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With no relief in sight and in the absence of any organized effort to restore order, some neighbourhoods experienced substantial amounts of looting, and helicopters were used to rescue many people from rooftops in the flooded Ninth Ward. [29] However, the eventual cost to renovate and repair the dome was roughly $185 million and it was reopened for the Saints' first home game in the city in September 2006. The Bayou Classic was moved from the Superdome to Reliant Stadium in Houston. A man had been caught sexually assaulting a young girl. Some 25,000 crowded into the convention center, while more than 25,000 filled the Superdome. But the day before the hurricane hit, with the roads jammed with the vehicles of a million fleeing residents, the city of New Orleans decided to house people in the Superdome temporarily. Hurricane Katrina itself was a natural phenomenon, but most of the flooding in and around New Orleans was the result of the poor construction and design of the city's flood-protection system by. And I expect they will.". Cooper housing project. Thousands of displaced residents take cover from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome in New . There was water pouring in every crevice, Thornton said. Hurricane Katrina, the tropical cyclone that struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, was the third-strongest hurricane to hit the United States in its history at the time. These are some messed up things that happened during Hurricane Katrina. Upon making landfall, it had 120-140 mph winds and stretched 400 miles across the coast. Winds of 125 mph and storm surges of 28 feet devastated much of Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi. The total damage from Katrina is estimated to be $125 billion (or $190 billion in 2022 dollars), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, the storm killed a total of 1,833 people and left millions homeless in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He went to his 6 a.m. status meeting with the National Guard and SMG staff, and twenty minutes in the lights flickered off, then back on. There was a plan. The massive hurricane exposed major issues with the citys infrastructure, left thousands upon thousands of people without any place to stay, destroying their homes and leaving their neighborhoods in ruins. Tempers began to flare as hunger and thirst deepened. Hurricane Katrina made its second and third landfalls in the Gulf Coast region on Monday, August 29, 2005, as a Category 3 hurricane. The buildings air conditioning system would no longer run, nor would the refrigeration system keeping massive amounts of food from spoiling. The National Weather Service was revising its forecast again. At one point, a desperate man, who had all the belongings he had brought to the Superdome stolen, tried to escape and had to be calmed by National Guardsmen. The water was still rising. In addition to two unarmed civilians killed at Danziger Bridge, at least ten other people were shot by police in the first week after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. While Mouton and Thornton worked to find space for them to operate, two massive, 18-wheeler refrigerated trucks pulled into the loading dock, not far from the door where new arrivals entered the building. Hurricane Katrina had intruded on the last safe place. The Black population of New Orleans has also fallen, since out of the 175,000 Black residents who left New Orleans, over 75,000 never returned. The generator kept burning. If we let everybody go into the parking garage then were going to lose control of the situation and it could be worse. The men hooked up the line, fuel started flowing. NOLA.com reports that FEMA also "turned away offers of personnel and supplies from the Department of Interior and denied a request from the state Wildlife & Fisheries agency for 300 rubber boats.". Gunfire has ricocheted down the corridors. It also had burned through half of the fuel in the 1,000-gallon tank. During the recovery stage, the process wasn't much better. New homes stand along the rebuilt Industrial Canal levee on May 16, 2015. Thornton and Mouton went to work, spending a hour writing up a two-page, handwritten list of everything they needed. The skies darkened, and the wind started to pick up. [1] SMG opened up the club rooms in the arena, and the citys health department would send staff to take care of the patients. Soon after they arrived, officialsenacted contraflow, shutting down all roads leading in and opening up every lane out of the city. We took him to the terrace and said, Look. , As he saw the floodwaters rising around the stadium, the man broke down. During the first ten years after the storm, FEMA provided more than $15 billion to the Gulf states for public works projects, including the repair and rebuilding of roads, schools and buildings. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. This was it. Many people living in the South Florida area were unaware when Katrina strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane in one day and struck southern Florida on August 25, 2005, near the Miami-Dade - Broward county line. In the United States, Louisiana has the "highest rate of beds per 1,000 persons ages 85 or more," but over half of the nursing homes in New Orleans decided against early evacuation. The New Orleans Saints played four of their scheduled home games at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, three at the Alamodome in San Antonio, and one at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. If water engulfed the generator, the building would be cast into complete darkness. Katrina caused over 1,800 deaths and $100 billion in . That night SMG sent a private helicopter to evacuate the staff and their families. As a result, the rumors of lawlessness in New Orleans actually made things much worse for stranded survivors. On June 4, 2006, Pamela Mahogany was interviewed for her personal experience involving the events following Hurricane Katrina. [33][40] It was confirmed that no one was murdered in the Superdome. Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. Although they were meant to be used for 18 months, they were still in use up to six years after the hurricane. Across 13 nursing homes and six hospitals that were investigated in Louisiana, at least 140 patients died as a result of Hurricane Katrina. According to CBS News, it took until March 2006 to find all of them: "All but 12 were found alive. Daylight could be seen from inside the dome, and rain was pouring in. [1], Hurricane Katrina was the third time the dome had been used as a public shelter. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf . And although President Bush said on September 1, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," days before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the White House was informed that the levees were likely to overtop and breach. On top of that, since most of the department's staff was sent to assist at state shelters, there was even a challenge of tracking down "missing workers.". That would be sorted out soon, Thornton thought, or maybe never at all. 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. 99% of the 1.2 million personal property claims, The National Flood Insurance Program paid out $16 billion in claims, The majority of all federal aid, approximately $75 billion of $120.5 billion. A few hours later, at 9:00 AM EDT, reports from inside the dome were that part of the roof was "peeling off" in the violent winds. On the morning of August 29, 2005, Katrina made landfall around 60 miles southeast of New Orleans. Governor Blanco's comment regarding M-16s was likely in response to the reports of snipers shooting at police and rescue workers. Although New Orleans levees and flood walls had been designed to withstand a category 3 hurricane, half of the network gave way to the waters. Later that day, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco ordered New Orleans to be completely evacuated. Temperatures had reached the upper 80s, and the punctured dome at once allowed humidity in and trapped it there. estimated population had increased to 376,971. As Katrina moved inland over Mississippi, it weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and later to a tropical storm. [41], After the events surrounding Katrina, the Superdome was not used during the 2005 NFL season. A storm surge more than 26 feet (8 metres) high slammed into the coastal cities of Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, devastating homes and resorts along the beachfront. 2023 Cable News Network. Corrections? 23 Most of these pieces show the Superdome's population rising by at least 10,000, swelling to as many 25,000. It was a good option, but one never used. It was previously used in 1998 during Hurricane Georges and again in 2004 during Hurricane Ivan, on both occasions for less than two days at most. [43], On October 21, 2005, owner Tom Benson issued a statement saying that he had not made any decision about the future of the Saints. A Warner Bros. [12], By August 30, with no air conditioning, temperatures inside the dome had reached the 90s, and the punctured dome at once allowed humidity in and trapped it there. Water spills over a levee along the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on August 30, 2005, in New Orleans. When they got back to the Dome, they arrived to chaos. Bloodstains smeared the walls near vending machines that had been pried open. Sustained winds of 70 miles (115 km) per hour lashed the Florida peninsula, and rainfall totals of 5 inches (13 cm) were reported in some areas. Thats been the history. People seek high ground on Interstate 90 as a helicopter prepares to land at the Superdome in New Orleans on August 31, 2005. Cooper held about 1,000 families and was the city's largest housing project. WATCH:I Was There: Hurricane Katrina Superdome Survivor. However, there weren't enough trucks for the patients, so they had to stay in the dome. This also disproportionately affected people of color. And as the media portrayed New Orleans as a lawless place filled with violence with overblown and unverified reports, police and rescue efforts were redirected against the imaginary violence. What was the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans public education system? WATCH: Cities of the Underworld: Hurricane Katrina on HISTORY Vault. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. It is 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The majority of all federal aid, approximately $75 billion of $120.5 billion, funded emergency relief operations. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed more than 1,800 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Thornton and Mouton climbed into a Humvee and drove toward the New Orleans Convention Center, dodging debris and navigating through a little standing water down Poydras Street. Three people died in the Superdome; one apparently jumped off a 50-foot high walkway. The backup generator for the lights was barely able to be kept afloat, and after the water supply gave out, the toilets "became inoperable and began to overflow." A FEMA medical team at the Superdome on August 31, 2005. Another 20,000 people gathered at the Convention Center for assistance, an evacuation site the federal government was unaware of until three days after the storm. Although there was a "maintenance regime" theoretically in place for the levees, the Senate committee found that it was "in no way commensurate with the risk posed to these persons and their property." On Wednesday morning, Mouton and Thornton checked the water first thing. In fact, the first hurricane-related deaths occurred the day before Katrina struck when three residents died whilst being evacuated to Baton Rouge. Many wonder if New Orleans can handle another Katrina. The water pumps had failed, and without water pumps to the elevated building, they couldnt maintain water pressure. The moonlight was shining on the water., She paused. I wake up in the morning, and the first thing I say is: Where are my babies? On May 12, 2015, rubble remains at what used to be the B.W. Is everyone here? . Unfortunately, it was made significantly worse than it had to be. He said he just wanted to get out, to go somewhere. With the failure of the air conditioning, temperatures inside the Superdome reached the high 90s, with heavy humidity. Thorntons staff opened up the concourses, allowing people to walk around the arena, stretch their legs, find neighbors and friends who were there as well. It's not a hotel," said the emergency preparedness director for St. Tammany Parish to the Times-Picayune in 1999. Residents of Saucier, Mississippi, line up to get gas on August 31, 2005. At their peak, hurricane relief shelters housed 273,000 people. At one point, the storm became a Category 5, but weakened before striking land. They got it to the city and waited for their supplies. Theyd evacuate the group in shifts later that night, they decided, taking them west to a helipad at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, outside Baton Rouge. At noon, they opened the doors and thousands of New Orleanians started shuffling in, carrying ice chests, kids toys, clothes, and whatever belongings they could carry. Please check your email for a confirmation. You have to fend people off constantly. . by Laura Butterbaugh Thanks to the Internet, the images of the victims of Hurricane Katrina were as vivid as they were shocking: A hysterical woman pleading to TV cameras that women and girls were being raped in the Superdome. Thornton, pacing inside, turned to one of the mechanics. By the following afternoon Katrina had become one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, with winds in excess of 170 miles (275 km) per hour. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. Reports of other rapes were widespread. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana. The job was far from over; it took two days to get everyone out and onto buses. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. Some of those who left later returned, and by 2020 the population reached just over 390,000, or about 80 percent of its pre-Katrina population. Unfortunately, due to the sensationalist stories regarding the Superdome, the rumors were used to justify "turn[ing] New Orleans into a prison city," according to The Guardian. Between 20,000 and 30,000 people in New Orleans were evacuated to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Because of this shortsightedness, Hurricane Katrina was "the nation's first $200 billion disaster.". Itll be harder to manage them. Thornton and Mouton just needed to find a way to keep things under control for 20 hours before it could be enacted. No lights. At St. Rita's Nursing Home, residents were reportedly abandoned by the staff, and 35 people drowned as a result. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city the previous day, and an estimated 1.2 million people left ahead of the storm. Supplies were dangerously low, with one mother saying officials told her to reuse diapers by scraping them out when they got dirty. Food rotted inside the hundreds of unpowered refrigerators and freezers spread throughout the building. The low-income development has been replaced by two-story, townhouse-style buildings. Even though the dome never lost power, air conditioning, and running water during any of those storms, Superdome manager Doug Thornton recommended after Hurricane Georges for the dome to not be used as a shelter for anybody but special-needs evacuees. Many local agencies found themselves unable to respond to the increasingly desperate situation, as their own headquarters and control centres were under 20 feet (6 metres) of water. They drove four hours from Bossier City where Doug, an executive with SMG, managed a facility back to New Orleans, a lone car on the inbound side of the highway as thousands upon thousands of cars sat in traffic on the outbound lanes. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina stranded thousands of New Orleans residents. She came up with the list, talked to the dozens of people there, her husbands employees, people she knew a little bit before the storm and now knew like family. What were Hurricane Katrinas wind speeds? "Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Superdome." . Thornton, whod been cooped up in the Superdome for going on five days, looked down on her city, at the soft waves lapping against the houses in the moonlight. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Police watch over prisoners from Orleans Parish Prison who were evacuated to a highway on September 1, 2005. [4] However, when looking into the origins of the claims about 200mph (320km/h) wind security in the Superdome, CNN reported that no engineering study had ever been completed on the amount of wind the structure could withstand. Mouton suggested checking the water level every thirty minutes. Though downgraded to a category 3, the storms relatively slow forward movement (around 12 mph) covered the region with far more rain than a fast-moving storm would have. There was stillno word on when, exactly, the buses would arrive. The air smelled toxic. In an analysis of 971 fatalities in Louisiana and 15 additional deaths of storm evacuees, 40% of deaths were caused by drowning. Ive been through a lot of hurricanes. In all, 1,833 people would lose their lives. In New Orleans, the evacuation plan reportedly "fell apart even before the storm hit." Michael Appleton/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images. The Louisiana Superdome was used as a "shelter of last resort" for those in New Orleans unable to evacuate from the city when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. People had broken up into factions by race, separating into small groups throughout the building that the National Guard struggled to control. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005 as a Category 3 storm. 70% of New Orleans occupied housing, 134,000 units, were damaged in the storm. If it rose, theyd evacuate. And,. At its height as a category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, Katrinas wind speeds exceeded 170 miles per hour. [44] The San Antonio Express-News reported that sources close to the Saints' organization said that Benson planned to void his lease agreement with New Orleans by declaring the Superdome unusable. When Hurricane Katrina first made landfall in Florida between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, it was a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. After a traffic jam kept buses from arriving at the Superdome for nearly four hours, a near-riot broke out in the scramble to get on the buses that finally did show up. These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. Preparations by location South Florida. Deaths in the Superdome. And then thenext morning, more bad news: The buses had been rerouted and delayed, sent to a highway overpass where people were stranded. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/refuge-of-last-resort-five-days-inside-the-superdome-for-hurricane-katrina, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 25% were caused by injury and trauma and 11% were caused by heart conditions. A violent, free-for-all riot seemed sure to break out with the next bit of bad news. And although hurricanes are usually only 300 miles wide at most, Hurricane Katrina's winds stretched out over 400 miles, with wind speeds well in excess of 100 mph. According to NBC News, the average age of victims was 69, and "just under half of all victims were 75 or older." knock out power for about 1 million and cause $630 million of damage, Cities of the Underworld: Hurricane Katrina, about 100,000 people were trapped in the city when the storm hit, fourth highest of any hurricane in U.S. history, according to a report published in 2008 by the American Medical Association. NPR reports that before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, "Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown and other top Homeland Security officials received emails on their blackberries warning that Katrina posed a dire threat." Light was fading fast. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Out of the at least 1,800 deaths caused by Hurricane Katrina, nearly half were elderly people. Hanging from her roof, a woman waits to be rescued by New Orleans Fire Department workers on August 29, 2005. The facility housed 15,000 refugees who fled the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Then the male employees, and, finally, the men who worked security would be the last to leave. [48] Overall, the team used six different stadiums for their six home games, including Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Cajun Field in Lafayette, Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Malone Stadium in Monroe, and LaddPeebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The 2005 New Orleans Bowl between the University of Southern Mississippi and Arkansas State University was moved from the Superdome to Cajun Field in Lafayette. 24 With scant food and water sources, . No one knew what would happen. In 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was responsible for the design of the levee system in New Orleans, acknowledged that outdated and faulty engineering practices used to build the levees led to most of the flooding that occurred due to Katrina. Terry Ebbert, head of the citys emergency operations, warned that the slow evacuation at the Superdome had become an incredibly explosive situation, and he bitterly complained that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was not offering enough help. This is 40 or 50 feet up in the air. He made two requests: Hed need a large contingent of National Guardsmen, and a few hours Sunday morning to prepare. In 2004, the federal government sponsored a "planning exercise" involving local, state, and federal officials that resembled the eventual impact of Hurricane Katrina. But inside the Superdome, things were deteriorating rapidly. Omissions? Plus theyll be out in the heat.. Then, one of the mechanicshad an idea: Bypass the tank altogether. . Before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, there were roughly 2,000 foster children registered in the state. Updates? One of the worst disasters in U.S. history, Katrina caused an estimated $161 billion in damage. After levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans failed, much of the city was underwater. Just looking out I saw glare of the water, she said, choking up. On May 16, 2015, new homes stand in a development, built by the Make It Right Foundation, for residents whose homes were destroyed. In addition, many of the underlying systemic inequalities and problems that resulted in the severity of the disaster still have not been addressed. This story has been shared 120,685 times. The 2005 hurricane and subsequent levee failures led to death and destructionand dealt a lasting blow to leadership and the Gulf region. The Social Science Research Council writes that this disparity occurred because elderly people were neither evacuated nor protected effectively. We wont be able to feed these folks. In New Orleans, where much of the greater metropolitan area is below sea level, federal officials initially believed that the city had dodged the bullet. While New Orleans had been spared a direct hit by the intense winds of the storm, the true threat was soon apparent. It had barely risen at all maybe an inch. In the book, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast author Douglas Brinkley takes you on a journey through the political corruption and under calculation of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina's effects.