'''Hurricane Katrina''' was one of the most destructive [[tropical cyclones]] ever to hit the [[United States]] causing extensive damage to the coastal regions of [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], and [[Alabama]] on [[August 29]], [[2005]]. By late morning of [[August 29]] [http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html], the storm caused several sections of the [[levee]] system in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] to collapse. Subsequent flooding over most of the city, a large part of which lies below sea level, resulted in widespread damage and many deaths, largely due to inadequate [[hurricane preparedness for New Orleans]].