Hurricane Katrina:

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina killed over 1,800 people while causing $80-90 billion dollars of damage.

From a Civil Engineering standpoint, Hurricane Katrina was significant because it caused a storm surge, which the levees around New Orleans were unable to keep at bay. Had this sequence of events occured in a remote area, then an engineering failure might have been the end of the story. But the failed levees caused flooding of streets and homes, which triggered the need for evacuations. People were forced to leave their homes, but soon found their states had inadequate plans for evacuation. A small criminal element took advantage of the situation and looted the vacant properties. Eventually, the residents returned home, only to find that promised federal aid was very slow in coming.

So now, four years later, it is evident that Hurricane Katrina (2005) was a failure on many levels -- engineering, social and political. Among these three elements, the engineering concerns are arguably the easiest to deal with -- the levees can be repaired and strengthened. Walls can be put up to prevent further beach erosion. (Austin)