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Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. . " The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. "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. As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. 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 storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. ", In Washington, President Bush publicly acknowledges the inadequacy of the federal government's response: "Many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orlenas. " from my view sitting inside a windowless room at FEMA headquarters during my nightshift we are working to coordinate with our federal partners, to get water out. A hurricane warning is issued for the Southeast Florida coast. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. 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. Producer Martin Smith: Were they going back and forth with each other? Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. FEMA Situation Update: And we said, "Plan your route carefully. They cast a wide net over this important event and 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. It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. hide caption. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. 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. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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." In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Before Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans residents gathered to ride out the storm in what seemed like a pretty safe place, the Superdome, the city's football stadium . FEMA National Situation Update: And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. Hurricane Katrina made landfall off the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005. 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. Michael Brown, FEMA director: "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". The outer ends of the hurricane also produced tornados . 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. Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. 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. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. ". We were moving school buses in. Instead, officers at the compound arrested Glover. Mayor, we had a good meeting. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. And you need to order mandatory evacuation. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. Where is water? 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. 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. "[I] got to the president. 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. I gave the governor two options. 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. Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. 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 . 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. Hurricane Katrina [ edit] Refugees on the field inside the Superdome, August 28. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. He Says He Paid a Price. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. The city floods further. 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 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. William E. Brown Jr. -. And it is injurious to the president. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . More than 1 million more in the Gulf region were displaced. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. And I wanted to cut to the chase because I knew what the real issue was. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. 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. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. Flooding grows as water surges over levee breaks from Lake Ponchartrain; the 9th Ward is almost entirely submerged. In the 2005 documentary "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams indicated that he wasn't a witness to the suicide. 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. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. Then, the airman hesitated a minute, and asked Landreneau to hold. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. About 16,000 people . background photo copyright 2005 corbis In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. 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. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. A scene from 2006s 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts' (Photo: Everett Collection) This week marks a . To get food out. 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. Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. They didn't have water. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and . Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. 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. Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. More than four days after the storm hit, the caravan of at least three-dozen camouflage-green troop vehicles and supply trucks arrived along with dozens of air-conditioned buses to take refugees out of the city. We talked about it. "Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. 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 hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. "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. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. HBO. Blanco is there. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. 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. Michael Brown, FEMA director: "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. / 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. 7:577-Minute Listen. 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!) [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. Exclusive: A Former MPD Lieutenant Reported Another Cop. People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. The vast majority of them were elderly. I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. My old high school, Joseph S. Clark, shut down, and we dont even have parks yet for kids to hang out inthats what we did in the 70s, at leastIm still trying to petition for these things, to organize our community, and these fool ass people have not yet gotten down here to rebuild. Documenting evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. 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. Gov. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. 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 . Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. 11.1.2005. The California Disaster Medical Assistance Team spent 24 hellish hours inside the Superdome. 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. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. Do You Have News to Share? And then finally I just stopped and said: 'Excuse me, but time is of the essence. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding as numerous levees failed around New Orleans. 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. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. We began search-and-rescue missions using local state resources, waiting for the federal cavalry to arrive and believing that it would be here in 48 to 60 hours. Reports stream in from people needing rescue. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. Female victims, now displaced from New Orleans, are slowly coming forward with a different story than the official one. I said, 'OK, great.' ", Mayor Ray Nagin: It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. 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. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. We knew what had to be done. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is a landmark in the city of New Orleans. 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. Floodwaters keep rising. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. The Times-Picayune reports that an estimated 112,000 people do not own cars. And he had flown in a helicopter. web site copyright 1995-2014 "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.". 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 . 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. ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. FEMA Situation Update: 11:09. 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. I've expressed many times that we're willing to investigate any sexual assaults that happened in this city at any time. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. ', And the president was a little stunned, and he kind of stepped back, and he recovered. 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. 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 immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. Michael Brown, FEMA director: On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. I've got to know. Thats why films like Trouble the Water are so important, and why its great that its making it to a wide audience via HBO. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. 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. Their communications center was useless. Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. But we were working frantically to get it out. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. We do our video conference calls before and during disasters. Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? ". President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. We have Brad Pitt and Chris Rocks wife here now, and I think collectively its making a huge, huge difference. 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. We can only deal with what we know.". 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. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Ms. Blanco, she left and walked out. "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. "They didn't have no food. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' I said, 'We need to do this.' She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. But the problem was that because of the fear that resulted from the civil unrest, the bus drivers said, 'We're not going in there to pick these people up unless you put a law enforcement official on every one of the buses, because we're afraid. My sense now is there are victims out there whose stories haven't been heard.". More women are coming forward with stories of sexual . There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. Its efforts fail. 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. Watch it: To understand what went wrong in the governments response to Katrina. It regained strength as its path turned northwest. Kimberly Roberts is the star of the filmif you can call her thata 24-year-old aspiring rapper who did not have the finances to get the hell out of New Orleans when Katrina hit, and still, she managed to film all of her harrowing experiences on a Hi-8 camerathe water rising, being trapped in the attic with her husband and neighbors, the fear they felt. Patrice Taddonio. Widespread looting continues. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ". 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. 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. The situation begins to improve. And Michael Brown was there listening. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. I was able to get Governor Blanco to sit with me several times in the office that she had and talk about what needed to be done. The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . There is a documentary about . ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. 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. Because of the ensuing . If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget?. Buckles, who wrote and directed the documentary . In New Orleans last year, there was a rape every other day on average. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. "Some bad things happened, you know. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . The numbers are not dramatic, but they are significant when seen in light of the official number of post-Katrina rapes and attempted rapes: four. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. That's where Katrina Babies comes in. 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. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. But they're designed for short hauls.". And Mayor Nagin expressed his concerns. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. by JOHN DORN. 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. There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. Katrina anniversary: Inside the Superdome during Katrina. He estimates 5,000 to 10,000 people are still in the city, with many of them still waiting to be rescued. And he basically asked me, 'Mr.