![]() These record rainfall amounts caused the great Mississippi river flood. On Friday April 15 1927, 14 inches fell which disabled the pumps that keep the part of the city ‘inside the bowl’ dry (Bradshaw, 2011). These rains continued throughout 1927, 11.16in of rain were recorded in New Orleans in February of 1927 alone compared to the normal average of 4.4 inches (Bradshaw, 2011). In 1926 record amounts of rainfall were recorded in the Mississippi river basin. To understand this issue we first must understand the history of the residents in these areas. It is the result of over 100 years of institutional racism and corrupt politics. This resolve to stay even after the mandatory evacuation order was issued on Augwas much more than the stubborn pride or lack of resources that it may seem on the surface. Many of these residents in these areas were resolved to ride out ‘the big one’ in their falling apart row houses. They did not have cars or money in their bank accounts. ![]() Their houses in many cases were literally all they had. Residents of the lower ninth ward and New Orleans east who had grown to distrust authority figures within the city. ![]() Sadly there were dozens of busses from the city transit authority and the school system that sat unused as desperate residents tried to find a way out of the city (Brinkley, 2007). Once he finally issued the evacuation order he failed to accurately assess and mobilize his available resources. Ray Nagin failed to issue a mandatory evacuation order in a timely manner, citing his fear of lawsuits due to lost revenue to the flourishing tourism industry in New Orleans. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has often been cited as one of the main reasons so many citizens were left behind (Brinkley, 2007). There were many decisions in the series of events leading to the storm that contributed to the high death toll. Many if this who lost their lives were African American residents living in the lowest income areas of the city. There were thousands of deaths in Orleans Parish, home of New Orleans, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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