hurricane katrina: superdome documentary

Law-enforcement authorities dismissed early reports of widespread rapes in New Orleans during the lawless days following Hurricane Katrina. "[I] got to the president. Here's a [powerful] hurricane. Theres a river of water moving into this area.'. '", Michael Brown, FEMA director: 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. 'Nobody asked if we were okay': The lost children of Hurricane Katrina And he said: 'Mr. Hurricane Katrina: 10 Facts About the Deadly Storm and Its Legacy There are still areas that look like Katrina hit yesterday. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. August 28, 2005. Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. By Chris Edwards. And I knew it wasn't true, because 8:00 or 10:00 that morning, I received a report from one of my staffers that either a levee had been topped or had actually broken. The Times-Picayune reports that an estimated 112,000 people do not own cars. And in my opinion, it was this whole 'who has ultimate authority' and whether the federal government is going to come in and impinge upon the state's authority. Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. 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. Just last week, a federal court ordered a new trial for five officers convicted of the Danziger Bridge shootings. 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." "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity". Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. To get food out. 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. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina Flew into the city. Messed Up Things That Happened During Hurricane Katrina - Grunge.com There's no question.". 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. Rescuers drop them off wherever there is high ground; many are dropped at interstate overpasses and the Superdome. 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 . FEMA Situation Update: 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. . " Do You Have News to Share? The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. 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.". 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. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. Katrina, 10 Years Later: Three Documentaries to Watch These three documentaries and nearly 190 more are all streaming online at pbs.org/frontline. "They didn't have no food. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina facts and information - Environment 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 talked about it. Producer Martin Smith: So we're just eating sandwiches and making nice while people are stranded on rooftops? Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. They cast a wide net over this important event and She describes . Even $20, if thats all you can afford in the recession, that helps. Judy Benitez, of the Louisiana rape crisis group, says the non-report rate would be far higher given the nightmare of Katrina. 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. 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. "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. The groups went in shifts, sneaking down over to the. ". 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. But we need something really big, like a hospital, that shows where the $25 billion in recovery money is going. Floodwaters keep rising. Judy Benitez is executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers. She says as she watched New Orleans descend into chaos after Katrina, she knew what would happen. 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 . Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. 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. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. 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. 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.". FEMA National Situation Update: Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. And he basically asked me, 'Mr. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. Hurricane Katrina Horror Stories Hurricane Katrina - Aftermath and flood-protection system People continue to head towards the Superdome, which is now surrounded by water. 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 that is unacceptable. Sept. 27, 2005, 12:58 PM PDT / Source: The Associated Press. 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. Anastasia is a petite, 25-year-old hairdresser who asked that her last name be omitted. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. "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 and the Superdome Post-Katrina | Nealon Discussion Blog I aint about to leave, Gettridge said. Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. 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. Hurricane Katrina Superdome Photos and Premium High Res Pictures 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. Michael Brown, FEMA director: Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana: Gov. to support FEMA disaster relief efforts, but it will be two days before the troops arrive in the city. 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 . 'Rebirth in New Orleans' reflects on . He didn't care where the help came from, he just wanted it to be there. About 16,000 people . 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. Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. "All I could do was pray, pray for rescue, pray that I didn't have any type of transmitted disease," she says. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. 'Katrina Babies' Review: HBO Doc Is a Moving Study of Ongoing Trauma ESPN's Marc J. Spears To Give Langston University Commencement One woman told me she was going to commit suicide after Katrina, and that she saw Spike Lees documentary, and I saved her life. 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. The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. 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. He didn't even know what efforts had been made on his behalf because he had no lines of communications open to him. Your email address will not be published. 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. 11.1.2005. And the guard unitspent most of the next 24 hours saving itself. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. FEMA Situation Update: Hurricane Katrina | Deaths, Damage, & Facts | Britannica 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 Katrina Horror Story You Haven't Heard I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. Nature Documentary hosted by Helen Baxandale, published by Channel 4 in 2010 - English narration Cover Information . In the six weeks since the Web site has been up, with almost no publicity, it has received 42 reports of sexual assaults. Hurricane Katrina Superdome. And the president comes, and we have this meeting. But I am happy to help, even if it takes me an extra two hours at the grocery store. Under the best of circumstances, rape is one of the hardest crimes to solve. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. I gave the governor two options. 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. Oh, absolutely not. She is at work on her next memoir, No More Wire Hangers, about domestic abuse in teenage relationships. 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. Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. Visit us at HISTORY.com for more info. But we were working frantically to get it out. The Ghosts of the New Orleans Superdome | GQ FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Katrina first made landfall in South Florida. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Surviving the Superdome - JEMS Met in the little office at the Super Dome where the heliport is. Issues of race, class, government response and . Hundreds of people already have been rescued. Mayor Mitch Landrieu last week hailedNew Orleans as Americas comeback city,citing efforts to reduce crime, decrease homelessness and improve educational outcomes for area students. 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. "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. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. ", Michael Brown, FEMA director: A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. In his speech, he calls on all federal, state and local agencies to review their performance. "There was a period of days when we weren't sure who was directing the federal response and were all the actions being taken. We'd sent them all the information they needed. Commander Dave Lipin says they saw two women who said they'd been raped -- different women than those the police attended to. A hurricane warning is issued for the Southeast Florida coast. And it is injurious to the president. Ross Judice, Acadian Ambulance - The-Katrina-Diaries | PDF | Hurricane We all did. 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. Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana Superdome And then finally I just stopped and said: 'Excuse me, but time is of the essence. 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 went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. 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. '", Mayor Ray Nagin In the first few hours after Katrina hit, many people believed that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. And it was a very good meeting, I thought. Here's all these thousands of people that don't have any way to get out of the city. Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. 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. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is a landmark in the city of New Orleans. In downtown New Orleans, some streets were merely wet rather than swamped. Gov. And he said: 'No, you don't have to leave. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' President Bush declares Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Years after Hurricane Katrina, a new documentary asks: What happened to Kathleen Blanco. Persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck. will never be the same. And Michael Brown was there listening. 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. "All I know is on Wednesday night I was convinced that there were no FEMA buses. Theme Foto Blog by, Hundreds Evacuated as Vanuatu Braces for Second Cyclone in 2 Days. Recalling her attack, she sobs, "They just left us to die. She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. 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. Blanco says, "Mr. President, thank you thank you, thank you. During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. The 42 reports include assaults that happened inside New Orleans and outside the city, for instance, in host homes. The only person I saw from FEMA was basically this guy named Marty [Bahamonde].