A scene from 2006s 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts' (Photo: Everett Collection) This week marks a . And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. We were moving school buses in. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. 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. 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. 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 in my opinion, it was this whole 'who has ultimate authority' and whether the federal government is going to come in and impinge upon the state's authority. 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." They didn't have communication. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. "I admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. FEMA National Situation Update: And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". Their communications center was useless. I just expressed to her my concern about the lack of unified command, and the need to have more of a structure of what was going on. 7:577-Minute Listen. And the bosses say, 'Oh, okay. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Half of telephone service is back. I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. - Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to . HBO. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Congress appropriated an unprecedented $126.4 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. Get It Published. There is a documentary about . His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. And I forget whether it was on Saturday or Sunday, I told my staff that I was sick to my stomach because I could see that some things weren't looking quite right. Hurricane Katrina Day by Day | National Geographic - YouTube And we said, "Plan your route carefully. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. 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. NIGHTMARE OF ROBBERY, FILTH, DEATH & RAPE IN SUPERDOME - New York Post Nobody cared.". Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. Phyllis Montana-LeBlancthe breakout star of Spike Lees When the Levees Broke documentary and author of Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Katrina (and a consultant on David Simons new post-Katrina HBO drama)writes below about why viewers should still care about New Orleans four years later, and why Trouble the Water just may be the wakeup call we need. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. But one man then-82-year-old Herbert Gettridge was determined to rebuild the house he had built more than 50 years earlier in the Lower Ninth Ward, with or without government support. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. Its just rawits a look at the poorest people of the Ninth Ward, and those who couldnt afford to leave, and if you have a heart in your body, you will feel this film 100 percent. Benitez and others interviewed for this report believe that police authorities -- who were anxious to discount initially exaggerated reports of mayhem -- are downplaying violent crimes that happened in the anarchy after the storm. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. web site copyright 1995-2014 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. 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 . "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Panels blew off and the roof was severely damaged, but it was the only shelter . 1) At least 1,800 people died due to Hurricane Katrina. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. Gov. "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. But I am happy to help, even if it takes me an extra two hours at the grocery store. 11.1.2005. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. He also announces that the Superdome will be "a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs." Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. Listen 7:57. She gripped my arm at the store, and she told me, the way you shared with everybody so openly, you helped me to heal. The population of New Orleans was about 400,000 by 2020, some 20 percent below its population in 2000. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out. But problems persist. Do You Have News to Share? Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. 1. And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. Photos: Hurricane Katrina | CNN And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. hurricane katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, claiming 1,800 lives. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. They cast a wide net over this important event and City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. Plus, if you lived in a FEMA trailer for three years like I did, the last thing you want to do is go to a trailer for medical care. 'Nobody asked if we were okay': The lost children of Hurricane Katrina (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. The Convention Center becomes a destination for walk-in refugees seeking evacuation. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. NBC probing Brian Williams's reports on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina 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. We'd sent them all the information they needed. In all, more than 1,500 died either duringthe storm or inthe famouslybungled aftermath which saw local, state, and federal officials uncoordinated and overwhelmed. They were very civil and very cordial. Heres What the Claims Say and Where They Stand. I've never seen a hurricane like this in my 33-year career. Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. "A week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans state officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say once the canal level is drawn down two feet, Pumping Station 6 can begin pumping water out of the bowl-shaped city. The networks all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts | CNN Hurricane Katrina: Superdome Survivor | History - YouTube by JOHN DORN. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. Two national crime-victims' groups have reported a spike in the number of reported rapes that happened to storm evacuees. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' Trapped in the Superdome: Refuge becomes a hellhole 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. HBO. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. 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. The Katrina Horror Story You Haven't Heard Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): In Fight Against ISIS, a Lose-Lose Scenario Poses Challenge for West. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. FRONTLINEs documentary The Old Man and the Storm followed Gettridge for 18 months as he worked to rebuild his home, which took on 10 feet of water when the levees breached. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. And it was a very good meeting, I thought. There are still gangs of armed criminals roaming the city; police and National Guard, now numbered at 16,000, have a better handle on the situation than earlier in the week. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. In television interviews, Michael Brown, FEMA director, states that he only just heard about the suffering at the Convention Center, when in fact, he tells FRONTLINE, he misspoke; he was told the previous day about the situation. William E. Brown Jr. -. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. Director of HBO Max documentary 'Katrina Babies' chronicles a Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. 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 . It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. Water Supply when Disaster Strikes: A Look Back at Hurricane Katrina More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. Brian Williams' reporting on Katrina: What we know - CNNMoney A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. It doesn't make any sense.". 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Inside the Superdome during Katrina - BBC News Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . I said, 'OK, great.' He had been shot by a rookie police officer while walking through the parking lot of a run-down strip mall, and his brother had brought Glover who was curled up and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest to a temporary SWAT compound seeking medical attention. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. And I wanted to cut to the chase because I knew what the real issue was. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. The hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". It was late August, and some of the staff of the NREMT and I were attending the combined NAEMT conference and EMS Expo in New . A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. They lost 15 high-water trucks with mobile communications packages. We could either go with your suggestion' -- which, my suggestion was, if you don't give me the final authority give it to Gen. [Russel] Honor. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. And I knew it wasn't true, because 8:00 or 10:00 that morning, I received a report from one of my staffers that either a levee had been topped or had actually broken. A decade later . 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. The outer ends of the hurricane also produced tornados . As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. I don't know why. Floodwaters keep rising. Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty. Since many New Orleans streets are still filled with stagnant, fetid waters smelling of garbage and raw sewage, the military was considering using planes to spray for mosquitoes.". " from my view sitting inside a windowless room at FEMA headquarters during my nightshift we are working to coordinate with our federal partners, to get water out. "A week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans state officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say once the canal level is drawn down two feet, Pumping Station 6 can begin pumping water out of the bowl-shaped city. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: I've expressed many times that we're willing to investigate any sexual assaults that happened in this city at any time. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: Because of the ensuing . The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. He Says He Paid a Price. Hurricane Katrina: Remembering the Federal Failures The two of us are going to leave. Hurricane Katrina: Survivors on the Storm's Impact - People Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to Civil order had completely broken down. The city floods further. Crimes after Katrina may have been overblown - NBC News Katrina documentary 'Mine' recounts pet owners' post-storm trials - NOLA More than a million people were displaced in the days leading up to and following . Hurricane Katrina - 64 Parishes And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. No, they weren't. "We know about all the other things that happened, all the thefts, all the robberies. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. Hurricane Katrina: 10 Facts About the Deadly Storm and Its Legacy In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . ', And the president was a little stunned, and he kind of stepped back, and he recovered. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to Hurricane Katrina Superdome. 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. Concerned over unreported and underreported rapes, her organization, together with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center -- which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- created a national database to track sexual assaults that happened after Katrina. "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ". "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. 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. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says he'll follow the state evacuation plan and will not call for mandatory evacuation until 30 hours before projected landfall. Where is water? There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. Brian Williams: From 'Heard' Of To 'We Watched' Katrina Superdome Suicide I've got to know. For my part, I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets. 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. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget? On June 4, 2006, Pamela Mahogany was interviewed for her personal experience involving the events following Hurricane Katrina.