Category 5 hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in August and September 2005. Over 1,400 Louisianans died, over 200,000 homes were damaged, more than one million state residents were displaced, and approximately 200 square miles of marsh were destroyed. The hurricanes also disrupted the national economy, spiking fuel prices, lowering energy reserves, and slowing grain shipments to world markets. The hurricanes’ effects highlighted the need to improve Louisiana’s hurricane protection systems and restore the wetlands upon which so much of our national economy depends.
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