Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. " from my view sitting inside a windowless room at FEMA headquarters during my nightshift we are working to coordinate with our federal partners, to get water out. Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. 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. Panels blew off and the roof was severely damaged, but it was the only shelter . 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 went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. After being damaged by. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. The police department -- reeling from desertions, flooding and the immensity of the disaster -- was in a survival mode itself. I laid that out for him. 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 . A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . 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. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. 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 . Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. Kathleen Blanco: 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. Do You Have News to Share? Hurricane Katrina Superdome. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. 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. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. 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 . Katrina Cop in the Superdome. "They didn't have no food. ". People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. 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. The majority of industrial buildings will become non functional. Crime is at an all-time high. By midday, water levels between the city and Lake Ponchartrain have equalized. 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. They cast a wide net over this important event and I've got to know. "[I] got to the president. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. We have Brad Pitt and Chris Rocks wife here now, and I think collectively its making a huge, huge difference. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? In the 2005 documentary "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams indicated that he wasn't a witness to the suicide. Your email address will not be published. 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 . And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. '", Michael Brown, FEMA director: ", Mayor Ray Nagin: And it was a very good meeting, I thought. And I had a piece of paper where I wrote down like a five-point plan of the things that we needed to do. 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 . He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? ". 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. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. FEMA National Situation Update: "I think that that was probably over-reported," he says. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. And when I saw it then, and watching it again now, I think that Trouble the Water is an amazing accomplishment, and something everyone should see about the people who had to live through what we all went through here in New Orleans. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity". "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. 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. Producer Martin Smith: So we're just eating sandwiches and making nice while people are stranded on rooftops? Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. On that first night after the storm, the city had lost power, and she was sleeping in a dark hallway, trying to catch a breeze. That's where Katrina Babies comes in. Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. One of the victims is Ms. Lewis, a 46-year-old home health-care worker from New Orleans East, who asked that her first name not be used. 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. Every little thing helps. HBO. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. 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. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) 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 . 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. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. Where is water? ', And we left and had a press conference. On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. I don't know why. 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. 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. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. Ms. Blanco, she left and walked out. 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. "Some bad things happened, you know. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. And he had flown in a helicopter. Four were wounded, and 17-year-old James Brisette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison were killed. An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. 1. 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. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. Buckles' intimate connection to the people he interviews many of them family members, friends, and former . The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". 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!) August 27, 2015, 2:18 PM. Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. 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. Listen 7:57. He announces FEMA is moving supplies and equipment into the hardest hit areas. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. 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. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Mayor Mitch Landrieu last week hailedNew Orleans as Americas comeback city,citing efforts to reduce crime, decrease homelessness and improve educational outcomes for area students. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. 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. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. We were moving school buses in. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. And the bosses say, 'Oh, okay. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Sept. 15, 2005, 7:50 AM PDT. Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. I mentally moved on from the storm after I wrote the last page of my book, but this documentary has opened some old wounds and moves me to action, and I can only hope it does the same for others. FEMA National Situation Update: We have got to start getting people out.' In New Orleans chaos . 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. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. Hurricane Katrina created enormous public health and medical challenges, especially in Louisiana and MississippiStates with public health infrastructures that ranked 49th and 50th in the Nation, respectively. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the garage, up the stairs and to the helipad. Around 8 a.m. the storm's eye passes eastern New Orleans. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. It doesn't make any sense.". 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. Looting breaks out in parts of the city. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. '", Mayor Ray Nagin Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' Blanco and said, 'We've got to move National Guard troops in there. The storm that would later become Hurricane Katrina surfaced on August 23, 2005, as a tropical depression over the Bahamas, approximately 350 miles (560 km) east of Miami. Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. And then he was gone after a while.". Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. 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. 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. 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. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. 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.". FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. 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. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. 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. Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina. 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.". No, they weren't. But for five days in the midst of the storm, about 20,000 of these . She gripped my arm at the store, and she told me, the way you shared with everybody so openly, you helped me to heal. In all, more than 1,500 died either duringthe storm or inthe famouslybungled aftermath which saw local, state, and federal officials uncoordinated and overwhelmed. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets.. "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. . " 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. The population of New Orleans was about 400,000 by 2020, some 20 percent below its population in 2000. 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. ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. 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. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. "[On Air Force One] we gave the president a briefing on everything that had gone on. You have responded to my calls." If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget? I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. By Chris Edwards. As Katrina hit, Alexander found himself in a desperate situation. She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. Heres What the Claims Say and Where They Stand. And he said: 'Mr. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. hurricane katrina anniversary: 40 powerful photos of New Orleans after the storm. We knew what had to be done. Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. ", 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. 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. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New . In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. 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. Pack carefully. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links ", At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . 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. Watch it: To understand what went wrong in the governments response to Katrina. 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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. 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. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. "The fact that something wasn't reported to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen," Benitez says. ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 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. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. 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. 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 TV-PG. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. 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 . "I know more sexual assaults took place. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. 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. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, says he is "extremely pleased with the response of every element of the federal government and federal partners to this terrible tragedy." Get as many people out as possible. 11.1.2005. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. 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 . 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . 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. 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. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? Go up there, face to face and say, "What is happening here? A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. Mayor, we had a good meeting. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. In television interviews, Michael Brown, FEMA director, states that he only just heard about the suffering at the Convention Center, when in fact, he tells FRONTLINE, he misspoke; he was told the previous day about the situation. Your email address will not be published. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. 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". By the evening of August 25, when it made . "Drug and alcohol use is another contributing factor, and no police presence to prevent them from doing whatever they wanted to, to whomever they wanted to.". Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. I said, 'If you guys don't get together and work this out, this is going to get worse.' The Army Corps of Engineers renews work to fix the breach in the 17th St. Canal. There's this lunch. Gallery. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. The vast majority of them were elderly. And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". A decade later . So I can assume what the criminals were thinking, and that's exactly what happened.". Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: Reports stream in from people needing rescue. I've never seen a hurricane like this in my 33-year career. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. 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. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas.