Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. 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. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . And I said [to the president], 'Look, we talked about that option, and then we also talked about another option, that we would federalize, and the governor said she needed time to think about it. A final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. 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. 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. August 29, 2005. "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. Nobody cared.". He escaped the ch. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. And it is injurious to the president. Lt. Dave Benelli, commander of the sex crimes unit with the New Orleans Police Department, denies that. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 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. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New . Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. I gave the governor two options. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. He estimates 5,000 to 10,000 people are still in the city, with many of them still waiting to be rescued. Kathleen Blanco: And he was the first guy that told us about the amount of devastation and the levee breaches. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. 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 . Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. We knew we were gonna have to shelter people. ', And we left and had a press conference. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. background photo copyright 2005 corbis We all did. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Crime is at an all-time high. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' There is a belief that the city has avoided a direct hit. 11.1.2005. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. The Katrina images we see in the film -- people on rooftops, the Superdome being shredded by hurricane winds, dogs stranded in attics -- are ones that once would have been guaranteed to put lumps . "Some bad things happened, you know. 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. Exclusive: A Former MPD Lieutenant Reported Another Cop. 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. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. Blanco is there. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? 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. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. We have got to start getting people out.' She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. 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. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. FEMA Situation Update: 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. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. 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. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. Four were wounded, and 17-year-old James Brisette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison were killed. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. 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. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. Ms. Blanco, she left and walked out. I went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. The Times-Picayune reports that the breaches in the 17th Street and Florida Avenue Canals have been repaired and power is restored to the Warehouse and Central Business Districts. 11:09. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. 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. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. Mayor, what do you need?' 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. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. In an effort to get victims to come forward, the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault asked Charmaine Neville, a popular New Orleans jazz singer, to tape a public service announcement for national airplay. 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. With camera lenses and lights abounding, the . And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: 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. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. "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. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. HBO. In all, more than 1,500 died either duringthe storm or inthe famouslybungled aftermath which saw local, state, and federal officials uncoordinated and overwhelmed. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. 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 . And nothing happened. . " FEMA Situation Update: Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. That's where Katrina Babies comes in. Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. Benelli says his team investigated two attempted rapes inside the Superdome, and two additional reports of rapes that happened in the city, one of which was the 25-year-old hairdresser. 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. But they're designed for short hauls.". "I know more sexual assaults took place. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. 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. 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 More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . We knew what had to be done. FEMA National Situation Update: Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets.. Widespread looting continues. Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . 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 . [Secretary of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff is there. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. Civil order had completely broken down. At landfall, Katrina's maximum winds were about 125 miles per hour (mph) to the east of its center. During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy There's no question.". 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.". I've got to know. The price tag has not yet been determined. They didn't have water. Gov. Your email address will not be published. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. Issues of race, class, government response and . On June 4, 2006, Pamela Mahogany was interviewed for her personal experience involving the events following Hurricane Katrina. Ultimately, more than 300 soldiers would be trapped inside their own headquarters. But there were also profane jeers from many in the crowd of nearly 20,000 outside the Convention Center, which a day earlier seemed on the verge of a riot, with desperate people seething with anger over the lack of anything to eat or drink. "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links
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