That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. We can only deal with what we know.". 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. Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. There's no question.". Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. 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. "Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. The film features 15 minutes of live hurricane video shot by Kimberly Roberts, an aspiring rapper whose family was too poor to leave New Orleans, and follows Kims family and others through the horrific aftermath of the storm. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. About 16,000 people . "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. 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. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and . Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. hurricane katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, claiming 1,800 lives. 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. Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. We do our video conference calls before and during disasters. My old high school, Joseph S. Clark, shut down, and we dont even have parks yet for kids to hang out inthats what we did in the 70s, at leastIm still trying to petition for these things, to organize our community, and these fool ass people have not yet gotten down here to rebuild. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. 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 . It took me too long and I worked too hard to build what I had here.. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. Your email address will not be published. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. ", At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". 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. It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. Gov. Gov. Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. Hundreds of people already have been rescued. FEMA National Situation Update: Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. I went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. You have responded to my calls." FEMA Situation Update: And we said, "Plan your route carefully. 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. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. We have got to start getting people out.' 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. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. August 29, 2005. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. Oh, absolutely not. In all, more than 1,500 died either duringthe storm or inthe famouslybungled aftermath which saw local, state, and federal officials uncoordinated and overwhelmed. Reports stream in from people needing rescue. 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. Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. I spoke to an airman [over the phone] he told me that it had rained very little and there was justexcept for just a few puddles of water in the parking lot, there just was no water, the guards commander, Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau, who was monitoring the situation from Baton Rouge, recalled in an interview with FRONTLINE. Michael Brown, FEMA director: The two of us are going to leave. August 27, 2015, 2:18 PM. will never be the same. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. She gripped my arm at the store, and she told me, the way you shared with everybody so openly, you helped me to heal. Buckles, who wrote and directed the documentary . 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. 11:09. The Louisiana Superdome, once a mighty testament to architecture and ingenuity, became the biggest storm shelter in New Orleans the day before Katrina's arrival Monday. Buckles' intimate connection to the people he interviews many of them family members, friends, and former . I was able to get Governor Blanco to sit with me several times in the office that she had and talk about what needed to be done. WGBH educational foundation, "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ", "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity", "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the failure of the cityslevees unleashed flooding that left roughly80 percent of the city underwater. Patrice Taddonio. So I went to the premiere, knowing Danny Glover was hosting it, and I couldnt get into the screeningso I texted Spike Lee, who directed When the Levees Broke, the documentary I was in, and asked him to pull some strings, but he didnt have Dannys number. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. - Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to . But problems persist. 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 . 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!) HBO. Here in New Orleans East, we desperately need a hospital. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. 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. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. FEMA National Situation Update: Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Crime is at an all-time high. A final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. 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. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. Sept. 15, 2005, 7:50 AM PDT. Michael Brown, FEMA director: so you had a very dynamic situation.". People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. 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. They were very civil and very cordial. They didn't have communication. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina. As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. I think the American Red Cross already had shelters and was already feeding people. 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. When presented with the additional cases collected by victims' advocates groups, Benelli acknowledges that the police simply doesn't know the extent of sex crimes 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. By the evening of August 25, when it made . Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. 1. 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. "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. Meanwhile, Lewis, the 46-year-old home health-care worker, has still not reported her assault to the police, and she has no plans to. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. Note: The Earlier Warnings -- In 2001, FEMA identified the three most likely disasters facing the U.S.: an earthquake in California, a hurricane in New Orleans and a terrorist attack in New York City. 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.". "I think that that was probably over-reported," he says. I probably should have asked sooner. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding as numerous levees failed around New Orleans. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. Half of telephone service is back. He also announces that the Superdome will be "a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs." 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. '", Mayor Ray Nagin Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. After suffering heavy damage during Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome was re-opened on September 25, 2006 for the Saints' Monday night game against the Falcons. Gov. She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. Ultimately, more than 300 soldiers would be trapped inside their own headquarters. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. At the peak of the Katrina recovery effort, 51,039 National Guard soldiers from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and three territories worked in Louisiana and Mississippi, making Katrina by far . More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. A scene from 2006s 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts' (Photo: Everett Collection) This week marks a . 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." Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. Orders volun-tary evacuation where residents in low-lying areas encouraged to evacuate Sunday, August 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina becomes a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds Superdome opens as a shelter of last resort Acadian personnel are deployed to the Superdome to help triage special needs patients and staff the rst aid station Nagin . "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. She describes . She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. Get as many people out as possible. They cast a wide net over this important event and Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. Having largely emptied the cavernous Superdome, which had become a squalid pit of misery and violence, officials turned their attention to the Convention Center, where people waited to be evacuated as corpses rotted in the streets. It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity". 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 . Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out. FRONTLINE home+WGBH+PBS, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. "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. We'd sent them all the information they needed. "[I] got to the president. Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. After Katrina, the spectacle of a Black refugee population in the Superdome, along with the short-lived plan from Mayor Nagin's committee to wipe out some Black neighborhoods, revived these . President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. 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. 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. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. Kathleen Blanco. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days later with a truckload of people and video documentation of history.Check out exclusive HISTORY content:Website - http://www.history.com?cmpid=Social_YouTube_HistHomeTwitter - https://twitter.com/history/postsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HistoryHISTORY, now reaching more than 98 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. HBO. Flew into the city. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. On Sept. 15, 2005, in an address to the nation, President Bush declares, "It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice.". 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. Floodwaters keep rising. 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. Reports put the population there in the tens of thousands. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. It regained strength as its path turned northwest. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. 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. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. Officials said the complete evacuation of New Orleans two days earlier was necessary, citing the prospect of diseases caused by rotting bodies and polluted waters as well as other risks caused by Hurricane Katrina. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. 1) At least 1,800 people died due to Hurricane Katrina. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.Get More National Geographic:Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSiteFacebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeoTwitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitterInstagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInstaHurricane Katrina Day by Day | National Geographichttps://youtu.be/HbJaMWw4-2QNational Geographichttps://www.youtube.com/natgeo And Michael Brown tells Louisiana officials, "What I've seen here today is a team that is very tight knit, working closely together, being very professional and making the right calls.". President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. Recalling her attack, she sobs, "They just left us to die. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. 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.
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