Government or official record
A Failure of Initiative
U.S. House Select Bipartisan Committee
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Natural disasters · 29 August 2005Open article references →
Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Levee Failures
New Orleans levee-failure and inundation landscape · United States
Why editors use it hereCongressional investigation of preparedness, warnings, command, evacuation, and response.
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Quick read
Hurricane Katrina made Louisiana landfall on 29 August 2005 and drove storm surge into the New Orleans flood-protection system.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
Katrina grew to Category 5 over the Gulf, then weakened before landfall while retaining an enormous surge field.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
Louisiana revised its official Katrina toll in 2023 to 1,392, while older national totals often cite 1,833 and include different states, missing people, and attribution rules.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
Katrina was a hurricane and a preventable infrastructure and governance catastrophe.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read