What is the name of the extremely powerful tropical cyclone that devastated New Orleans and surrounding areas in 2005?

• A. Hurricane Katrina
• B. Hurricane Sandy
• C. Hurricane Andrew
• D. Hurricane Maria

Answer: (A)

This question asks for the name of the tropical cyclone that devastated New Orleans in 2005. The correct answer is Katrina. It formed in the Gulf of Mexico and became one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the United States, making landfall along the Louisiana coast near New Orleans. Levee failures caused catastrophic flooding in the city, which is the defining image of the disaster from that year. Katrina’s notoriety comes from the combination of extreme winds, huge storm surge, and the resulting flood crisis in New Orleans. Other storms listed occurred in different years and regions (Sandy in 2012 on the Northeast, Andrew in 1992 Florida, Maria in 2017 Puerto Rico), so they don’t fit the 2005 New Orleans devastation.