Hurricane Katrina hit the North American Gulf Coast, wreaking havoc in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on 29th August 2005. The scale of the devastation caused by the hurricane and the subsequent flooding was unprecedented, submerging 80% of New Orleans and leaving hundreds of people dead along the Mississippi coast. Following the massive storm surge, the chemical plants known as "Cancer Alley" in Plaquemines Parish also flooded, releasing untold amounts of toxic poisons into the region's waterways and impacting flooded homes and water supplies as well. Standing water of up to 20 feet in some areas exposed local homes to toxins such as chlorine, vinyl chloride, gasoline and used motor oil.