About 16,000 people . 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. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. / 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. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Where is food? And then somebody came and called me and said, 'The president would like to see you.' Storm refugees reported being raped, shot and robbed, gangs of teenagers hijacked boats meant to rescue them, and frustrated hurricane victims menaced outmanned law officers. I've got to know. By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. "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. '", Michael Brown, FEMA director: I laid that out for him. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. Issues of race, class, government response and . And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Required fields are marked *. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. TV-PG. During Hurricane Katrina, then known as the Louisiana Superdome, the arena was used as . We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. 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. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies . President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. In the decade since Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which came under harsh criticism for its response to the storm says it has improved its preparedness for future natural disasters. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 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. ', And we left and had a press conference. And he said: 'Mr. "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". Gov. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. August 27, 2015, 2:18 PM. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. And they hadn't. Mayor, what do you need?' New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. But they're designed for short hauls.". Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. 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. ", "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!' Copyright All rights reserved. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. 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. 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 The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. , "Law and order all but broke down in New Orleans over the past few days. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. He estimates 5,000 to 10,000 people are still in the city, with many of them still waiting to be rescued. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. 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. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. And Michael Brown was there listening. And Michael Brown tells FRONTLINE that in order to quell panic, he misled the public in saying that everything was going fine at the local level. Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. 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. 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. FEMA National Situation Update: More women are coming forward with stories of sexual . President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . 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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. 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. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. 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. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. I said, 'OK, great.' Patrice Taddonio. They didn't have water. "I admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. He says his team only saw a fraction of the desperate people who sought assistance. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. FEMA Situation Update: "Some bad things happened, you know. Hurricane Katrina Superdome. I said, 'We need to do this.' "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. 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 majority of industrial buildings will become non functional. ", Gov. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. ". Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. Katrina anniversary: Inside the Superdome during Katrina. "Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. 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. 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. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. 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. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. But we were working frantically to get it out. Blanco and said, 'We've got to move National Guard troops in there. Plus, if you lived in a FEMA trailer for three years like I did, the last thing you want to do is go to a trailer for medical care. Where is water? 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. Get as many people out as possible. And he was the first guy that told us about the amount of devastation and the levee breaches. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. . "We know about all the other things that happened, all the thefts, all the robberies. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty. And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. 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. Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. FEMA National Situation Update: " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. There are still gangs of armed criminals roaming the city; police and National Guard, now numbered at 16,000, have a better handle on the situation than earlier in the week. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. 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. But for five days in the midst of the storm, about 20,000 of these . First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. 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. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. "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". Lt. Dave Benelli, commander of the sex crimes unit with the New Orleans Police Department, denies that. Gallery. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. 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. Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. In all honesty, we begin looting. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. And it is injurious to the president. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Note: The Earlier Warnings -- In 2001, FEMA identified the three most likely disasters facing the U.S.: an earthquake in California, a hurricane in New Orleans and a terrorist attack in New York City. "[Michael] Brown I did not see the first couple of days. A Tropical Depression with 35 mph maximum sustained winds is located 250 miles east-southeast of southeast Florida. Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is a landmark in the city of New Orleans. We were moving school buses in. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. The price tag has not yet been determined. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual assault in the lawless days after the storm. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . There's no question.". "They didn't have no food. Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina, Edward Buckles Jr. asks what happened to the generation of kids who grew up with that trauma in the documentary "Katrina Babies" on HBO Max. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . 11.1.2005. In the 2005 documentary "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams indicated that he wasn't a witness to the suicide. 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. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. 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 . Another group, Witness Justice, a Maryland-based non-profit that assists victims of violent crimes, claims to have received 156 reports of post-Katrina violent crimes; about a third of those involved sexual assaults. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Female victims, now displaced from New Orleans, are slowly coming forward with a different story than the official one. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. Nobody cared.". To get food out. 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 aint about to leave, Gettridge said. The networks all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. 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.' Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. Watch it: To understand what went wrong in the governments response to Katrina. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. There is a documentary about . 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 . Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. 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. Virtually all communication systems are out. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. We all did. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. 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. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. 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. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. 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. And I had a piece of paper where I wrote down like a five-point plan of the things that we needed to do. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. "[I] got to the president. 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. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. There's this lunch. 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. In New Orleans chaos . Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. 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.". Looting breaks out in parts of the city. 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. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. They lost 15 high-water trucks with mobile communications packages. "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. 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." 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." By the evening of August 25, when it made . People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. 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. And if you dont trust the system to deliver the money to the right places, call a school yourself and ask them what they need. Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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 . Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued. She says as she watched New Orleans descend into chaos after Katrina, she knew what would happen. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. William E. Brown Jr. -. Your email address will not be published. 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. Last September, when Trouble the Water first premiered in New Orleans, I remember thinking, "I have to go down to Canal Place Cinema and support this."
How To Disable Checkbox Based On Condition In Javascript,
Championship Wage Bill 2021,
Articles H
