Flooding in New Orleans, USA and Hull City, UK: comparing disaster management strategies

During the summer of 2007 the United Kingdom experienced some of the worst flooding in its history, with the city of Hull amongst the worst affected. An examination of the government handling of mitigation measures and disaster response in this instance raises comparisons to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina related flooding in New Orleans, USA. These events are especially appropriate for comparison given the vulnerability of each city and general feeling of dissatisfaction among residents. This paper examines each event individually and presents a comparison of the actions and inactions of each government. The result is a call for stronger and more decisive measures to combat climate change and protect vulnerable populations more efficiently against natural disasters.