Hurricane Katrina: Facts, Damage & Aftermath Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States. An estimated 1,836 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed in late August 2005, and millions of others were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans, which experienced the highest death toll. Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have said Katrina was the most destructive storm to strike the United States. It ranks sixth overall in strength of recorded Atlantic hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina moved ashore over southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi early on August 29, 2005, as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.Credit: GOES Project Science Office How Katrina formed Katrina initially formed over the Bahamas on Aug. 23, 2005, as a tropical depression. By the time it made its way to southern Florida on Aug. 25, Katrina was a moderate Category 1 hurricane. Political storm Credit: AP/Dave MartinCredit: AP/Dave Martin — Kim Ann Zimmermann
City Birds Outsmart Country Birds City dwellers can attest that the animals they share the city with—the pigeons, rats, roaches—can all be pretty brazen when they're prowling for a bite. This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? While visiting Barbados, McGill University neurobiologist Jean-Nicolas Audet noticed that local bullfinches were accomplished thieves as well. [Jean-Nicolas Audet:] “They were always trying to steal our food. And that gave him an idea. [Audet:] Since this bird species [is] able to solve amazing problems in cities, and they're also present in rural areas, we were wondering... ...Are the rural birds also good problem solvers, and they just don't take advantage of their abilities? So Audet and his McGill colleagues captured Barbados bullfinches, both in the island's towns and out in the countryside. And it turns out the city birds really could solve puzzles faster. Thanks for the minute. —Christopher Intagliata Credits
Cyclone Catarina from the ISS on March 26 2004 - Tropisk cyklon Hurricane Katrina.com: Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Katrina! Top dog: Scientists teach border collie to understand sentences and 1,000 words Chaser the dog now able to understand nouns and verbs, researchers sayIn first three years she learned and remembered 1,022 proper nounsThe objects included 800 cloth animals, 116 balls, and 100 plastic toysResearch carried out by Wofford College, in North Carolina By Luke Salkeld for the Daily Mail Published: 16:23 GMT, 22 December 2013 | Updated: 09:53 GMT, 23 December 2013 Researchers believe they have taught a border collie to respond to words in the same way that a human child does Border collies are known for their high level of intelligence. But Chaser has proved herself as the undoubted top dog after learning to understand 1,000 words - plus a smattering of English grammar. Researchers believe the nine-year-old has learned to respond to words in the same way that a human child does. They say Chaser was able to demonstrate understanding of nouns and verbs. In the first three years, she learned and remembered 1,022 proper nouns. She could also respond to novel objects.
Hurricane Katrina by Borgna Brunner Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, destroying beachfront towns in Mississippi and Louisiana, displacing a million people, and killing almost 1,800. Poor and Elderly Disproportionately Affected As most of the city's citizens fled the city, those without cars or the financial means to relocate were left behind. A Natural Disaster Waiting to Happen Hurricane Katrina has been called the most anticipated disaster in modern American history. All Levels of Government Falter Americans were shaken not simply by the magnitude of the disaster but by how ill-prepared all levels of government were in its aftermath. Homeland Security and FEMA Seeming not to grasp the scale of the disaster, Chertoff and Michael Brown, the director of FEMA, expressed surprise at the dangerous conditions in the convention center in New Orleans, days after its horrific images had saturated the airwaves, making them appear less informed than the average TV viewer.
Mikä ilmastonmuutos? | Open ilmasto-opas Ilmastonmuutos on vakavin ihmiskuntaa koskaan kohdannut ympäristöongelma. Se vaikuttaa ihmistoimintaan ja luonnonympäristöihin jo nyt ja vaikutukset tulevat lisääntymään tulevaisuudessa. Ihmisten toiminnan vaikutus ilmastonmuutoksen etenemisessä on ratkaiseva ja katastrofaalinen ilmastonmuutos voidaan edelleen estää, jos niin halutaan. Ilmastonmuutos on osa moninaista ympäristö- ja kestävyysongelmien vyyhtiä ja toisaalta sen ratkaisut edustavat kestävän kehityksen mukaista elämäntapaa. The Value Web Ilmastonmuutoksen syyt ja seuraukset Louis Vest Ilmastonmuutos on kasvihuoneilmiön voimistumista. Ihmiskunta kuitenkin tuottaa valtavia määriä kasvihuonekaasuja, jotka voimistavat luonnollista kasvihuoneilmiötä. Ilmasto on muuttunut aina, mutta nykyinen, teollisen vallankumouksen puitteissa aiheutunut muutos on poikkeuksellisen nopea. IImastonmuutoksen seurauksena sademäärät, lämpötilat ja ilmakehän kaasukoostumus muuttuvat maapallolla. Ilmastonmuutoksen hillintä ja siihen sopeutuminen .Martin.
CBBC Newsround | World | Katrina's effect on New Orleans Why was New Orleans so badly affected by Hurricane Katrina? New Orleans is in a really vulnerable position for hurricanes. It lies above the Gulf of Mexico, where lots of the huge storms start. The Mississippi river runs through the middle of town, and Lake Pontchartrain is to its north. Because the city is on ground which is below sea level, these things combine to put it in a dangerous position for flooding. What defences did the city have aginst flooding, and why didn't they work? The river and the lake are higher than the city, but are kept in place by high banks of earth called levees. These natural feaures have been built up, and the city also has a range of pumps to drain water away. But the defences were only designed to hold off a direct hit from a category three hurricane. Katrina was a category five, the strongest type. How bad is the damage? Up to 80% of the city has been flooded, but experts say it would have been much worse if Katrina had directly hit New Orleans.
Eight months on, is the world's most drastic plastic bag ban working? Waterways are clearer, the food chain is less contaminated with plastic – and there are fewer “flying toilets”. A year after Kenya announced the world’s toughest ban on plastic bags, and eight months after it was introduced, the authorities are claiming victory – so much so that other east African nations Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan are considering following suit. But it is equally clear that there have been significant knock-on effects on businesses, consumers and even jobs as a result of removing a once-ubiquitous feature of Kenyan life. “Our streets are generally cleaner which has brought with it a general ‘feel-good’ factor,” said David Ong’are, the enforcement director of the National Environment Management Authority. “You no longer see carrier bags flying around when its windy. Ong’are said abattoirs used to find plastic in the guts of roughly three out of every 10 animals taken to slaughter. In the Mathare community, this is good news. There has been push-back.