Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. 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. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . 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. ", Gov. To get medical teams and search teams out the door and get 'em down there. 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. Producer Martin Smith: So we're just eating sandwiches and making nice while people are stranded on rooftops? I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. 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. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. 1. Your email address will not be published. She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. Here in New Orleans East, we desperately need a hospital. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the. Oh, absolutely not. I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. 11.1.2005. "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. According to a New York Times article of September 29, "During six days when the Superdome was used as a shelter, the head of the New Orleans Police Department's sex crimes unit, Lt. David . Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. 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. I gave the governor two options. 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. But one man then-82-year-old Herbert Gettridge was determined to rebuild the house he had built more than 50 years earlier in the Lower Ninth Ward, with or without government support. FEMA National Situation Update: The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. 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. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. Gov. 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . . At landfall, Katrina's maximum winds were about 125 miles per hour (mph) to the east of its center. FEMA National Situation Update: It took me too long and I worked too hard to build what I had here.. 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. 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. A final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. Airborne debris will be widespread and may include heavy items such as household appliances and even light vehicles. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. I don't know why. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. They were very civil and very cordial. We'd sent them all the information they needed. will never be the same. 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. "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". Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. 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. "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. Floodwaters keep rising. 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. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): 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. But problems persist. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. 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. And then he was gone after a while.". 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 . Hurricane Katrina made landfall off the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Listen 7:57. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". And I think 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. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. At a press conference in Baton Rouge, 80 miles away, Gov. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. I think the American Red Cross already had shelters and was already feeding people. We do our video conference calls before and during disasters. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. And nothing happened. 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." 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. "The fact that something wasn't reported to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen," Benitez says. We knew what had to be done. 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. These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. 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. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". FEMA Situation Update: 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. 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. Issues of race, class, government response and . FEMA Situation Update: 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. 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. By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. The two of us are going to leave. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. "[On Air Force One] we gave the president a briefing on everything that had gone on. People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. By afternoon, officials issue a citywide call for more boats to help. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. So I can assume what the criminals were thinking, and that's exactly what happened.". "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' 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. He says his team only saw a fraction of the desperate people who sought assistance. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. A hurricane warning is issued for the Southeast Florida coast. Where is food? Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. 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. That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. 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. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. About 16,000 people . It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. They lost 15 high-water trucks with mobile communications packages. Rescuers drop them off wherever there is high ground; many are dropped at interstate overpasses and the Superdome. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) ", At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. 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 . And that was that.". The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. A Tropical Depression with 35 mph maximum sustained winds is located 250 miles east-southeast of southeast Florida. Reports put the population there in the tens of thousands. First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. HBO. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. 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 the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. I probably should have asked sooner. City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. FRONTLINEs documentary The Old Man and the Storm followed Gettridge for 18 months as he worked to rebuild his home, which took on 10 feet of water when the levees breached. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. 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. She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. Buses have started evacuating people at the Superdome, but at the Convention Center thousands are still waiting and conditions continue to deteriorate there. Some electrical substations serving downtown New Orleans are repaired, but Entergy, the local energy utitlity, must first ensure that buildings can receive the electricity safely before the power is restored. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Congress appropriated an unprecedented $126.4 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out. They didn't have water. hide caption. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. 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!) 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. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. 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. 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. home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days 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. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. There's this lunch. Nobody cared.". 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. "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. so you had a very dynamic situation.". Civil order had completely broken down. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. 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 . ". Photo: Mario Tama/Getty. I went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. 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. Gettridge,a fifth generation New Orleanian, would go on to die from a heart attack in 2014 at the age of 91 at the home he had successfully rebuilt. 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 . Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. Here's all these thousands of people that don't have any way to get out of the city.
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