One of the deadliest storms ever to hit the United States, Katrina has already been referred to as 'our tsunami' by the mayor of a Mississippi town. The hurricane has left a trail of devastation across the Gulf coast of the country and is feared to have killed thousands of people in New Orleans alone, according to the city's mayor. CNN reports there are dead bodies floating in the water in the city: Not a sight you expect in the most powerful country in the world. The city considered the birthplace of jazz resembles a war zone now and widespread looting has been reported.

Several analysts have warned that Katrina has hit US oil production and refinery capabilities very hard and there could be a national crisis in the short-term. Initial estimates put the overall damage caused at a whopping $25 billion. US President George W Bush has called the storm 'one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history.'

Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Also See: Tsunami: Picking up the threads