new orleans is a city that is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, due to its location on the gulf coast. the impact of hurricane katrina in august 2005, which caused widespread flooding, displacement of residents, and significant loss of life, highlighted the city's vulnerability to natural disasters and exposed the inadequacy of its infrastructure and emergency response systems. in the aftermath of the hurricane, the city's extensive levee system was revealed to be a major factor that had subjected the city to disaster risk. the levees were not strong enough to withstand the force of the hurricane, resulting in their failure and catastrophic consequences.