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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. 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. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. Thats just one of the chain of catastrophes at the local, state and national level brought to vivid life in FRONTLINEs Emmy Award-winning 2005 documentaryThe Storm. 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. 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. There was nobody there to protect you," Lewis says. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. "[I] got to the president. Kathleen Blanco: "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. It took me too long and I worked too hard to build what I had here.. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. 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. Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. Rapid Transit Authority buses pick up citizens and bring them to the Superdome, where the Louisiana National Guard has stocked enough MREs to feed 15,000 people for three days. 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. He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. 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. 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. She sits on the edge of a bed in a dingy, dimly lit room in a motel in Baton Rouge. And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. 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." New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Ultimately, more than 300 soldiers would be trapped inside their own headquarters. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. About 16,000 people . First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. In September 2006, the New Orleans Saints marched into the Superdome for their first game since Hurricane Katrina, providing the spark for a revival. 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. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. 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. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? But for five days in the midst of the storm, about 20,000 of these . Gov. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . Its efforts fail. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. In New Orleans chaos . Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. 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. Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy 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 went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the. 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. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. ", "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!' And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. And I wanted to cut to the chase because I knew what the real issue was. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. It has been nearly six years since Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf of Mexico cutting a swathe of devastation and shock through the psyche of the American people. Buckles, who wrote and directed the documentary . The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. "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". And it is injurious to the president. Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. [Mayor Nagin] was upset with everything. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. 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. 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. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. A scene from 2006s 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts' (Photo: Everett Collection) This week marks a . 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 immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. Gov. "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. Oh, absolutely not. By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. 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. What I hope people will realize when they see Trouble the Water is that we still have so much to do here, and that Katrina really changed so many lives, but we are a really resilient people and we want our city to come back. An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. "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. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. 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,. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual . Go up there, face to face and say, "What is happening here? Every little thing helps. Where is water? 1. 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. 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. He co-wrote the novel,"The Spencer Haywood Rule," and he was co-producer of the "Katrina Cop in the Superdome," a 2010 documentary about the experiences of a black New Orleans police officer and other citizens as they sheltered in the Louisiana Superdome during the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005. 11:09. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. 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. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. And Mayor Nagin expressed his concerns. Mayor, we had a good meeting. For my part, I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. 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. We'd sent them all the information they needed. "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. 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!) The vast majority of them were elderly. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. Virtually all communication systems are out. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. A decade later . Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. The Times-Picayune reports that an estimated 112,000 people do not own cars. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". 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. She made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. These defenses held for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, in August 2021. HBO. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? 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." The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . ", Mayor Ray Nagin: They cast a wide net over this important event and background photo copyright 2005 corbis Then, the airman hesitated a minute, and asked Landreneau to hold. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. 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. 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 there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. And you need to order mandatory evacuation. It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. He Says He Paid a Price. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. "I'm not gonna go on television and publicly say that I think that the mayor and the governor are not doing their job, and that they don't have the sense of urgency. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. Because of the ensuing . The city floods further. Get It Published. 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. Required fields are marked *. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. Here's all these thousands of people that don't have any way to get out of the city. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. 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. 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.