". A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. 1. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. Then, the airman hesitated a minute, and asked Landreneau to hold. It has been nearly six years since Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf of Mexico cutting a swathe of devastation and shock through the psyche of the American people. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out. Michael Brown, FEMA director: The vast majority of them were elderly. HBO. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. There's no question.". Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. He announces FEMA is moving supplies and equipment into the hardest hit areas. I've got to know. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? They cast a wide net over this important event and And if you dont trust the system to deliver the money to the right places, call a school yourself and ask them what they need. The Times-Picayune reports that the breaches in the 17th Street and Florida Avenue Canals have been repaired and power is restored to the Warehouse and Central Business Districts. Hurricane Katrina: Caught on Camera Over three days in August 2005, a cataclysmic storm brought flooding and disaster to the Gulf Coast of America, leaving over 1,800 people dead in Louisiana and Mississippi. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. Gov. I don't know why. Blanco is there. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. hurricane katrina anniversary: 40 powerful photos of New Orleans after the storm. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". Kathleen Blanco. An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. "What you had was a situation where you've got a tremendous number of vulnerable people, and then some predatory people who had all of the reasons to take their anger out on someone else," Benitez says. But I am happy to help, even if it takes me an extra two hours at the grocery store. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. The mistake that I made was not doing that sooner and not giving them the orders that we needed them to do all of that immediately. Pack carefully. FEMA National Situation Update: "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. But more and more people were being evacuated from their rooftops after being in the sun for long periods or overnight and being put on highways on high ground. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' And I wanted to cut to the chase because I knew what the real issue was. Every little thing helps. by JOHN DORN. Trapped on Airline Drive in a traffic jam in his gas-depleted pickup truck, he didn't think he would reach his destination of Baton Rouge. In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . But we were working frantically to get it out. background photo copyright 2005 corbis National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. The numbers are not dramatic, but they are significant when seen in light of the official number of post-Katrina rapes and attempted rapes: four. Follow a day-by-day account of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, from its birth in the Atlantic Ocean to its catastrophic effects: flooded streets, flattened homes,. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. And it was a very good meeting, I thought. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. Producer Martin Smith: So we're just eating sandwiches and making nice while people are stranded on rooftops? Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. Another group, Witness Justice, a Maryland-based non-profit that assists victims of violent crimes, claims to have received 156 reports of post-Katrina violent crimes; about a third of those involved sexual assaults. Follow a day-by-day account of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, from its birth in the Atlantic Ocean to its catastrophic effects: flooded streets, flattened homes, and horrific loss of life. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe#NationalGeographic #HurricaneKatrina #StormsAbout National Geographic:National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. In the decade since Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which came under harsh criticism for its response to the storm says it has improved its preparedness for future natural disasters. Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. So many people have Katrina Fatigue, as I like to call itthe hurricane is four years out, and I applaud anything that brings another testimony into the public conversation; that shows people how bad it was, and how bad it still is. Lt. Dave Benelli, commander of the sex crimes unit with the New Orleans Police Department, denies that. Kathleen Blanco: What I hope people will realize when they see Trouble the Water is that we still have so much to do here, and that Katrina really changed so many lives, but we are a really resilient people and we want our city to come back. This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently . Before Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans residents gathered to ride out the storm in what seemed like a pretty safe place, the Superdome, the city's football stadium . By Chris Edwards. 11.1.2005. "As I have said, I think that one of the biggest mistakes that I made as the FEMA director during Katrina was not immediately turning to the military and saying: 'We have been overwhelmed. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. But while the Superdome has been reclaimed, those stories of trauma remain, and some roil pretty close to . Mayor Mitch Landrieu last week hailedNew Orleans as Americas comeback city,citing efforts to reduce crime, decrease homelessness and improve educational outcomes for area students. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. And he was the first guy that told us about the amount of devastation and the levee breaches. Crime is at an all-time high. In an effort to get victims to come forward, the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault asked Charmaine Neville, a popular New Orleans jazz singer, to tape a public service announcement for national airplay. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. He escaped the ch. The death toll in the city is not known, but the dying continues as people succumb to illness, exhaustion and days without food and water. The Times-Picayune reports that 4,600 active duty troops under the command of Gen. Russel Honor arrive in New Orleans. Widespread looting continues. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Congress appropriated an unprecedented $126.4 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. August 28, 2005. His goal: To make it possible for his wife of 65 years, Lydia who had gone to live with one of their nine children in Wisconsin after Katrina to return home. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. Half of telephone service is back. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. Gettridge,a fifth generation New Orleanian, would go on to die from a heart attack in 2014 at the age of 91 at the home he had successfully rebuilt. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. Michael Brown, FEMA director: A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. Heres What the Claims Say and Where They Stand. Your email address will not be published. Where is water? There was nobody there to protect you," Lewis says. During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. and catcalls of 'What took you so long?,' a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled through axle-deep floodwaters Friday into what remained of New Orleans and descended into a maelstrom of fires and floating corpses. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. Buses have started evacuating people at the Superdome, but at the Convention Center thousands are still waiting and conditions continue to deteriorate there. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. [Secretary of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff is there. The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". As of Nov. 22, 2005, more than 900 people are known to have died in New Orleans. And Michael Brown was there listening. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. Photo. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. In September 2006, the New Orleans Saints marched into the Superdome for their first game since Hurricane Katrina, providing the spark for a revival. As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. And that rap song she sings at the end of the film about growing up so poor, with her mother on drugs and being forced to stealit just shows that she is a strong woman, and so honest, real, determined, courageous, and intelligent. Reports stream in from people needing rescue. Go up there, face to face and say, "What is happening here? There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. And Michael Brown tells FRONTLINE that in order to quell panic, he misled the public in saying that everything was going fine at the local level. We arent looking for a handout, but its hard to believe that the city that we love (and everyone lovesthe Mardi Gras, the jazz, the hospitality!) The death toll in the city is not known, but the dying continues as people succumb to illness, exhaustion and days without food and water. And he said: 'Mr. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. In one notorious incident known as the Danziger Bridge case, police opened fire on a group of civilians, who were later found to be unarmed and searching for food and medicine. "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. HBO. But the problem was that because of the fear that resulted from the civil unrest, the bus drivers said, 'We're not going in there to pick these people up unless you put a law enforcement official on every one of the buses, because we're afraid. She is at work on her next memoir, No More Wire Hangers, about domestic abuse in teenage relationships. In New Orleans chaos . Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, says he is "extremely pleased with the response of every element of the federal government and federal partners to this terrible tragedy." Because of the ensuing . "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. Hundreds of people already have been rescued. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. Get It Published. "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: I gave the governor two options. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. And you need to order mandatory evacuation. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. And I said [to the president], 'Look, we talked about that option, and then we also talked about another option, that we would federalize, and the governor said she needed time to think about it. Hurricane Katrina Superdome. I think we both should have asked sooner.". And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. ', And the president was a little stunned, and he kind of stepped back, and he recovered. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. 11:09. Here's the things I think we need to focus on. One of the victims is Ms. Lewis, a 46-year-old home health-care worker from New Orleans East, who asked that her first name not be used. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Hurricane Katrina becomes Category 2 by 11 am, with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. . " ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. "Coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out A direct hit could wind up submerging New Orleans in several feet of water At least 100,000 people in the city lack transportation to get out Louisiana and Mississippi make all lanes northbound on interstate highways". I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. Some parts of the city already showed slipping floodwaters as the repair neared completion, with the low-lying Ninth Ward dropping more than a foot. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. We were moving school buses in. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' Neville says she was sexually assaulted early the morning of Aug. 31st, while she was sleeping on the roof of Drew Elementary School in the Bywater Neighborhood, where she and others had taken refuge. On that first night after the storm, the city had lost power, and she was sleeping in a dark hallway, trying to catch a breeze. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Exacerbated by the recent BP oil spill in the region, the storm and its aftermath remains an open wound for local residents and others affected . The population of New Orleans was about 400,000 by 2020, some 20 percent below its population in 2000. Surviving the Superdome. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. FRONTLINE home+WGBH+PBS, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. Glover, you dont know me, but Im Phyllis, and I was in another Katrina documentary and I have to see this film! He grabbed onto me and I wouldnt let go until I got a seat insidethats the way I am. A decade later . Their communications center was useless. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. Ten years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast and generated a huge disaster. "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . Kathleen Blanco: We have so much intelligence down here in New Orleans, and yet, even four years after the hurricane, we cant rely on the school system. Civil order had completely broken down. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Sept. 15, 2005, 7:50 AM PDT. In October 2005, The Historic New Orleans Collection initiated Through Hell and High Water: Katrina's First Responders Oral History Project, partnering with local, state, and federal agencies to document their experiences. I said, 'All of us are going to leave right now, and they're going to work this out right now. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. We go to Sam's and Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie and gather up food and water and start distributing it because we had 60 hours' worth of resources that we had stored, but now we're out of it. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. Per this CNN Money report, a Brian Williams' Katrina tale appears to have evolved somewhat dramatically over the course of just one year.In 2005, Williams reported in a documentary that he had "heard the story" of a man killing himself in the Superdome. Trachelle Addison cuddles her 2-week-old son, Jirra-e, in the stands of the Superdome, where some 25,000 refugees took shelter after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. The price tag has not yet been determined. But there were also profane jeers from many in the crowd of nearly 20,000 outside the Convention Center, which a day earlier seemed on the verge of a riot, with desperate people seething with anger over the lack of anything to eat or drink. They didn't have ammunition. The storm traveled the Gulf of Mexico and then made landfall on the Gulf Coast in southeast Louisiana near the town of Buras, on Aug. 29, 2005. Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. When Hurricane Katrina ripped the Superdome's rubber seal off, tore open the steel roof paneling and penetrated the stadium, it shed light on the conjoined problems of concentrated poverty, socialized and environmental racism, and America's ability to ignore the suffering of its own citizens. In what looked like a scene from a Third World country, some people threw their arms heavenward and others nearly fainted with joy as the trucks and hundreds of soldiers arrived in the punishing midday heat. The Times-Picayune reports that Jefferson Parish residents are allowed to return to the area to inspect the damage to their homes.The breach in the 17th Street Canal is finally repaired, and engineers continue to work on other levee breaks. It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. I probably should have asked sooner. In fact, at the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard, located in the Lower NinthWard, soldiers were not yet aware that the levees were giving way. Gov. Twenty-five thousand miserable people - many of whom lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina - hunkered down with little food and little water, overflowing toilets, stifling heat and the . New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. By. "The fact that something wasn't reported to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen," Benitez says. I n the HBO documentary Katrina Babies, young teen Meisha Williams recollects her experience surviving the 2005 hurricane that displaced approximately 200,000 New Orleans residents. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. The top-notch special effects are alarmingly realistic and frightening, particularly when the 17th St. Canal levee breaches and when Katrina rips the roof from the Superdome, where in the days . And I think thats whats going to help us rebuild the mosttalking about what happened and how we can move onand why documentaries like Trouble the Water are still so relevant. At 1:30 in the morning, Denise Thornton walked with her group up to the helipad, out in the open air, and there it was. By midday, water levels between the city and Lake Ponchartrain have equalized. Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. "I think that that was probably over-reported," he says. According to a New York Times article of September 29, "During six days when the Superdome was used as a shelter, the head of the New Orleans Police Department's sex crimes unit, Lt. David . Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. I'm just not going to go on, on public television and bash in the middle of a disaster what I think people should or should not be doing. Mahogany describes her actions before deciding to evacuate her home, her trip to the New Orleans Saints' Superdome, her horrific time at the Superdome, and finally her decision to leave New Orleans. The National Weather Service writes that Hurricane Katrina is "one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States." Hurricane Katrina caused up to $161 billion worth of damage, largely due to the fact that the breached levees led to flooding in 80% of New Orleans. Here's all these thousands of people that don't have any way to get out of the city. Five officers were ultimately indicted: one for the shooting, and four additional officers on charges related to burning Glovers body and obstructing a federal investigation. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. But Mayor Nagin goes on radio and castigates state and federal officials for their inaction and demands they "fix the biggest god-damn crisis in the history of this country." / HBO Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. In his speech, he calls on all federal, state and local agencies to review their performance. And they hadn't. Do You Have News to Share? Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. Ultimately, more than 300 soldiers would be trapped inside their own headquarters. August 28, 2015, 2:21 PM. We'd sent them all the information they needed. More than four days after the storm hit, the caravan of at least three-dozen camouflage-green troop vehicles and supply trucks arrived along with dozens of air-conditioned buses to take refugees out of the city. We have Brad Pitt and Chris Rocks wife here now, and I think collectively its making a huge, huge difference. Dave Cohen was one of the few reporters to stay in New Orleans as Katrina bore down on the city, and continued broadcasting as the . She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. The eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras in Plaquemines Parish at approximately 6:00 a.m. on August 29 as a Category 3 hurricane. And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". The majority of industrial buildings will become non functional. A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. But they're designed for short hauls.". And the bosses say, 'Oh, okay. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. I said, 'OK, great.' Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. - Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to . Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity".