<P> The death toll from Katrina is uncertain, with reports differing by hundreds . According to the National Hurricane Center, 1,836 fatalities can be attributed to the storm: 1 in Kentucky, 2 each in Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio, 14 in Florida, 238 in Mississippi, and 1,577 in Louisiana . However, 135 people remain categorized as missing in Louisiana, and many of the deaths are indirect, but it is almost impossible to determine the exact cause of some of the fatalities . A 2008 report by the Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal indicates that 966 deaths can be directly attributed to the storm in Louisiana, including out of state evacuees, and another 20 indirectly (such as firearm related deaths and gas poisoning). Due to uncertain causes of death with 454 evacuees, an upper - bound of 1,440 is noted in the paper . A follow - up study by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals determined that the storm was directly responsible for 1,170 fatalities in Louisiana . </P> <P> Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000 square miles (230,000 km) of the United States, an area almost as large as the United Kingdom . The hurricane left an estimated three million people without electricity . On September 3, 2005, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as "probably the worst catastrophe, or set of catastrophes," in the country's history, referring to the hurricane itself plus the flooding of New Orleans . </P> <P> Even in 2010, debris remained in some coastal communities . </P> <P> Hurricane Katrina first made landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida on August 25 . The storm dropped heavy rainfall in portions of the Miami metropolitan area, with a peak total of 16.43 in (417 mm) in Perrine . As a result, local flooding occurred in Miami - Dade County, damaging approximately 100 homes . Farther south in the Florida Keys, a tornado was spawned in Marathon on August 26 . The tornado damaged a hangar at the airport there and caused an estimated $5 million in damage . The rains caused flooding, and the combination of rains and winds downed trees and power lines, leaving 1.45 million people without power . Damage in South Florida was estimated at $523 million, mostly as a result of crop damage . Twelve deaths occurred in South Florida, of which three were caused by downed trees in Broward County, three from drowning in Miami - Dade County, three were from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators, one was due to a vehicle accident, one occurred during debris cleanup, and one was associated with a lack of electricity . </P>

How many deaths were there from hurricane katrina