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. 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. My sense now is there are victims out there whose stories haven't been heard.". Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . 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. And then finally I just stopped and said: 'Excuse me, but time is of the essence. A timeline of the warnings, some of the decisions leading up to the disaster, and what went wrong with the government's response. (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. There's this lunch. I said, 'All of us are going to leave right now, and they're going to work this out right now. 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. 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. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: And I said [to the president], 'Look, we talked about that option, and then we also talked about another option, that we would federalize, and the governor said she needed time to think about it. Hurricane Katrina made landfall off the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005. 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. I gave the governor two options. After suffering heavy damage during Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome was re-opened on September 25, 2006 for the Saints' Monday night game against the Falcons. If we arent talking about what we still need, how can we be sure people wont forget? As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, explore three different FRONTLINE documentaries about the disaster, its lingering aftermath and the lessons learned. August 29, 2005. Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. "[On Air Force One] we gave the president a briefing on everything that had gone on. [2] Approximately 10,000 residents, along with about 150 National Guardsmen, sheltered in the Superdome anticipating Katrina's landfall. A New Orleans house submerged in floodwaters. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. "They didn't have no food. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. During Hurricane Katrina, then known as the Louisiana Superdome, the arena was used as . "I admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. But by late morning, when FEMA director Michael Brown arrives in Baton Rouge, water is already coming over levees in the 9th Ward and there are reports of breaks in the Industrial Canal and 17th Street Canal levees. Gov. Your email address will not be published. FRONTLINE home+WGBH+PBS, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. Winds continue to damage or destroy buildings and blow out windows. He escaped the chaotic shelter a few days . We knew what had to be done. New Orleans's flood-protection system was improved by increasing in the heights of earthen berms and upgrading floodwalls and floodgates. 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. I gave people clues on how to pack. Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. We knew we were gonna have to shelter people. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. Anastasia says thugs were still wandering the streets of her neighborhood more than a week after the flood. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. I don't know why. We have got to start getting people out.' The networks all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. 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. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. Michael Brown, FEMA director: By the end of the day, it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina, with 50 mph maximum sustained winds. 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. 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. special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links Team members said they delivered babies, treated gunshot and stab victims, and ultimately fled for their own safety. Kathleen Blanco: (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) "And so now I think it's swung the other direction and it's underreported. Virtually all communication systems are out. To get medical teams and search teams out the door and get 'em down there. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. "I think that that was probably over-reported," he says. Michael Brown, FEMA director: More than a million people were displaced in the days leading up to and following . Left to right: Mayor Ray Nagin, President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown, Gov. The Convention Center becomes a destination for walk-in refugees seeking evacuation. And that is unacceptable. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. We could either go with your suggestion' -- which, my suggestion was, if you don't give me the final authority give it to Gen. [Russel] Honor. 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. 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. The two of us are going to leave. More than 1,800 people died in what was the costliest . Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. Why would we think there was less rape typical of any given week in the city? "I realized how serious things were on Sunday. "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". Because of the ensuing . Floodwaters keep rising. 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. Her husband [Raymond Blanco] is there. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. 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. The Times-Picayune reports that 4,600 active duty troops under the command of Gen. Russel Honor arrive in New Orleans. These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. 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. We'd sent them all the information they needed. The California Disaster Medical Assistance Team spent 24 hellish hours inside the Superdome. Here in New Orleans East, we desperately need a hospital. '", Mayor Ray Nagin FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. 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. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. And he passes, literally, hundreds of school buses lined up to come and get these folks. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. 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. 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. "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.". At 7 am Katrina is a Category 5 with 160 mph maximum sustained winds. Very shortly, he said, Cars are beginning to float out of the parking lot. 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. Patrice Taddonio. "[Michael] Brown I did not see the first couple of days. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens. 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. [Secretary of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff is there. You have responded to my calls." The vast majority of them were elderly. ', And we left and had a press conference. It regained strength as its path turned northwest. 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. 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. The National Guards didn't want to hear it.". Gallery. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. 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. Producer Martin Smith: So we're just eating sandwiches and making nice while people are stranded on rooftops? We have so much intelligence down here in New Orleans, and yet, even four years after the hurricane, we cant rely on the school system. National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." 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. 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. 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. It doesn't make any sense.". HBO. In the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. And I said [to the president], "Here's my piece of paper. Reports put the population there in the tens of thousands. They were making suggestions about we need to do this and that. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warning: 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. 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 made a report to a local sheriff's office; it has not yet passed the report on to the New Orleans police. 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 final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. 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 . Heres What the Claims Say and Where They Stand. 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. 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. The Army Corps of Engineers renews work to fix the breach in the 17th St. Canal. In September 2006, the New Orleans Saints marched into the Superdome for their first game since Hurricane Katrina, providing the spark for a revival. HBO. By Chris Edwards. ". "We're not downsizing anything," Benelli says. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? But I am happy to help, even if it takes me an extra two hours at the grocery store. Around 6 a.m., Category 4 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast with 145 mph maximum sustained winds. She insists other women were raped in the same apartment building over the next four nights, but her claim could not be checked out. 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. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its historic landfall on the Gulf Coast, hitting a number of cities along the Louisiana-Mississippi border, with the eye . "I didn't see any police officers -- I could have gotten away with murder," she says. Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. Mayor, what do you need?' 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. And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. 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. 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. Around 8 a.m. the storm's eye passes eastern New Orleans. "I know more sexual assaults took place. We need you to take over logistics, distribution of commodities, etc. President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. 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. Exacerbated by the recent BP oil spill in the region, the storm and its aftermath remains an open wound for local residents and others affected . August 28, 2005. But we were working frantically to get it out. There is a documentary about . home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days A shaft of light falls throught an opening in the fully evacuated Superdome on Sept. 5, 2005 in New Orleans, La. "With the evacuee situation stabilizing somewhat, and increasing numbers of armed soldiers and police on the streets, officials said Saturday they would start aggressively dealing with the bands of armed looters who pushed the city to the brink of complete breakdown. 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. 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. Photo. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. Some parishes order mandatory evacuations. Get It Published. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Sept. 15, 2005, 7:50 AM PDT. I probably should have asked sooner. And nothing happened. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. The price tag has not yet been determined. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans: hurricane katrina anniversary: 40 powerful photos of New Orleans after the storm. By the evening of August 25, when it made . I think the American Red Cross already had shelters and was already feeding people. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Hurricane Katrina Superdome. I've heard some terrible stories since that the stuff wasn't getting there. 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. And I wanted to cut to the chase because I knew what the real issue was. The city floods further. 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. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. ", 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. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. 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. "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ". 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. 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. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. "Some bad things happened, you know. The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. Marty Bahamonde/FEMA. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. 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 Lipin says when he arrived in Baton Rouge and turned on the TV, he was surprised by reports of rampant violence in New Orleans. Gov. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. "[I] got to the president. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. And they both shook their heads and said, 'Yes, you're right.' "It was that terrible. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde]. One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. 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 . 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. ', So they went into another section of the plane, had a meeting. A hurricane warning is issued for the Southeast Florida coast. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. But they're designed for short hauls.". , "Law and order all but broke down in New Orleans over the past few days. The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. In the 2005 documentary "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams indicated that he wasn't a witness to the suicide. / 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. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: To get food out. I'm just not going to go on, on public television and bash in the middle of a disaster what I think people should or should not be doing. A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . so you had a very dynamic situation.". FEMA Situation Update: The film a raw and gripping investigation of the Katrina response, its tragic consequences and its political ramifications includes candid interviews with key Katrina decision-makers, including the first televised interview with former FEMA Director Michael Brown since his resignation two weeks after Katrina hit. It was there, she says, that an unknown man with a handgun sexually assaulted her. Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. On Sept. 1, with desperate Hurricane Katrina evacuees crammed into the convention center, Police Chief Eddie Compass reported: "We . . " web site copyright 1995-2014 Two national crime-victims' groups have reported a spike in the number of reported rapes that happened to storm evacuees. 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. FEMA Situation Update: The storm flooded New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 people, and caused . 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. ". All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. But prosecutors have struggled to hold officers accountable. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. They cast a wide net over this important event and

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