Unnatural disaster

Hurricane Katrina submerges New Orleans, strafes Gulf Coast states, and puts the nation on emergency footing | John Dawson

Two days after Hurricane Katrina rolled ashore, to drive north from the Gulf of Mexico out of Gulfport, Miss., was to leave a disaster scene only to encounter what looked like a war zone. No lights. No gas. No phone service. No commerce. And parts of Interstate 55 were covered in trees.

On Interstate 10, motorists swerved to avoid refrigerators, stranded vehicles, and other debris. For travelers, getting away from Katrina's strewn path meant driving at least halfway to Memphis. From Gulfport north it was 200 miles until gasoline and electricity showed up in Yazoo City.

During WORLD's 800-mile trek through hurricane-struck areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama over the two days after Katrina hit, few emergency workers emerged apart from National Guardsmen blocking key entrances to New Orleans and Gulfport.