Flooding over eighty percent of a city, reducing a population from 437,198 to 158,350 in less than two years, causing roughly one hundred billion dollars of damage, and racking up a death toll of at least one and a half thousand people, it is unquestionable that Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest storms the world has ever seen. Not only was Hurricane Katrina the by far the most lethal and most destructive storm of the 2005 hurricane season, as well as the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, but also it is one of the top five deadliest hurricanes. For anyone living in New Orleans at the time, experiencing Katrina was like waking up to a living nightmare. In the novel Zeitoun, written by Dave Eggers, he tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family, one of many effected by the disaster known as Hurricane Katrina. Throughout the story, Abdulrahman, Zeitoun for short, struggles to do what is right for his family, or what is right for his community. He chooses to stay in New Orleans to bear witness to the destruction that came with Hurricane Katrina. The significance of Hurricane Katrina is irrefutable. Not only was a portion of the loss produced by Hurricane Katrina preventable, but also response to the aftermath of Katrina by the government was poor. Zeitoun, written by Dave Eggers exemplifies the poor preparation for a hurricane such as Katrina, as well as how difficult it is for a man of Islamic faith to make a difference.
It is undisputable that Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters that the United States has borne witness to. After the storm passed, the city of New Orleans was simply in unrecognizable. With roughly eighty percent of the city flooded, and seventy percent of New Orleans occupied housing (134,000 units) damaged it is safe to say that New Orleans was in ruins. In addition to this, according to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) the total estimate of damage for Katrina is one hundred eight billion dollars, thus, making Katrina the most costly hurricane in the history of the United States.