In the early 21st century, one of the most destructive natural disasters to ever make landfall in the United States occurred. New Orleans, Louisiana was forever changed on August 29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina left over 1500 of its residents dead, and displaced more than 1 million people in the Gulf region (FEMA 2015). Although the city had always taken severe weather precautions, such as installing intricate levees to protect itself, it proved itself to be no match to the Category 5 hurricane that left it in shambles for years to come.