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. FEMA National Situation Update: Nobody cared.". Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. They cast a wide net over this important event and We'd sent them all the information they needed. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? 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. "As I have said, I think that one of the biggest mistakes that I made as the FEMA director during Katrina was not immediately turning to the military and saying: 'We have been overwhelmed. 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. "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks perhaps longer. The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Glover, you dont know me, but Im Phyllis, and I was in another Katrina documentary and I have to see this film! He grabbed onto me and I wouldnt let go until I got a seat insidethats the way I am. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. He estimates 5,000 to 10,000 people are still in the city, with many of them still waiting to be rescued. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. 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. 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. 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. Buckles' intimate connection to the people he interviews many of them family members, friends, and former . FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Now, other than media reports, I don't know what's happening at the other end. Nicola Mann and Victoria Pass. FEMA Situation Update: Every little thing helps. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. FEMA Situation Update: I wasnt poor before Katrina, and Im certainly not poor afterward, but Trouble the Water pisses me off all over again, in a good way. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warning: 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. Later, his charred remains were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River, inside a car that had apparently been set on fire. And then finally I just stopped and said: 'Excuse me, but time is of the essence. And it is injurious to the president. Concerned over unreported and underreported rapes, her organization, together with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center -- which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- created a national database to track sexual assaults that happened after Katrina. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. "We'd heard the story of a man killing himself, falling . Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: 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. 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. There are still gangs of armed criminals roaming the city; police and National Guard, now numbered at 16,000, have a better handle on the situation than earlier in the week. HBO. "We're all looking at each other like, 'Why aren't we getting orders to move on this? 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. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the garage, up the stairs and to the helipad. Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News/epa/Corbis. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New . 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. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. U.S. Cities and States Are Suing Big Oil Over Climate Change. 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. ', And we left and had a press conference. So I can assume what the criminals were thinking, and that's exactly what happened.". I went to the Adjutant General [Landreneau] and I went to Gov. "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. Hurricane Katrina becomes Category 2 by 11 am, with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. At landfall, Katrina's maximum winds were about 125 miles per hour (mph) to the east of its center. After Katrina, the spectacle of a Black refugee population in the Superdome, along with the short-lived plan from Mayor Nagin's committee to wipe out some Black neighborhoods, revived these . The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. 7:577-Minute Listen. Civil order had completely broken down. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. I gave people clues on how to pack. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links There's no question.". Some 11,000 National Guardsmen are now on duty in Louisiana and increased security begins to have an effect on lawlessness in New Orleans, although some violence continues. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. 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. "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. 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . 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. Why haven't the bosses decided to move the people out?' The city floods further. During Hurricane Katrina, then known as the Louisiana Superdome, the arena was used as . And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. FEMA National Situation Update: As of Nov. 22, 2005, more than 900 people are known to have died in New Orleans. "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. And he said: 'Mr. He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. "Some bad things happened, you know. 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. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. First categorized as a tropical storm, Katrina hit New Orleans, flattening buildings, breaking levees, and flooding the city with terrifying 125 mph winds. 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.". And that is unacceptable. The Times-Picayune reports that the breaches in the 17th Street and Florida Avenue Canals have been repaired and power is restored to the Warehouse and Central Business Districts. "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.". Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. ", President Bush arrives in Louisiana. On that first night after the storm, the city had lost power, and she was sleeping in a dark hallway, trying to catch a breeze. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. And then they'd gone around the room, and everybody's talking to the president and giving their opinions. Get as many people out as possible. In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. 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. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. I've expressed many times that we're willing to investigate any sexual assaults that happened in this city at any time. 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. Widespread looting continues. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. By the end of the day, there are 30,000 people at the Superdome. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. And he had flown in a helicopter. Blanco is there. FEMA Situation Update: Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . "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. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. 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. 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. The outer ends of the hurricane also produced tornados . But I am happy to help, even if it takes me an extra two hours at the grocery store. With all due respect, Mr. President, if you and the governor don't get on the same page, this event is going to continue to spiral down, and it's going to be a black eye on everybody -- federal, state and local.' They lost 15 high-water trucks with mobile communications packages. 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. 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. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. 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. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He escaped the ch. Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. so you had a very dynamic situation.". FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. 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. 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. And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. These defenses held for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, in August 2021. "I was told that they could mobilize immediately 2,500 National Guards members. 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.
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