The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. And that rap song she sings at the end of the film about growing up so poor, with her mother on drugs and being forced to stealit just shows that she is a strong woman, and so honest, real, determined, courageous, and intelligent. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. And Mayor Nagin expressed his concerns. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. 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. They were very civil and very cordial. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . Then, the airman hesitated a minute, and asked Landreneau to hold. by JOHN DORN. Issues of race, class, government response and . Photo. 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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. But the problem was that because of the fear that resulted from the civil unrest, the bus drivers said, 'We're not going in there to pick these people up unless you put a law enforcement official on every one of the buses, because we're afraid. We were moving school buses in. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Concerned over unreported and underreported rapes, her organization, together with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center -- which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- created a national database to track sexual assaults that happened after Katrina. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. 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. And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. TV-PG. 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. About 16,000 people . Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. HBO. ", "Coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out A direct hit could wind up submerging New Orleans in several feet of water At least 100,000 people in the city lack transportation to get out Louisiana and Mississippi make all lanes northbound on interstate highways", Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the, "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. Every little thing helps. She describes . Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. Two national crime-victims' groups have reported a spike in the number of reported rapes that happened to storm evacuees. 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. They cast a wide net over this important event and The two of us are going to leave. 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.". She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. With all due respect, Mr. President, if you and the governor don't get on the same page, this event is going to continue to spiral down, and it's going to be a black eye on everybody -- federal, state and local.' Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. FEMA Situation Update: Get It Published. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. William E. Brown Jr. -. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. 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.". The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. Do You Have News to Share? ", Gov. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: During Hurricane Katrina, then known as the Louisiana Superdome, the arena was used as . Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. web site copyright 1995-2014 And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. Here's the things I think we need to focus on. Because of the ensuing . Michael Brown, FEMA director: ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding as numerous levees failed around New Orleans. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. 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. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. 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. The choice was either run the risk of becoming stranded or take a detour to wait the storm out for a day or two in the Superdome. ", 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. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. We'd sent them all the information they needed. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. In the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. They lost power. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. 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 . The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. 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. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: The vast majority of them were elderly. Per this CNN Money report, a Brian Williams' Katrina tale appears to have evolved somewhat dramatically over the course of just one year.In 2005, Williams reported in a documentary that he had "heard the story" of a man killing himself in the Superdome. 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. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. 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. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. HBO. 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. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. The situation begins to improve. To get food out. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. They lost 15 high-water trucks with mobile communications packages. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Where is water? 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 . 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. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. 11:09. "I know more sexual assaults took place. I gave the governor two options. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. 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. I laid that out for him. 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. They didn't have communication. "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. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. FEMA was doing what it's supposed to be doing. August 28, 2005. In New Orleans chaos . In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. But for five days in the midst of the storm, about 20,000 of these . "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' "I think that that was probably over-reported," he says. "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. 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. He says his team only saw a fraction of the desperate people who sought assistance. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. 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. I probably should have asked sooner. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). August 28, 2015, 2:21 PM. And nothing happened. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. Gov. I don't know why. Mayor, what do you need?' Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. We do our video conference calls before and during disasters. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. 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. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. 11.1.2005. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. Hundreds of people already have been rescued. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . And he said: 'Mr. 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. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. Ultimately, more than 300 soldiers would be trapped inside their own headquarters. People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. The networks all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. And you need to order mandatory evacuation. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. 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. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. And he had flown in a helicopter. 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 . When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. will never be the same. Ten years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast and generated a huge disaster. Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. 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. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): "The fact that something wasn't reported to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen," Benitez says. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. 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 . 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. Gov. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. 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. 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. Where is food? Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. 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 . Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. so you had a very dynamic situation.". On Sept. 1, with desperate Hurricane Katrina evacuees crammed into the convention center, Police Chief Eddie Compass reported: "We . "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. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. Four were wounded, and 17-year-old James Brisette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison were killed. After the genocide in Rwanda and atrocities in Srebrenica, Bosnia, in the 1990s, the world vowed never again. Then came the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which began 20 years ago. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. Kathleen Blanco: I gave people clues on how to pack. 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. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual assault in the lawless days after the storm. She says as she watched New Orleans descend into chaos after Katrina, she knew what would happen. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. Mayor, we had a good meeting. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy 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. 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. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. President Bush arrives in New Orleans and holds a meeting on Air Force One with federal and local officials. Virtually all communication systems are out. By Chris Edwards. Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. 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. There was nobody there to protect you," Lewis says. Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. ", At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. hurricane katrina anniversary: 40 powerful photos of New Orleans after the storm. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. 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. "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity". 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. August 27, 2015, 2:18 PM. The California Disaster Medical Assistance Team spent 24 hellish hours inside the Superdome. He also announces that the Superdome will be "a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs." I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. We can only deal with what we know.". hide caption. Listen 7:57. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warning: It doesn't make any sense.". ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. Their back-up generators flooded. Kimberly Roberts is the star of the filmif you can call her thata 24-year-old aspiring rapper who did not have the finances to get the hell out of New Orleans when Katrina hit, and still, she managed to film all of her harrowing experiences on a Hi-8 camerathe water rising, being trapped in the attic with her husband and neighbors, the fear they felt. 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. A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet.