By afternoon, officials issue a citywide call for more boats to help. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: Photo: Mario Tama/Getty. No, they weren't. On Sept. 1, with desperate Hurricane Katrina evacuees crammed into the convention center, Police Chief Eddie Compass reported: "We . I don't think that's the proper thing to do. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its historic landfall on the Gulf Coast, hitting a number of cities along the Louisiana-Mississippi border, with the eye . And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. But by late morning, when FEMA director Michael Brown arrives in Baton Rouge, water is already coming over levees in the 9th Ward and there are reports of breaks in the Industrial Canal and 17th Street Canal levees. 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." And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. Lewis says she was raped on Monday, Aug. 29, the day of the storm. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. 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. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. 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. Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. We can only deal with what we know.". But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. I laid that out for him. 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. On June 4, 2006, Pamela Mahogany was interviewed for her personal experience involving the events following Hurricane Katrina. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Listen 7:57. 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. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. TV-PG. 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . Directed by New Orleans native Edward Buckles Jr., who was a teenager when Katrina struck, the documentary, which premieres Thursday on HBO, reminds us of the storm's real-life ramifications. 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.". 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. Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis 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. Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Where is food? In New Orleans chaos . The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. Two national crime-victims' groups have reported a spike in the number of reported rapes that happened to storm evacuees. 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. Reports put the population there in the tens of thousands. Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. 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. They cast a wide net over this important event and Exploring the experiences of a black member of the New Orleans Police Department and assorted other New Orleans residents during their stay in the Louisiana Superdome during and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days I don't know why. 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.". Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. Exclusive: A Former MPD Lieutenant Reported Another Cop. ', And we left and had a press conference. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. And nothing happened. 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. I gave people clues on how to pack. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. '", Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. Nobody cared.". 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. This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. They were very civil and very cordial. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. These defenses held for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, in August 2021. 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. 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. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New . Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. 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. "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. 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 . People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. Get It Published. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. Crime is at an all-time high. Because of the ensuing . Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. In all honesty, we begin looting. 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. 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. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. And I had a piece of paper where I wrote down like a five-point plan of the things that we needed to do. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. 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. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. 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. 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. They lost power. People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. And Michael Brown was there listening. Exploring the experiences of a black member of the New Orleans Police Department and assorted other New Orleans residents during their stay in the Louisiana Superdome during and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. With camera lenses and lights abounding, the . Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. 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 . In the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. Buckles' intimate connection to the people he interviews many of them family members, friends, and former . The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. 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. I began to believe that no buses had been ordered. The outer ends of the hurricane also produced tornados . Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. And he passes, literally, hundreds of school buses lined up to come and get these folks. Your email address will not be published. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: Their communications center was useless. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. 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. Some 11,000 National Guardsmen are now on duty in Louisiana and increased security begins to have an effect on lawlessness in New Orleans, although some violence continues. 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 . In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. 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. 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!) President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. Oh, absolutely not. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. 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. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. I think we both should have asked sooner.". But they're designed for short hauls.". Thousands of troops poured into the city September. At a press conference in Baton Rouge, 80 miles away, Gov. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. He co-wrote the novel,"The Spencer Haywood Rule," and he was co-producer of the "Katrina Cop in the Superdome," a 2010 documentary about the experiences of a black New Orleans police officer and other citizens as they sheltered in the Louisiana Superdome during the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005. About 16,000 people . ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding as numerous levees failed around New Orleans. Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. 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. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. But we were working frantically to get it out. "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. ", In Washington, President Bush publicly acknowledges the inadequacy of the federal government's response: "Many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orlenas. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies . 11.1.2005. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. FRONTLINE home+WGBH+PBS, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. 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. Gov. The vast majority of them were elderly. Floodwaters keep rising. 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. They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. ". My sense now is there are victims out there whose stories haven't been heard.". Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. "[Michael] Brown I did not see the first couple of days. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. With Glovers story as a jumping-off point, FRONTLINE partnered with the Times-Picayune and ProPublica in 2010 to investigate six questionable shootings by police revealing that, in the midst of post-Katrina chaos, law-enforcement commanders issued orders to ignore long-established rules governing the use of deadly force. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. When we didn't get any assistance from the state or from FEMA in the time period that we thought was appropriate, I got someone in an automobile and said, 'Go to Baton Rouge, go find out. 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. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. [Mayor Nagin] was upset with everything. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. I said, 'All of us are going to leave right now, and they're going to work this out right now. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. They didn't have ammunition. I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. Airborne debris will be widespread and may include heavy items such as household appliances and even light vehicles. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. "The fact that something wasn't reported to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen," Benitez says. It regained strength as its path turned northwest.
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