What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to 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. 'Nobody asked if we were okay': The lost children of Hurricane Katrina "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. And he basically asked me, 'Mr. 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. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. 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. Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. Pack as though you're going on a camping trip. By. 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. We talked about it. 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. And that was that.". New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says he'll follow the state evacuation plan and will not call for mandatory evacuation until 30 hours before projected landfall. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. 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. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. Ten years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast and generated a huge disaster. 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. 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. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. "[Michael] Brown I did not see the first couple of days. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . 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. "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. 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. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. Kathleen Blanco: (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? The vast majority of them were elderly. "We know about all the other things that happened, all the thefts, all the robberies. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. 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. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. 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. Katrina documentary 'Mine' recounts pet owners' post-storm trials - NOLA According to the New Orleans Data Center, racial disparities in income and employment are more pronounced in the city than they are nationally; the poverty rate is 11 points higher than the national average; and the incarceration rate is approximately three times the national average. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. After being damaged by. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina - Yahoo! "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. They lost power. New Orleans and the Superdome Post-Katrina | Nealon Discussion Blog President Bush arrives in New Orleans and holds a meeting on Air Force One with federal and local officials. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. 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. As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. And that is unacceptable. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. 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. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. 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. August 28, 2015, 2:21 PM. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. The Army Corps of Engineers renews work to fix the breach in the 17th St. Canal. As Katrina hit, Alexander found himself in a desperate situation. Hurricane Katrina, in 7 essential facts - Vox 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. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. Gov. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. Gallery. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. Katrina Cop in the Superdome | Apple TV In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. 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. ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): And the bosses say, 'Oh, okay. "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. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. [Mayor Nagin] was upset with everything. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. Hurricane Katrina facts and information - Environment She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. 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.". Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. FEMA National Situation Update: We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. 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. 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the garage, up the stairs and to the helipad. background photo copyright 2005 corbis Photos: Hurricane Katrina | CNN 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. You have responded to my calls." Hurricane Katrina becomes Category 2 by 11 am, with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. But problems persist. Flew into the city. I gave the governor two options. Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana Superdome By Chris Edwards. To get food out. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. We'd sent them all the information they needed. And he said: 'Mr. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. That's where Katrina Babies comes in. City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. And Michael Brown was there listening. "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.". Half of telephone service is back. Hurricane Katrina Horror Stories Buckles' intimate connection to the people he interviews many of them family members, friends, and former . And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. She is at work on her next memoir, No More Wire Hangers, about domestic abuse in teenage relationships. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. Inside the Superdome during Katrina - BBC News Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. Listen 7:57. Trapped in the Superdome: Refuge becomes a hellhole 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. 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 . Every little thing helps. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: Widespread looting continues. They didn't have communication. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. ', And we left and had a press conference. 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.". "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. Trachelle Addison cuddles her 2-week-old son, Jirra-e, in the stands of the Superdome, where some 25,000 refugees took shelter after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Around 8 a.m. the storm's eye passes eastern New Orleans. 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. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: / HBO Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country.