"We cannot allow New Orleans to be forgotten in six months or six years from now. To do so would allow the illusion to endure, that capitalism is eternal" - Kevin Michaels and Jim Mills. You can read the full article here: New Orleans: The human cost of capitalism’s brutality  Extremely Informative!

Hurricane Katrina intensified to a Category 5 storm as it churned towards the U.S. Gulf Coast with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. A Category 5 is the most intense category on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity -- capable of causing catastrophic damage.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Monday officials feared the worse because New Orleans, Louisiana, sits an average of 6 feet below sea level. Mandatory evacuations were in effect for some of Louisiana's low-lying areas; residents in other low-lying areas were also encouraged to leave.

Governors of both Louisiana and Mississippi declared emergencies the following Friday in anticipation of the strengthening storm. Because the eye of the storm missed the city by only 10 to 15 miles, strong winds ravaged the city, shattering windows, spreading debris in many areas, and bringing heavy rains and flooding to the eastern areas of the city.

The situation worsened on August 30, 2005 when at least two levees, including one at 17th Street, were breached by the elevated waters of Lake Pontchartrain. As much as 80% of the city, much of which is below sea level, was flooded, with water reaching a depth of 25 feet (7.6 meters) in some areas. But "How Do You Measure Sea Level?" - By Daniel Engber.
The most recent estimates of the damage from the storm, by several insurance companies, are 10 to 25 billion USD [1], while the total economic loss from the disaster has been estimated at 100 billion USD. If the storm damage totals reach the estimated maximum, it will surpass Hurrican Andrew as the costliest hurricane  in United States history. - NY times report