hurricane katrina: superdome documentary
The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and . As a shocking New Orleans documentary airs on HBO tonight, Phyllis Montana-LeBlancbestselling author and gutsy survivorexplains why the city is still drowning. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: Katrina Cop in the Superdome. 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 Was There: Hurricane Katrina Superdome Survivor - HISTORY "I admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. In New Orleans chaos . Pack carefully. My sense now is there are victims out there whose stories haven't been heard.". After the genocide in Rwanda and atrocities in Srebrenica, Bosnia, in the 1990s, the world vowed never again. Then came the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which began 20 years ago. 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. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: 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. 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. "[Michael] Brown I did not see the first couple of days. Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina. "I remember reading [that New Orleans had dodged a bullet]. 11:09. Where is food? Your email address will not be published. On June 4, 2006, Pamela Mahogany was interviewed for her personal experience involving the events following Hurricane Katrina. At the peak of the Katrina recovery effort, 51,039 National Guard soldiers from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and three territories worked in Louisiana and Mississippi, making Katrina by far . I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. Widespread looting continues. Here's the things I think we need to focus on. Five officers were ultimately indicted: one for the shooting, and four additional officers on charges related to burning Glovers body and obstructing a federal investigation. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. 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. 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." Hurricane Katrina becomes Category 2 by 11 am, with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. Where is water? And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. And then somebody came and called me and said, 'The president would like to see you.' But they're designed for short hauls.". "We know about all the other things that happened, all the thefts, all the robberies. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is a landmark in the city of New Orleans. 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. We have Brad Pitt and Chris Rocks wife here now, and I think collectively its making a huge, huge difference. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. 'Katrina Babies' Review: HBO Doc Is a Moving Study of Ongoing Trauma There's this lunch. In all honesty, we begin looting. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. I began to believe that no buses had been ordered. Michael Brown, FEMA director: 32 Harrowing Photos of the Hurricane Katrina Aftermath - Essence ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of 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." Flew into the city. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. But we were working frantically to get it 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. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. so you had a very dynamic situation.". Lewis says she was raped on Monday, Aug. 29, the day of the storm. Water Supply when Disaster Strikes: A Look Back at Hurricane Katrina Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. And nothing happened. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. 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 . Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. Photos: Hurricane Katrina | CNN Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. Floodwaters keep rising. And it was a very good meeting, I thought. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. I just expressed to her my concern about the lack of unified command, and the need to have more of a structure of what was going on. FRONTLINEs documentary The Old Man and the Storm followed Gettridge for 18 months as he worked to rebuild his home, which took on 10 feet of water when the levees breached. Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. 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. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. Their back-up generators flooded. 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. background photo copyright 2005 corbis Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. And there seems to be this dance about who has ultimate authority. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. 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. Reports put the population there in the tens of thousands. After being damaged by. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. 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. People begin arriving at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center seeking shelter, food, and water. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? 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. 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. Get It Published. An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. ". She contacted the New Orleans police in October and filed a report that she was beaten with a bat and raped on Sept. 6th in broad daylight next to a flooded McDonald's at Gentilly Boulevard and Elysian Fields, near her father's house. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. HBO. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Nobody cared.". It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy In October 2005, The Historic New Orleans Collection initiated Through Hell and High Water: Katrina's First Responders Oral History Project, partnering with local, state, and federal agencies to document their experiences. 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. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. And he had flown in a helicopter. NBC probing Brian Williams's reports on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina 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. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. 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. hide caption. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. 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. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. Hurricane Katrina: Remembering the Federal Failures There is a belief that the city has avoided a direct hit. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links The Times-Picayune reports the Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and-rescue operations continue. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . 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. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. Historic Disasters - Hurricane Katrina | FEMA.gov (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 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 . Oh, absolutely not. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. She says as she watched New Orleans descend into chaos after Katrina, she knew what would happen. We had pre-positioned supplies, medical teams, Meals Ready To Eat, and food in the Superdome. 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. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. I said, 'If you guys don't get together and work this out, this is going to get worse.' Spectacular Disaster: The Louisiana Superdome and Subsumed Blackness in We knew what had to be done. by JOHN DORN. William E. Brown Jr. -. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. 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. "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to