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. And he passes, literally, hundreds of school buses lined up to come and get these folks. background photo copyright 2005 corbis In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . The city floods further. New Orleans resident climbing through roof of house. Kathleen Blanco: 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. I n the HBO documentary Katrina Babies, young teen Meisha Williams recollects her experience surviving the 2005 hurricane that displaced approximately 200,000 New Orleans residents. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Flew into the city. 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 . National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. - Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to . "[I] got to the president. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . 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 admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. In the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. At a press conference in Baton Rouge, 80 miles away, Gov. Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. I said, 'If you guys don't get together and work this out, this is going to get worse.' to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. 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. Directed by New Orleans native Edward Buckles Jr., who was a teenager when Katrina struck, the documentary, which premieres Thursday on HBO, reminds us of the storm's real-life ramifications. I've got to know. 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. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. "Some bad things happened, you know. Dave Cohen was one of the few reporters to stay in New Orleans as Katrina bore down on the city, and continued broadcasting as the . Watch it: To learn about questionable police shootings and cover-ups in Katrinas wake. City officials say 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. There was all kinds of crime taking place on a much higher level than usual. 5 Must-See Documentaries About Hurricane Katrina. "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. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. I gave the governor two options. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. hide caption. Kathleen Blanco. 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. so you had a very dynamic situation.". They were very civil and very cordial. "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. FEMA Situation Update: 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. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. I've expressed many times that we're willing to investigate any sexual assaults that happened in this city at any time. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. 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. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Crime is at an all-time high. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. ", 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. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in Florida, weakening to a tropical storm as it briefly passed over land. Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. 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." I had all the police, the firefighters in rescue mode, so the looting thing started to rear its head. 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. And that rap song she sings at the end of the film about growing up so poor, with her mother on drugs and being forced to stealit just shows that she is a strong woman, and so honest, real, determined, courageous, and intelligent. The Convention Center becomes a destination for walk-in refugees seeking evacuation. 1) At least 1,800 people died due to Hurricane Katrina. In his speech, he calls on all federal, state and local agencies to review their performance. 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. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. 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. A Tropical Depression with 35 mph maximum sustained winds is located 250 miles east-southeast of southeast Florida. 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 It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. There was nobody there to protect you," Lewis says. There is a belief that the city has avoided a direct hit. ', And the president was a little stunned, and he kind of stepped back, and he recovered. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Michael Brown, FEMA director: After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. Buses have started evacuating people at the Superdome, but at the Convention Center thousands are still waiting and conditions continue to deteriorate there. There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. By the evening of August 25, when it made . Katrina anniversary: Inside the Superdome during Katrina. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. You have responded to my calls." The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The Army Corps of Engineers renews work to fix the breach in the 17th St. Canal. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . We talked about it. I said, 'OK, great.' Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. And then he was gone after a while.". Panels blew off and the roof was severely damaged, but it was the only shelter . Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. She gripped my arm at the store, and she told me, the way you shared with everybody so openly, you helped me to heal. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. 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. Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. As Katrina hit, Alexander found himself in a desperate situation. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. And that was that.". As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. Neville says she was sexually assaulted early the morning of Aug. 31st, while she was sleeping on the roof of Drew Elementary School in the Bywater Neighborhood, where she and others had taken refuge. Get It Published. Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . Heres What the Claims Say and Where They Stand. They cast a wide net over this important event and Kathleen Blanco: "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." By afternoon, officials issue a citywide call for more boats to help. It regained strength as its path turned northwest. 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. And at that time I took some liberties I probably shouldn't take. At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. The city's buses have been positioned around the city in locations that have never been flooded. '", Mayor Ray Nagin To get medical teams and search teams out the door and get 'em down there. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. And he said: 'Mr. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries . Mayor, we had a good meeting. Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. Do You Have News to Share? 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. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. With a death toll of more than 1,800, Katrina was the third-deadliest hurricane in US history after Galveston in 1900 (which killed 8,000 to . Looting breaks out in parts of the city. 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. "Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. Nobody cared.". One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. 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. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual . Oh, absolutely not. 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.". A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. 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.". Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. We all did. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. 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. The National Weather Service writes that Hurricane Katrina is "one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States." Hurricane Katrina caused up to $161 billion worth of damage, largely due to the fact that the breached levees led to flooding in 80% of New Orleans. 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. I laid that out for him. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links 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. 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. "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. 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. More than a million people were displaced in the days leading up to and following . August 28, 2015, 2:21 PM. Where is food? The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". We were moving school buses in. by JOHN DORN. The Times-Picayune reports that 4,600 active duty troops under the command of Gen. Russel Honor arrive in New Orleans. Ms. Blanco, she left and walked out. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . 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. 11.1.2005. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Chef Al Brown's nationwide dinner party to raise funds for Cyclone Gabrielle relief, Dubai, Hamilton and a hurricane named Hazel, VIPCs Public Safety Innovation Center hosts technology exhibit at Virginia Fire and Rescue Conference in Virginia Beach, REVEALED: Huge sonic boom felt by thousands across the country was caused by RAF Typhoon jets scrambling to intercept plane when pilot stopped responding 1.9k shares, Vanuatu Left Strewn With Debris After Tropical Cyclone Kevin, Cyclone Kevin leaves trail of destruction in Vanuatu, Even more homes at risk of hurricane damage: Report, Hurricane Katrina New Orleans French Quarter. 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. "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. 7:577-Minute Listen. Copyright All rights reserved. They lost power. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. Recalling her attack, she sobs, "They just left us to die. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. "We did meet with [Mayor Nagin] Tuesday morning. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . We'll put a couple of medical teams on standby. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. In all honesty, we begin looting. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New . 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. 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'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets.. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. There is a documentary about . Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days TV-PG. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. 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. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. And we need to get these people out of the Superdome because it's a shelter of last resort, and they only have a limited amount of resources.". And it was a very good meeting, I thought. 11:09. And I think thats whats going to help us rebuild the mosttalking about what happened and how we can move onand why documentaries like Trouble the Water are still so relevant. "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. We'd sent them all the information they needed. Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. Blanco is there. 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. Remembers Covering Katrina Preserving History After Hurricane Katrina Katrina's Affect on Charter schools quiz: 10 Questions on Katrina. 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 for five days in the midst of the storm, about 20,000 of these . After being damaged by. And then finally I just stopped and said: 'Excuse me, but time is of the essence. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. 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. First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. Their communications center was useless. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. With camera lenses and lights abounding, the . They didn't have ammunition. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. Your email address will not be published. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. 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. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies . If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. The storm has ripped a hole in the Superdome where the power has gone out.

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