NBC probing Brian Williams's reports on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina "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. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. Photo. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Inside The Superdome During Katrina - hurricanelivenet.com 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 . 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. Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. so you had a very dynamic situation.". 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 price tag has not yet been determined. 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. ESPN's Marc J. Spears To Give Langston University Commencement But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. But Mayor Nagin goes on radio and castigates state and federal officials for their inaction and demands they "fix the biggest god-damn crisis in the history of this country." 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 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 . Where is water? People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. Brian Williams' reporting on Katrina: What we know - CNNMoney 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. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. I Was There: Hurricane Katrina Superdome Survivor - HISTORY You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. 1. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' Kathleen Blanco. Their communications center was useless. Female victims, now displaced from New Orleans, are slowly coming forward with a different story than the official one. background photo copyright 2005 corbis 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. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. Timeline: Rebirth in New Orleans - NFL NIGHTMARE OF ROBBERY, FILTH, DEATH & RAPE IN SUPERDOME - New York Post The Convention Center becomes a destination for walk-in refugees seeking evacuation. Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina Review: The hellish Hurricane Katrina scenario of 'Five Days at Memorial' 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. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. web site copyright 1995-2014 No, they weren't. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. Blanco and said, 'We've got to move National Guard troops in there. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. . Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. 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. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. Pack as though you're going on a camping trip. 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. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. "The police was stressed out themselves," Lewis says. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. And he had flown in a helicopter. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. The vast majority of them were elderly. 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. Believing the authorities abandoned her after the storm, she wonders why they would care about her now. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. I went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. 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. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. 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. Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . He announces FEMA is moving supplies and equipment into the hardest hit areas. Kathleen Blanco: 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. ', And we left and had a press conference. A hurricane warning is issued for the Southeast Florida coast. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. And he was the first guy that told us about the amount of devastation and the levee breaches. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. Here in New Orleans East, we desperately need a hospital. Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 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. 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. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. The situation begins to improve. 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. The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. 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 . (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. 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. 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. 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. One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. HBO. FEMA Situation Update: By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. "I know more sexual assaults took place. Neville says she was sexually assaulted early the morning of Aug. 31st, while she was sleeping on the roof of Drew Elementary School in the Bywater Neighborhood, where she and others had taken refuge. Follow a day-by-day account of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, from its birth in the Atlantic Ocean to its catastrophic effects: flooded streets, flattened homes, and horrific loss of life. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe#NationalGeographic #HurricaneKatrina #StormsAbout National Geographic:National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. She describes . Watch it: To understand what went wrong in the governments response to Katrina. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' Copyright All rights reserved. Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. Residents are bringing their belongings and lining up to get into the Superdome which has been opened as a hurricane shelter in advance of hurricane Katrina. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The outer ends of the hurricane also produced tornados . Hurricane Katrina: Survivors on the Storm's Impact - People Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. Hurricane Katrina: Caught on Camera - DocuWiki Note: In the last hours before Katrina made landfall, dozens of copies of the Hurricane Pam report are distributed to emergency planners. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and . Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. Hurricane Katrina becomes Category 2 by 11 am, with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. 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 .