When Hurricane Katrina struck, the whole world watched in shock and horror how the hard work of generations melted away into nothingness. The images of death and mass destruction shook the world community from its roots. In the blink of an eye we saw the hopes and dreams of residents shatter to bits in the devastating storm. It took some time to assess the true extent of the damage from Hurricane Katrina and then there was one question that demanded an answer. People wondered whether or not places like Mississippi could ever possibly recover. Still others questioned the wisdom of rebuilding places prone to hurricanes, like New Orleans, again.

Mississippi is also very important to the nation’s energy production. It has several refineries in the state that are responsible for converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products. Hurricane Katrina’s destruction not only harmed the local Mississippi economy, but it also did some major damage to the nation as a whole. The economic impact of the hurricane was such that it caused a large hike in the energy prices of the nation. Since no less than twenty-five percent of the petroleum comes from the states on the Gulf Coast, the impact on the national economy was severe. The nation struggled to stabilize the supply and prices. But the impact on the local economy has been much larger as the petroleum business constitutes nearly eighty percent of the total mineral production in Mississippi.

The state of Mississippi is clearly the gatekeeper for the mighty Mississippi river. This river is an economic necessity to the vitality of the United States and indeed to the state of Mississippi itself. The river is used as a transportation conduit that sends millions of tons of products up the river every year. Hurricane Katrina temporarily impaired the ability of people to use the Mississippi for transportation services and thus severely impaired the local and national economy.

Mississippi is also very important to the nation’s energy production. It has several refineries in the state that are responsible for converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products. Hurricane Katrina’s destruction not only harmed the local Mississippi economy, but it also did some major damage to the nation as a whole.