The New Orleans levee failure (Hurricane Katrina)

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans faced catastrophic levee failures due to extremely high winds and flooding. The city's levee system, designed to protect against storms, was inadequate and poorly maintained. As a result, breaches occurred in several levees, leading to widespread flooding that submerged large parts of the city. This disaster caused significant loss of life, displacement of residents, and extensive damage to property. The levee failures highlighted deficiencies in engineering, disaster preparedness, and emergency response, prompting widespread criticism and leading to major policy and infrastructure changes in flood protection for New Orleans.