , from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane in just nine hours. 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 (26.6  inHg ). The pressure measurement made Katrina the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record at

2415-701: The Miami metropolitan area , with a peak total of 16.43 in (417 mm) in Perrine . As a result, local flooding occurred in Miami-Dade County , damaging approximately 100 homes. Farther south in the Florida Keys, a tornado was spawned in Marathon on August 26. The tornado damaged a hangar at the airport there and caused an estimated $ 5 million in damage. The rains caused flooding, and

2520-540: The United States Coast Guard (USCG), National Hurricane Center (NHC), and National Weather Service (NWS), were commended for their actions, with the NHC being particularly praised for its accurate forecasts well in advance. Katrina was the earliest 11th named storm on record before being surpassed by Tropical Storm Kyle on August 14, 2020. The destruction and loss of life caused by the storm prompted

2625-489: The federally built levee system protecting metro New Orleans and the failure of the 40 Arpent Canal levee. Failures occurred in New Orleans and surrounding communities, especially St. Bernard Parish. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) breached its levees in approximately 20 places, flooding much of eastern New Orleans, most of St. Bernard Parish and the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish . The major levee breaches in

2730-657: The Bay St. Louis–Pass Christian bridge, and the Biloxi– Ocean Springs bridge. In addition, the eastbound span of the I-10 bridge over the Pascagoula River estuary was damaged. In the weeks after the storm, with the connectivity of the coastal U.S. Highway 90 shattered, traffic traveling parallel to the coast was reduced first to State Road 11 (parallel to I-10) then to two lanes on the remaining I-10 span when it

2835-636: The Cochrane Bridge just outside Mobile. No significant damage resulted to the bridge and it was soon reopened. The damage on Dauphin Island was severe, with the surge destroying many houses and cutting a new canal through the western portion of the island. An offshore oil rig also became grounded on the island. As in Mississippi, the storm surge caused significant beach erosion along the Alabama coastline. More than 600,000 people lost power in Alabama as

2940-714: The Corps could not be held financially liable due to sovereign immunity in the Flood Control Act of 1928 . The emergency response from federal, state, and local governments was widely criticized, leading to the resignation of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael D. Brown and New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Superintendent Eddie Compass . Many other government officials faced criticism for their responses, especially New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin , Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco , and President George W. Bush . However, several agencies, such as

3045-576: The Gulf Coast had been shut down, including all freight and Amtrak rail traffic into the evacuation areas as well as the Waterford Nuclear Generating Station . Since Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak's Sunset Limited service has never been restored past New Orleans. In Louisiana, the state's hurricane evacuation plan calls for local governments in areas along and near the coast to evacuate in three phases, starting with

3150-597: The Gulf Coast were covered under a voluntary or mandatory evacuation order. On the afternoon of August 26, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) realized that Katrina had yet to make the turn toward the Florida Panhandle and ended up revising the predicted track of the storm from the panhandle to the Mississippi coast. The National Weather Service's New Orleans/Baton Rouge office issued a vividly worded bulletin on August 28 predicting that

3255-469: The Gulf of Mexico, and it continued strengthening over open waters. On August 27, the storm reached Category 3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale , becoming the third major hurricane of the season. An eyewall replacement cycle disrupted the intensification but caused the storm to nearly double in size. Thereafter, Katrina rapidly intensified over the "unusually warm" waters of

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3360-827: The I-10 Twin Span Bridge traveling eastbound towards Slidell, Louisiana had collapsed. Both the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and the Crescent City Connection only carried emergency traffic. However, access to downtown New Orleans and the "shelter of last resort" at the Convention Center was never closed because River Road in Jefferson Parish and Leake Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans were not flooded, and would have allowed access throughout

3465-640: The Louisiana-Mississippi border was flooded from storm surge at the height of the storm. Other large Jackson County neighborhoods such as Porteaux Bay and Gulf Hills were severely damaged with large portions being completely destroyed, and St. Martin was hard hit; Ocean Springs, Moss Point , Gautier and Escatawpa also suffered major surge damage. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials also recorded deaths in Forrest , Hinds , Warren , and Leake counties. Over 900,000 people throughout

3570-531: The Merz facility held its own until the 1950s. Deterioration followed as city appropriations dwindled, private donations dried up and public interest waned. There were a few bright moments (including the 1956 arrival of the first endangered whooping crane hatched in a zoo), but times were mostly bad. Blasted by the media as an animal "ghetto" in 1958 and urged to "clean up or close up" by the Humane Society of

3675-799: The Miami area. Cruise ships altered their paths due to seaports in southeastern Florida closing. Officials in Miami-Dade County advised residents in mobile homes or with special needs to evacuate. To the north in Broward County, residents east of the Intracoastal Waterway or in mobile homes were advised to leave their homes. Evacuation orders were issued for offshore islands in Palm Beach County , and for residents in mobile homes south of Lantana Road. Additionally,

3780-584: The New Orleans region prior to the mandatory evacuation. Aircrews from the Aviation Training Center, in Mobile, staged rescue aircraft from Texas to Florida. All aircraft were returning towards the Gulf of Mexico by the afternoon of August 29. Aircrews , many of whom lost their homes during the hurricane, began a round-the-clock rescue effort in New Orleans, and along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines. President George W. Bush declared

3885-669: The Reptile Encounter exhibit is the Komodo dragon . Many other animals are also housed here, including the panther chameleon , Gila monster , false gharial , green anaconda , gaboon viper and quite a few other reptiles and amphibians . California sea lions live in a large lagoon. Two females named Ayah and Jolee arrived at the zoo in 2017 from the Marine Mammal Care Centre Los Angeles . Both were found stranded and were rescued; Jolee

3990-434: The Savanna consists of giraffes , black crowned cranes and marabou storks . Nearby are habitats for African wild dogs and lions . A paddock with a large pond houses great white pelicans and pink-backed pelicans along with Thomson's gazelles , nyala and Abyssinian ground hornbills . A third habitat houses white rhinos , Burchell's zebras and blue wildebeest while the final habitat houses red river hogs . At

4095-583: The Superdome, only six deaths were confirmed there, with four of these originating from natural causes , one from a drug overdose, and one a suicide. At the Convention Center, four bodies were recovered. One of the four is believed to be the result of a homicide. There is evidence that many prisoners were abandoned in their cells during the storm, while the guards sought shelter. Hundreds of prisoners were later registered as "unaccounted for". The Gulf coast of Mississippi suffered extremely severe damage from

4200-526: The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, in St. Bernard Parish, 81% (20,229) of the housing units were damaged. In St. Tammany Parish, 70% (48,792) were damaged and in Plaquemines Parish 80% (7,212) were damaged. In addition, the combined effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was the destruction of an estimated 562 square kilometres (217 sq mi) of coastal wetlands in Louisiana. As

4305-587: The United States in 1970, the Zoo—now called Audubon Zoo—begged recovery. In 1972 the Commission spearheaded passage of a special referendum which generated nearly $ 2 million in bonds to finance the beginning of the Zoo's restoration. The volunteers formally rallied as Friends of the Zoo, and in 1973, Ron Forman —the City Hall Liaison for Audubon Park—came on board with a grand vision that evolved into

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4410-614: The United States. The death toll from Katrina is uncertain, with reports differing by hundreds. According to the National Hurricane Center, 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm: one in Kentucky , two each in Alabama, Georgia , and Ohio , 14 in Florida, 238 in Mississippi, and 1,577 in Louisiana. However, 135 people remain categorized as missing in Louisiana, and many of the deaths are indirect, but it

4515-518: 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. Even in 2010, debris remained in some coastal communities. Before striking South Florida, Katrina traversed the Bahamas as a tropical storm. However, minimal impact was reported, with only "fresh breezes" on various islands. Although Hurricane Katrina stayed well to

4620-463: The airport on September 13 and regular carrier operations resumed in early October. Levee breaches in New Orleans also caused a significant number of deaths, with over 700 bodies recovered in New Orleans by October 23, 2005. Some survivors and evacuees reported seeing dead bodies lying in city streets and floating in still-flooded sections, especially in the east of the city. The advanced state of decomposition of many corpses, some of which were left in

4725-463: The area would be "uninhabitable for weeks" after "devastating damage" caused by Katrina, which at that time rivaled the intensity of Hurricane Camille . During video conferences involving the president later that day and on August 29, NHC director Max Mayfield expressed concern that Katrina might push its storm surge over the city's levees and flood walls. In one conference, he stated, "I do not think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether

4830-542: The areas managed include: Audubon Zoo Audubon Zoo is an American zoo located in New Orleans, Louisiana . It is part of the Audubon Nature Institute which also manages Audubon Aquarium , Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoran Species Survival Center, Audubon Park, and Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network. It covers 58 acres (23 ha) and is home to over 2,000 animals. It

4935-447: The aviary is a yard for emus . This exhibit is primarily outdoors, housing many samples of animals native to southern Louisiana. These include American black bears , cougars , bobcats , red foxes , North American river otters , nutria , raccoons , various fish and snakes , blue crabs , alligator snapping turtles and American alligators of both normal pigmentation and the leucistic variety. After Hurricane Katrina , it

5040-541: The center and the storm's central pressure was 920 mbar (27 inHg). After moving over southeastern Louisiana and Breton Sound , it made its third and final landfall near the Louisiana–Mississippi border with 120 mph (190 km/h) sustained winds, still at a mid-range Category 3 hurricane intensity. Katrina maintained strength well into Mississippi, finally losing hurricane strength more than 150 miles (240 km) inland near Meridian, Mississippi . It

5145-527: The city included breaches at the 17th Street Canal levee, the London Avenue Canal , and the wide, navigable Industrial Canal , which left approximately 80% of the city flooded. Most of the major roads traveling into and out of the city were damaged. The only major intact highway routes out of the city were the westbound Crescent City Connection and the Huey P. Long Bridge, as large portions of

5250-484: The city. A June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers indicated that two-thirds of the flooding was caused by the multiple failures of the city's floodwalls. The storm surge also devastated the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, making Katrina one of the most destructive hurricanes, the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States (tied with Hurricane Harvey in 2017), and

5355-495: The coastal communities of Clermont Harbor and Waveland, much of Bay St. Louis, and flowed up the Jourdan River, flooding Diamondhead and Kiln . In Harrison County, Pass Christian was completely inundated, along with a narrow strip of land to the east along the coast, which includes the cities of Long Beach and Gulfport; the flooding was more extensive in communities such as D'Iberville, which borders Back Bay. Biloxi , on

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5460-410: The coastal parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, and Plaquemines. The declaration actually did not include any of Louisiana's coastal parishes, whereas the coastal counties were included in the declarations for Mississippi and Alabama . Brown testified that this was because Louisiana Governor Blanco had not included those parishes in her initial request for aid, a decision that he found "shocking". After

5565-615: The collection boasted hundreds of animals. When the Depression of the 1930s shut down private donations, the city's hope for a zoo was kept alive by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This federal agency funded construction of new zoo buildings, and in 1938, a $ 50,000 bequest from local benefactor Valentine Merz enabled the opening of the Merz Memorial Zoo. Expensive to maintain and operate,

5670-483: The combination of rains and winds downed trees and power lines, leaving 1.45 million people without power. Damage in South Florida was estimated at $ 523 million, mostly as a result of crop damage. Twelve deaths occurred in South Florida, of which three were caused by downed trees in Broward County, three from drowning in Miami-Dade County, three were from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators, one

5775-401: The computer models had shifted the potential path of Katrina 150 miles (240 km) westward from the Florida Panhandle, putting the city of New Orleans directly in the center of their track probabilities; the chances of a direct hit were forecast at 17%, with strike probability rising to 29% by August 28. This scenario was considered a potential catastrophe because some parts of New Orleans and

5880-601: The deadliest hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane . The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $ 125 billion (2005 U.S. dollars). However, in February 2021, a severe winter storm struck the United States, causing a major power failure in Houston, which caused at least $ 195 billion (2021 USD) in damage in Texas. It surpassed both Katrina and Harvey to become the single-costliest natural disaster recorded in

5985-404: The early 21st century, including the addition of a waterfall for young children to play in, a rope web that goes to the summit, and a 20 foot (6.1 m) high "safari outpost" at the base of the hill. For the sake of posterity sake, a portion of it was left as grass for children to play. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, followed by severe consequences in the devastating aftermath of

6090-673: The entrance of this area is the maned wolf enclosure. Right over is a boardwalk across a large pond which houses Caribbean flamingos , American white pelicans and brown pelicans . Along the boardwalk is a large yard for capybaras , greater rheas , king vultures and Patagonian maras . The yard across has Baird's tapirs , guanacos and coscoroba swans . This area has the theme of a ruined Mayan temple and it includes jaguars , giant anteaters , St. Vincent agoutis , ocelots , Geoffroy's spider monkeys , alpacas , maguari storks , scarlet macaws , blue-and-yellow macaws and common boa . A new nocturnal house named "Criaturas de la Noche"

6195-444: The eye of Hurricane Katrina swept to the northeast, it subjected the city to hurricane conditions for hours. Although power failures prevented accurate measurement of wind speeds in New Orleans, there were a few measurements of hurricane-force winds; based on this information, the NHC concluded that much of the city likely experienced sustained winds of Category 1 or 2 hurricane strength. Katrina's storm surge caused 53 levee breaches in

6300-457: The flood protection system, particularly the levees around the city of New Orleans. 80% of the city, as well as large areas in neighboring parishes , were flooded for weeks. The flooding destroyed most of New Orleans's transportation and communication facilities, leaving tens of thousands of people who did or could not evacuate the city before landfall with little access to food, shelter, and other necessities. The disaster in New Orleans prompted

6405-413: The foundation for an urban park. The city had designated the land for this purpose in 1871; and in 1886, city planners changed the park's name from Upper City Park to Audubon Park . This was in tribute to artist/naturalist John James Audubon who painted many of his famed Birds of America in Louisiana. A governing board was appointed by the city in 1894 to find the best way to develop the land; and by

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6510-435: The hearing, Blanco released a copy of her letter, which showed she had requested assistance for "all the southeastern parishes including the City of New Orleans" as well as specifically named 14 parishes, including Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines. Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were issued for large areas of southeast Louisiana as well as coastal Mississippi and Alabama. About 1.2 million residents of

6615-494: The hotel's glass exterior was completely sheared off. The Superdome , which was sheltering many people who had not evacuated, sustained significant damage. Two sections of the Superdome's roof were compromised and the dome's waterproof membrane was essentially peeled off. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was closed before the storm but did not flood. On August 30, it was reopened to humanitarian and rescue operations. Limited commercial passenger service resumed at

6720-910: The immediate coast 50 hours before the start of tropical-storm-force winds. Persons in areas designated Phase II begin evacuating 40 hours before the onset of tropical storm winds and those in Phase III areas (including New Orleans) evacuate 30 hours before the start of such winds. Many private caregiving facilities that relied on bus companies and ambulance services for evacuation were unable to evacuate their charges because they waited too long. Louisiana's Emergency Operations Plan Supplement 1C (Part II, Section II, Paragraph D) calls for use of school and other public buses in evacuations. Although buses that later flooded were available to transport those dependent on public transportation, not enough bus drivers were available to drive them since Governor Blanco did not sign an emergency waiver to allow any licensed driver to transport evacuees on school buses. By August 26, many of

6825-405: The immediate post-storm emergency period. On August 29, at 7:40 am. CDT, it was reported that most of the windows on the north side of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans had been blown out, and many other high rise buildings had extensive window damage. The Hyatt was the most severely damaged hotel in the city, with beds reported to be flying out of the windows. Insulation tubes were exposed as

6930-441: The impact of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, leaving 238 people dead, 67 missing, and billions of dollars in damage: bridges, barges, boats, piers, houses, and cars were washed inland. Katrina traveled up the entire state; as a result, all 82 counties in Mississippi were declared disaster areas for federal assistance, 47 for full assistance. After making a brief initial landfall in Louisiana, Katrina had made its final landfall near

7035-409: The levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern." In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency on August 24 in advance of Hurricane Katrina's landfall. By the following day, Florida's Emergency Operations Center was activated in Tallahassee to monitor the progress of the hurricane. Before Katrina moved ashore, schools and businesses were closed in

7140-464: The majority of the state. Katrina caused eleven tornadoes in Mississippi on August 29, some of which damaged trees and power lines. Battered by wind, rain and storm surge, some beachfront neighborhoods were completely leveled. Preliminary estimates by Mississippi officials calculated that 90% of the structures within half a mile of the coastline were completely destroyed, and that storm surges traveled as much as 6 miles (10 km) inland in portions of

7245-399: The merger of a tropical wave and the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten . Early the following day, the depression intensified into a tropical storm and headed generally westward toward Florida. On August 25, two hours before making landfall at Hallandale Beach , it strengthened into a hurricane. After briefly weakening to tropical storm strength over southern Florida, Katrina entered

7350-399: The metro area are below sea level. Since the storm surge produced by the hurricane's right-front quadrant (containing the strongest winds) was forecast to be 28 feet (8.5 m), while the levees offered protection to 23 feet (7.0 m), emergency management officials in New Orleans feared that the storm surge could go over the tops of levees protecting the city, causing major flooding. At

7455-414: The most on record in that state for one day in August. The most serious of these tornadoes was an F2 tornado which affected Heard County and Carroll County . This tornado caused three injuries and one fatality and damaged several houses. The other tornadoes caused significant damages to buildings and agricultural facilities. In addition to the fatality caused by the F2 tornado, there was another fatality in

7560-487: The mouth of the Pearl River , with the eye straddling St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana , and Hancock County, Mississippi , on the morning of August 29 at about 9:45 am. CDT. Hurricane Katrina also brought heavy rain to Louisiana, with 8–10 inches (200–250 mm) falling on a wide swath of the eastern part of the state. In the area around Slidell , the rainfall was even higher, and the highest rainfall recorded in

7665-630: The name Katrina to be retired by the World Meteorological Organization in April 2006. On January 4, 2023, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) updated the Katrina fatality data based on a report by Rappaport (2014) which reduced the number from an estimated 1,833 to 1,392. Hurricane Katrina originated from the merger of a tropical wave and the mid-level remnants of Tropical Depression Ten on August 19, 2005, near

7770-467: The nation's first commercial sugar plantation here, when New Orleans was still part of Spanish colonial Louisiana ; and developed its first granulated sugar through a process invented by Norbert Rillieux , a local free man of color . The land did not fall into public hands until 1850, when a philanthropist willed the property to the city. During the US Civil War , the location alternately hosted

7875-458: The next decade, the Aquarium expanded into a new wing housing a theater and a Changing Exhibits Gallery, while Woldenberg Park also extended its borders. The 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused substantial physical destruction, wiping out all Audubon operating revenues and forcing the layoff of nearly 600 employees. Nevertheless, Aquarium staff remained at their posts throughout the storm, as well as

7980-571: The north of Cuba , on August 28 it brought tropical-storm-force winds and rainfall of over 8 in (200 mm) to western regions of the island. Telephone and power lines were damaged and around 8,000 people were evacuated in the Pinar del Río Province . According to Cuban television reports the coastal town of Surgidero de Batabanó was 90% underwater. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida on August 25. The storm dropped heavy rainfall in portions of

8085-634: The northwestern portion of the state, though none of them caused significant damage. Throughout the Florida Panhandle, the storm resulted in an estimated $ 100 million in damage. There were two indirect fatalities from Katrina in Walton County as a result of a traffic accident. In the Florida Panhandle, 77,000 customers lost power. Overall, the hurricane killed 14 people and caused at least $ 623 million in damage. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana , with 125 mph (200 km/h) winds, as

8190-547: The relatively flat New Orleans area. Locals claim Monkey Hill to be the highest point in New Orleans, although another artificial hill in City Park actually competes for that title. By the early 1970s, the zoo had fallen into a state of decay. The small prison-like brick and steel bar cages constructed by the WPA were no longer considered appropriate environments for many of the animals displayed within them. A study suggested that

8295-457: The state experienced power outages. Although Hurricane Katrina made landfall well to the west, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were both affected by tropical-storm-force winds and a storm surge varying from 12 to 16 feet (3.7–4.9 m) around Mobile Bay , with higher waves on top. Sustained winds of 67 mph (108 km/h) were recorded in Mobile, Alabama , and the storm surge there

8400-479: The state government activated its Emergency Operations Center the next day, and local governments began issuing evacuation orders. By 6:00 p.m. CDT on August 28, 11 counties and cities issued evacuation orders, a number which increased to 41 counties and 61 cities by the following morning. Moreover, 57 emergency shelters were established on coastal communities, with 31 additional shelters available to open if needed. By Sunday, August 28, most infrastructure along

8505-446: The state line, and the eyewall passed over the cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). Katrina's powerful right-front quadrant passed over the west and central Mississippi coast, causing a powerful 27-foot (8.2 m) storm surge, which penetrated 6 miles (10 km) inland in many areas and up to 12 miles (19 km) inland along bays and rivers; in some areas,

8610-476: The state was approximately 15 inches (380 mm). As a result of the rainfall and storm surge the level of Lake Pontchartrain rose and caused significant flooding along its northeastern shore, affecting communities from Slidell to Mandeville . Several bridges were destroyed, including the I-10 Twin Span Bridge connecting Slidell to New Orleans. Almost 900,000 people in Louisiana lost power as

8715-515: The state's coast. One apartment complex with approximately thirty residents seeking shelter inside collapsed. More than half of the 13 casinos in the state, which were floated on barges to comply with Mississippi land-based gambling laws, were washed hundreds of yards inland by waves. A number of streets and bridges were washed away. On U.S. Highway 90 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, two major bridges were completely destroyed:

8820-452: The storm . During the hurricane, zoo staff found refuge in the reptile house, which was designed to withstand major weather events. Located on high ground atop an old natural river levee , the building was not flooded. Most of the animals survived—only three died—and the only major damage was downed trees. However, the zoo was short on food and other necessities in the days after the storm, and pumps were overheating. The fact that

8925-484: The storm came ashore. Some estimates claimed that 80% of the 1.3 million residents of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area evacuated, leaving behind substantially fewer people than remained in the city during the Hurricane Ivan evacuation. On August 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

9030-636: The subsequent flooding, doing what they could for the animals in their charge. The institute was the executive producer of " Hurricane on the Bayou ", an IMAX film released on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina 's landfall in 2006. The institute is no longer a part of the National Wetlands Coalition , but it is a "cooperating organization" with America's Wetland Campaign; which is sponsored by British Gas , Citgo , ConocoPhillips , Shell Oil and other oil and gas companies. Some of

9135-614: The surge crossed Interstate 10 for several miles. Hurricane Katrina brought strong winds to Mississippi, which caused significant tree damage throughout the state. The highest unofficial reported wind gust recorded from Katrina was one of 135 mph (217 km/h) in Poplarville , in Pearl River County . The storm also brought heavy rains with 8–10 inches (200–250 mm) falling in southwestern Mississippi and rain in excess of 4 inches (100 mm) falling throughout

9240-546: The time, only to be surpassed by Hurricanes Rita and Wilma later in the season; it was also the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico at the time, before Rita broke the record. The hurricane subsequently 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 . At landfall, hurricane-force winds extended outward 120 miles (190 km) from

9345-410: The turn of the century, development had been entrusted to landscape architect John Charles Olmsted . Olmsted's family firm had risen to prominence for its design of New York City's Central Park , and New Orleanians soon watched their own scenic retreat materialize from Louisiana swamp land. The Audubon Commission was established by State Act in 1914 to maintain and develop Audubon Park. A flight cage

9450-689: The water or sun for days before being collected, hindered efforts by coroners to identify many of the dead. The first deaths reported from the city were reported shortly before midnight on August 28, as three nursing home patients died during an evacuation to Baton Rouge , most likely from dehydration. An estimated 215 bodies were found in nursing homes and hospitals in New Orleans, the largest number being at Memorial Medical Center where 45 corpses were recovered. Some 200 patients at Charity Hospital were not evacuated until Friday, September 2, having been without power or fresh water for five days. While there were also early reports of fatalities amid mayhem at

9555-627: The white alligator became a symbol of the zoo. In 1990, the Audubon Nature Institute, which manages the zoo, opened Audubon Aquarium in the CBD at the edge of the French Quarter . Some of the white alligators were transferred to there, and a riverboat began service taking visitors between the facilities. The WPA-era Monkey Hill, a favorite landmark of generations of New Orleans children, underwent extensive renovation in

9660-467: The zoo had opened. Near the entrance are exhibits for American flamingos and whooping cranes . Home to the zoo's Asian animals. Sumatran orangutans are housed in the former elephant yard. The zoo's Asian elephants live in a few large yards with enrichment structures and pools. Also living in this area are Amur leopards , sun bears , Asian small-clawed otters , North Sulawesi babirusa , Malayan tigers and barasingha . World of Primates houses

9765-455: The zoo should be closed down unless the city could make a major commitment to upgrade it. City government, local businesses, and private citizens rallied in support of it, and in 1975 the city's voters approved a measure to finance its rebuilding. Zoo grounds were expanded from 14 to 50 acres (57,000 to 200,000 m ). The same year New Orleans funk band The Meters released the song "They All Ask'd for You," which references Audubon Zoo and has become

9870-474: The zoo sustained only minor damage can be attributed to disaster planning and its location on high ground. Zoo curator Dan Maloney was quoted as saying, "The zoo had planned for years for the catastrophic storm that has long been predicted for New Orleans." The zoo reopened for Thanksgiving weekend in November 2005 and initiated a weekends-only schedule due to financial constraints. On March 1, 2006, it began

9975-674: The zoo's unofficial theme song. By the end of the decade, the Audubon Zoo was already well on its way to becoming one of the finest in the United States. More improvements and expansions continued into the 21st century, making the Audubon Zoo popular not only with locals but also drawing substantial numbers of tourists visiting from other states and nations. In 1987, an alligator nest was discovered with 18 freshly hatched babies with white hides—an extraordinary natural mutation called leucism , not to be confused with albinism . They received much attention when they went on display, and

10080-486: Was added to the park in 1916, and its popularity launched the community's call for a full-scale zoo. Community leaders united as the New Orleans Zoological Society, and private donations soon funded a monkey cage, a mammal cage and a deer paddock. The first elephant, purchased by Louisiana schoolchildren, arrived in 1924. An aquarium and a colonnaded sea lion pool fueled the momentum, and by 1929,

10185-542: Was approximately 12 feet (3.7 m). The surge caused significant flooding several miles inland along Mobile Bay. Four tornadoes were also reported in Alabama. Ships, oil rigs, boats and fishing piers were washed ashore along Mobile Bay: the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper and many fishing boats were grounded at Bayou La Batre . An oil rig under construction along the Mobile River broke its moorings and floated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwards before striking

10290-472: Was designed and built by the Orleans Levee Board . The search for the missing was undertaken by the St. Bernard Fire Department because of the assets of the United States Coast Guard being diverted to New Orleans. In the months after the storm, many of the missing were tracked down by searching flooded homes, tracking credit card records, and visiting homes of family and relatives. According to

10395-454: Was downgraded to a tropical depression near Clarksville, Tennessee ; its remnants were absorbed by a cold front in the eastern Great Lakes region on August 31. The resulting extratropical storm moved rapidly to the northeast and affected eastern Canada. The United States Coast Guard began pre-positioning resources in a ring around the expected impact zone and activated more than 400 reservists. On August 27, it moved its personnel out of

10500-544: Was due to a vehicle accident, one occurred during debris cleanup, and one was associated with a lack of electricity. Significant impacts were also reported in the Florida Panhandle . Although Katrina moved ashore in Louisiana and Mississippi, its outer periphery produced a 5.37 ft (1.64 m) storm surge in Pensacola . High waves caused beach erosion and closed nearby roadways. There were five tornadoes in

10605-578: Was not built until the early 20th century. In 1916, a flight cage was added, and during the boom of the 1920s, many other additions were made such as a sea lion pool in 1928. This pool, along with a few other art nouveau buildings, can still be seen today. During the Great Depression , a $ 400,000 expansion of the zoo was conducted by the Works Progress Administration . Many new cages were constructed, along with an artificial hill known as "Monkey Hill", built as an attraction for children in

10710-476: Was opened in 2019 featuring Seba's short-tailed bats , Nancy Ma's night monkeys , ringtails , common vampire bats , Anthony's poison arrow frogs , red-eyed tree frogs , Central American giant cave cockroaches and Costa Rican zebra tarantulas . This free-flight aviary features more than 30 species of birds from around the world such as the blue-crowned laughingthrushes , Indian peafowl , Nicobar pigeons , scarlet ibises and Taveta golden weavers . Outside

10815-433: Was opened. All three coastal counties of the state were severely affected by the storm. Katrina's surge was the most extensive, as well as the highest, in the documented history of the United States; large portions of Hancock , Harrison , and Jackson counties were inundated by the storm surge, in all three cases affecting most of the populated areas. Surge covered almost the entire lower half of Hancock County, destroying

10920-411: Was suffering from cataracts and flipper abrasions and Ayah had a small caliber bullet in her brain, resulting in the loss of her left eye. Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $ 125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. It

11025-400: Was thematically decorated to mimic the scenes seen around the city. There was a small Katrina refrigerator taped up outside of the front door, a blue tarp stretched over the roof, and a marking that indicated no casualties were found in it, rather, that the eight alligators that inhabit it were fed with the notion of the number 8 and "Gators Fed". One of the newer and more famous residents of

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