They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. 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. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. With a death toll of more than 1,800, Katrina was the third-deadliest hurricane in US history after Galveston in 1900 (which killed 8,000 to . Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. 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. And the bosses say, 'Oh, okay. She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. Blanco and said, 'We've got to move National Guard troops in there. 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. Floodwaters keep rising. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. To get food out. 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 . I don't know why. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. Mayor, we had a good meeting. But they're designed for short hauls.". It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. Lewis says she was raped on Monday, Aug. 29, the day of the storm. Copyright All rights reserved. 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. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. '", Michael Brown, FEMA director: On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. HBO. "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. August 28, 2005. 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. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. [Mayor Nagin] was upset with everything. I just sent President Obama 10 letters the other day ( I remember Oprah saying persistence pays off) saying that since Katrina, we still only have two medical trailers in this part of town, and they arent equipped to handle emergencies or even basic lab work. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget? New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. I said, 'All of us are going to leave right now, and they're going to work this out right now. In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. Here's all these thousands of people that don't have any way to get out of the city. Listen 7:57. And it is injurious to the president. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. And he had flown in a helicopter. Widespread looting continues. The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. He Says He Paid a Price. 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. 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. 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. will never be the same. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. 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 . More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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.". About 16,000 people . "[On Air Force One] we gave the president a briefing on everything that had gone on. Four were wounded, and 17-year-old James Brisette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison were killed. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. I gave the governor two options. Your email address will not be published. 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. '", Mayor Ray Nagin More than a million people were displaced in the days leading up to and following . Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. 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. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual assault in the lawless days after the storm. 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. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. There's no question.". Where is food? Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? He announces FEMA is moving supplies and equipment into the hardest hit areas. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. 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. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. 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. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. background photo copyright 2005 corbis An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. 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. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. 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. (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. The hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. Civil order had completely broken down. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. FEMA was doing what it's supposed to be doing. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. Gov. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? It regained strength as its path turned northwest. And that is unacceptable. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. The California Disaster Medical Assistance Team spent 24 hellish hours inside the Superdome. Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. And Mayor Nagin expressed his concerns. We all did. 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 . 11.1.2005. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. . " These defenses held for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, in August 2021. 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. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. By afternoon, officials issue a citywide call for more boats to help. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. 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. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. ', And we left and had a press conference. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently . Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: 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. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. Michael Brown, FEMA director: "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. 1. An Unfiltered View: Producers of Police on Trial on What the Documentary Reveals 2 Years After the Murder of George Floyd, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. To get medical teams and search teams out the door and get 'em down there. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. ". I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. 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. Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. William E. Brown Jr. -. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. We'd sent them all the information they needed. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. Looting breaks out in parts of the city. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' Kathleen Blanco: I've expressed many times that we're willing to investigate any sexual assaults that happened in this city at any time. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. "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. It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. I think the American Red Cross already had shelters and was already feeding people. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. 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. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. 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. She contacted the New Orleans police in October and filed a report that she was beaten with a bat and raped on Sept. 6th in broad daylight next to a flooded McDonald's at Gentilly Boulevard and Elysian Fields, near her father's house. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. 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. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. 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 Kim's family and others through the . There is a belief that the city has avoided a direct hit. "We know about all the other things that happened, all the thefts, all the robberies. TV-PG. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. ", 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. 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 time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. She was featured in Spike Lee's documentary When the Levees Broke and is author of Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens. 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. Because of the ensuing . Its efforts fail. Chef Al Brown's nationwide dinner party to raise funds for Cyclone Gabrielle relief, Dubai, Hamilton and a hurricane named Hazel, VIPCs Public Safety Innovation Center hosts technology exhibit at Virginia Fire and Rescue Conference in Virginia Beach, REVEALED: Huge sonic boom felt by thousands across the country was caused by RAF Typhoon jets scrambling to intercept plane when pilot stopped responding 1.9k shares, Vanuatu Left Strewn With Debris After Tropical Cyclone Kevin, Cyclone Kevin leaves trail of destruction in Vanuatu, Even more homes at risk of hurricane damage: Report, Hurricane Katrina New Orleans French Quarter. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. 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. Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. 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. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. I don't think that's the proper thing to do. 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. And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. 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. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Congress appropriated an unprecedented $126.4 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. Thats just one of the chain of catastrophes at the local, state and national level brought to vivid life in FRONTLINEs Emmy Award-winning 2005 documentaryThe Storm. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. 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. In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . 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. so you had a very dynamic situation.". Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. We knew we were gonna have to shelter people. 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. home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days August 29, 2005. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. I've got to know. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. 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. She describes . During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. "[I] got to the president. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets.. 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. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. They were very civil and very cordial. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. The film a raw and gripping investigation of the Katrina response, its tragic consequences and its political ramifications includes candid interviews with key Katrina decision-makers, including the first televised interview with former FEMA Director Michael Brown since his resignation two weeks after Katrina hit.

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