The storm many are aware of, called Katrina, was devastating to property, finances and families and left many people clinging to life with only hope of 'help. No one seemed well prepared for a storm of this magnitude and many people did not evacuate. The government had done something right by calling for a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Association, is partly to blame for the slow response and aid provided after the storm. Those who were elected to lead our country and protect the people have also been delayed in their efforts to support the people caught in the storm. Overall, elected and appointed officials have been slow in their necessary efforts and should have been quicker to help those struggling to survive after one of the most notorious hurricanes ever struck. Many things were destroyed and many people were displaced from their homes and families. . Studies show that more than 400,000 people in the New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf region were forced to travel far from everything they knew (Katrina displaced 400,000 people, according to one study). The emotional damage from the storm is not easy to communicate, but the calculated financial toll is between $96 billion and $125 billion, with insurance losses estimated at about half that figure (Damage Facts and Economic Effects of Hurricane Katrina). With so many people not where they should be and facing financial hardship from the storm, the economy has suffered. As well as oil and gas pipelines damaged by the storm and inaccessible through debris. All these costs affected production, sales and pushed gross domestic product and economic growth from 3.8% to 1.3% in the October-December quarter. The total estimated cost of the property was es...... middle of paper ......Oct. 2014. Internet. April 14, 2014. “Hurricane Katrina.” History.com. A&E Television Networks. Internet. April 22, 2014. “Hurricane Katrina Damage Facts and Economic Effects.” About.com American Economy. Internet. May 5, 2014. “Hurricane Katrina: Plans, Decisions and Lessons Learned.” VOA. Internet. May 5, 2014. “Katrina Displaced 400,000 People, Study Finds.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, June 7, 2006. Web. May 2, 2014. “Katrina: a political disaster.” Katrina: a political disaster. Internet. April 22. 2014. .