And we need to get these people out of the Superdome because it's a shelter of last resort, and they only have a limited amount of resources.". "I'm not gonna go on television and publicly say that I think that the mayor and the governor are not doing their job, and that they don't have the sense of urgency. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. background photo copyright 2005 corbis Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Last September, when Trouble the Water first premiered in New Orleans, I remember thinking, "I have to go down to Canal Place Cinema and support this." Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. Buckles, who wrote and directed the documentary . And it is injurious to the president. He announces FEMA is moving supplies and equipment into the hardest hit areas. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: 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 Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis 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. It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. The Department of Defense's "Joint Task Force Katrina" -- 4,600 active-duty military headed by Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honor -- sets up at Camp Shelby, Miss. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. FEMA National Situation Update: Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. 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,. 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.". 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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued. "With the evacuee situation stabilizing somewhat, and increasing numbers of armed soldiers and police on the streets, officials said Saturday they would start aggressively dealing with the bands of armed looters who pushed the city to the brink of complete breakdown. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. 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 . Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. 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. FEMA National Situation Update: 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. Crime is at an all-time high. 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. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. We began search-and-rescue missions using local state resources, waiting for the federal cavalry to arrive and believing that it would be here in 48 to 60 hours. By the evening of August 25, when it made . The situation begins to improve. Get as many people out as possible. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. It regained strength as its path turned northwest. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. Katrina anniversary: Inside the Superdome during Katrina. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. 11:09. 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. Blanco is there. Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. so you had a very dynamic situation.". Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. 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. 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . 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. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". On Sept. 1, with desperate Hurricane Katrina evacuees crammed into the convention center, Police Chief Eddie Compass reported: "We . The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. And he basically asked me, 'Mr. [Secretary of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff is there. 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. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. Flew into the city. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Gov. ". Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. And then somebody came and called me and said, 'The president would like to see you.' You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. And he had flown in a helicopter. This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. We do our video conference calls before and during disasters. Their back-up generators flooded. 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 . Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. As of Nov. 22, 2005, more than 900 people are known to have died in New Orleans. Its efforts fail. 11.1.2005. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. 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.