Reference no: EM133026312

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans At 8:00 A.M. on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States including New Orleans, LA. Although many people have been evacuated, not all had the time or the means to evacuate before the hurricane. And in some cases, people refused to evacuate. With winds that exceeded 125 mph and storm surges of water that broke through retaining walls, the hurricane pounded the city of New Orleans, destroying 275,000 homes, killing people, and leaving devastation in its wake. The hospitality industry was by no means untouched. As just one example, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans was badly damaged and stayed closed for several years following the hurricane. Meetings expecting to use New Orleans as a destination during hurricane dates and for more than a year afterward either had to find another location or make a rough decision about whether to go through with using New Orleans in the hotels that were back in business, despite the clean-up going on around the city.

• What if you had a meeting planned in New Orleans on August 29, 2005?
• Would you cancel it?
• Go through with it and hope for the best?
• Where would you find the information to monitor to help you make a decision about what to do with your meeting?
• Would you go through with holding a meeting in New Orleans six months after the hurricane, despite the clean-up going on around the city?
• What are the pros and cons?