crossed Florida before hitting Louisiana as a category 5 stormcaused storm surges as high as 26 feet (near the roof of a two-story house)caused 62 tornadoes in 8 statesoverwhelmed the levee (floodwall) system in New Orleansleft refugees in the Superdome in squalid conditions without enough food or waterforced city residents to evacuate, though not everyone couldresulted in widespread crime and chaos as people fought to survivecreated resentment at slow government response, often attributed to racism