She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. But by late morning, when FEMA director Michael Brown arrives in Baton Rouge, water is already coming over levees in the 9th Ward and there are reports of breaks in the Industrial Canal and 17th Street Canal levees. 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. Rescuers drop them off wherever there is high ground; many are dropped at interstate overpasses and the Superdome. 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. 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. 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 . The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. 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. But we were working frantically to get it out. 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 And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. And nothing happened. 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. A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. I've got to know. and catcalls of 'What took you so long?,' a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled through axle-deep floodwaters Friday into what remained of New Orleans and descended into a maelstrom of fires and floating corpses. That's where Katrina Babies comes in. 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. Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. "Some bad things happened, you know. Ten years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast and generated a huge disaster. In the 2005 documentary "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams indicated that he wasn't a witness to the suicide. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. The spot urges victims to report their assault by calling 1-800-656-HOPE. And it was a very good meeting, I thought. 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. 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. "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. A final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. 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 . 1. 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 . This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy And I forget whether it was on Saturday or Sunday, I told my staff that I was sick to my stomach because I could see that some things weren't looking quite right. 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. August 27, 2015, 2:18 PM. And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. Their back-up generators flooded. City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . And I said, "We're doing one in the morning.". Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. Your email address will not be published. Ms. Blanco, she left and walked out. 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. We have got to start getting people out.' Michael Brown, FEMA director: Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. At a press conference in Baton Rouge, 80 miles away, Gov. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. [Note: The information in this timeline is drawn from the news and government agencies' reports, as published daily during the crisis, and from FRONTLINE's research and reporting.]. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. 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. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): Crime is at an all-time high. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. They didn't have ammunition. As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. "It was that terrible. There was nobody there to protect you," Lewis says. "What you had was a situation where you've got a tremendous number of vulnerable people, and then some predatory people who had all of the reasons to take their anger out on someone else," Benitez says. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. 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. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: 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. The networks all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. 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. Surviving the Superdome. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued. Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. He Says He Paid a Price. I don't think that's the proper thing to do. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . 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. Get as many people out as possible. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. 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. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. 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. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets.. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. In September 2006, the New Orleans Saints marched into the Superdome for their first game since Hurricane Katrina, providing the spark for a revival. Pack as though you're going on a camping trip. Listen 7:57. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): In Fight Against ISIS, a Lose-Lose Scenario Poses Challenge for West. 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. We talked about it. The population of New Orleans was about 400,000 by 2020, some 20 percent below its population in 2000. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? The eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras in Plaquemines Parish at approximately 6:00 a.m. on August 29 as a Category 3 hurricane. They didn't have water. 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. I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. Its efforts fail. TV-PG. The Times-Picayune reports that an estimated 112,000 people do not own cars. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. 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. Here in New Orleans East, we desperately need a hospital. 11:09. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. Widespread looting continues. 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. 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. Virtually all communication systems are out. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. 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 . But problems persist. 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. by JOHN DORN. The city floods further. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. Exclusive: A Former MPD Lieutenant Reported Another Cop. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. Katrina anniversary: Inside the Superdome during Katrina. 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. Patrice Taddonio. We go to Sam's and Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie and gather up food and water and start distributing it because we had 60 hours' worth of resources that we had stored, but now we're out of it. You have responded to my calls." Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. 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 . We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. 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. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. He also announces that the Superdome will be "a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs." Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. Around 8 a.m. the storm's eye passes eastern New Orleans. Looting breaks out in parts of the city. 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." Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. Your email address will not be published. Flew into the city. 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. To get medical teams and search teams out the door and get 'em down there. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. On Sept. 15, 2005, in an address to the nation, President Bush declares, "It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice.". "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. The vast majority of them were elderly. In all honesty, we begin looting. Here's the things I think we need to focus on. There is a belief that the city has avoided a direct hit. The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. 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. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. HBO. 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. "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ". At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. I said, 'If you guys don't get together and work this out, this is going to get worse.' Their communications center was useless. "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. 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. And then somebody came and called me and said, 'The president would like to see you.' They cast a wide net over this important event and It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. By. "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. 11.1.2005. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck.