Template:POTD/2008-08-29

Looking down on Interstate 10 at West End Boulevard in New Orleans, Lousiana towards Lake Pontchartrain after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Over 1,800 people were confirmed dead with 705 still missing. It was the costliest Atlantic hurricane in history costing around $86 billion. This photo shows flooded roadways as the United States Coast Guard conducted initial damage assessment overflights of New Orleans on Monday, August 29, 2005. The city flooded due primarily to the failure of the levee system. Many remained in their homes had to swim for their lives, wade through deep water, or remain trapped in their attics or on their rooftops.

Photo credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Niemi, USCG
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