The storm was coming. Tulane University postponed its scheduled football game against the University of Southern Mississippi until November 26. 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. Victims of Hurricane Katrina fight through the crowd as they line up for buses to evacuate the Superdome and New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005. 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. Still, about 100,000 people were trapped in the city when the storm hit, and many took last-ditch refuge in the New Orleans Superdome and the Ernest J. Morial Convention Center as the storm approached. [33] False reports of gunshots also disrupted medical evacuations at the dome. Many wonder if New Orleans can handle another Katrina. Authors . Three people died one a distraught man who jumped to his death, saying he had nothing left to live for. Experts don't know exactly how many people lost their lives during Hurricane Katrina, but 1,800 is one of the low estimates, and over 1 million people lost their homes and were displaced. The Associated Press stated there were two substantial holes, "each about 15 to 20 feet (6.1m) long and 4 to 5 feet (1.5m) wide," and that water was making its way in at elevator shafts and other small openings around the building. That afternoon, Mayor Nagin asked to meet with Thornton and Mouton. By 7 p.m. everyone was inside and had been checked. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual. A violent, free-for-all riot seemed sure to break out with the next bit of bad news. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. As of August 31, there had been three deaths in the Superdome: two elderly medical patients who were suffering from existing illness, and a man who committed suicide by jumping from the upper level seats. The 2005 hurricane and subsequent levee failures led to death and destructionand dealt a lasting blow to leadership and the Gulf region. Deaths in the Superdome. Parishioners gather during Sunday services in the rebuilt church on May 10, 2015. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. 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. Hurricane Katrina facts and information - Environment The moonlight was shining on the water., She paused. The men hooked up the line, fuel started flowing. National Geographic writes that the storm hit the coast of Louisiana on August 29 and ended up affecting up to 90,000 square miles of land and over 15 million people. No electricity in New Orleans meant no air conditioning in the dome, filling it with a horrible, muggy heat. That would be sorted out soon, Thornton thought, or maybe never at all. After Hurricane Katrina struck, numerous federal officials, including President George W. Bush, claimed that there was little that could have been done to prevent the disaster. However, tens of thousands of residents could not or would not leave. A neighborhood east of downtown New Orleans remains flooded on August 30, 2005. Her husband would be on the last helicopter. There were no designated medical staff at work in the evacuation center, no established sick bay within the Superdome, and very few cots available that hadn't been brought in by evacuees. Hurricane Katrina was a 2005 storm that affected the southeast coast of the United States. 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. Governor Blanco herself stated, "They have M-16s, and they are locked and loaded. Hurricane Katrina - Facts, Affected Areas & Lives Lost - HISTORY Thornton recruited off-duty NOPD officers to come grab sandbags and carry them from the parking lot, through the loading dock, and back to the generator room from the inside. 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. Following the historical damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina, the name Katrina was retired from the lists of names. When the hurricane made landfall in southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005, its intensity had diminished but was still a major Category 3 storm. They treated us like animals. 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. She had heard a lot, from the National Guard, from her husband, from rumors among the employees. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina Thornton, pacing inside, turned to one of the mechanics. 2023 Cable News Network. They were taken to the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Baton Rouge. On the state and local level, Louisiana Gov. Children slept in pools of urine. [42] Their first "home" game was played on September 19, 2005 against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, which resulted in a 2710 loss. Taking them in through the exterior door would have been quicker, but Thorntoncouldnt risk the flood of water if they opened the back door. Ive been in there seven days, and I havent had a bath. Omissions? They mulled it over. Then the women and the children. - About 25,000 storm evacuees were sheltered at the Louisiana Superdome, a sports arena. 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. 23 Most of these pieces show the Superdome's population rising by at least 10,000, swelling to as many 25,000. One crisis had been averted. https://www.britannica.com/event/Hurricane-Katrina, LiveScience - Hurricane Katrina: Facts, Damage and Aftermath, Hurricane Katrina - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). For now, theyd monitor. And I expect they will.". But subsequent investigations revealed that not only was there prior knowledge that the storm was going to hit but that "long-term warnings went unheeded and government officials neglected their duties to prepare for a forewarned catastrophe," according to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. About850 patients with serious medical conditions some in hospice care would arrive to ride out the storm there; most of them from parts of the city not protected by the levee system. [36] A group of about 100 tourists were "smuggled" out from the Superdome to the New Orleans Arena next door, where 800 medical needs patients were being held. I remember looking out my window and I could see the rain blowing sideways and the trees bent over, Doug said. Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. So that means youre going to have to be here probably another 5 or 6 days., Mr. ", Ultimately, it's unknown exactly what the death toll of Hurricane Katrina was. But that was the only light they could see. The Superdome was, as far as Thornton was concerned, completely destroyed. He made two requests: Hed need a large contingent of National Guardsmen, and a few hours Sunday morning to prepare. But finding the children was only part of the battle. This is 40 or 50 feet up in the air. In addition, according to the journalSocial Science & Medicine, there were also long-term mental health consequences of Hurricane Katrina. [citation needed] Residents who evacuated to the Superdome were warned to bring their own supplies with them. 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. Why did Hurricane Katrina lead to widespread flooding? 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.". [32] National Guard officials put the body count at 6, which was reported by The Seattle Times on September 26. His assailant hit him with a metal rod taken from a cot. As some people tried to get supplies to survive, the media portrayed them as "looters," a term that the LA Times notes is more often applied to Black people than white people. 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. Lets think about that very carefully, he said. 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). Though leaving in the light of day would be easier, it could also cause hysteria from those left behind in the Dome. Thanks for contacting us. You have to fend people off constantly. June 2006 - The Government Accountability Office releases a report that concludes at least $1 billion in disaster relief payments made by FEMA were improper and potentially fraudulent. Many Katrina evacuees made it to Houston, Texas, where they were housed in the Astrodome and other shelters. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It took two days for 1,000 more FEMA officials to arrive, but once they did, FEMA "slowed the evacuation with unworkable paperwork and certification requirements." Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest hurricane to strike the US Gulf Coast since 1928. Thornton and Mouton unleashed days worth of frustration. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin were criticized for not ordering mandatory evacuations sooner. Exaggerating deaths in Hurricane Ian a disservice to public Rumours spread in the press of reports of rapes, violent assaults, murders, drug abuse, and gang activity inside the Superdome, most of which were entirely unsubstantiated and without witnesses. And despite the fact that this was meant to be a temporary shelter, they ended up being stranded in the stadium for a week. Robert Fontaine walks past a burning house fire in New Orleans' Seventh Ward on September 6, 2005. A FEMA employee told Thornton and Mouton they expected to find lots of dead bodies, and had decided to bring them here, right next to the place where those left in the city were fighting to live. As a result, the rumors of lawlessness in New Orleans actually made things much worse for stranded survivors. Winds of 125 mph and storm surges of 28 feet devastated much of Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi. On April 25, 2006, workers in the Lower Ninth Ward rebuild the levee that was breached by Hurricane Katrina along the Industrial Canal. The storm spent less than eight hours over land. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out $16 billion in claims. You have to fight for your life. "Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Superdome." . The streets were still flooded, perhaps even worse than before. It has been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the city ofNew Orleans. Although up to 1.7 million people were evacuated in Louisiana alone, hundreds of thousands of people were stranded during the hurricane. The Evacuation of Older People: The Case of Hurricane Katrina They guarded the office where Thornton and his team huddled, but that was about it. [13][35] The attacker was later jailed. The storm initially formed as a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 23. They found a 50-foot fuel line and screwed it into the reserve tank of the generator, then ran it out to the truck, which was parked in several feet of water outside the exterior door. Because of the ensuing. As a result, according to ESRI, most minority communities ended up living in neighborhoods that were cheaply built and in areas more susceptible to flooding. Later that day, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco ordered New Orleans to be completely evacuated. At least 1,833 died in the hurricane and. Nothing.. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). That night a National Guardsmangot jumped as he walked through a dark, flooded locker room. Huge crowds of seething and tense people jammed the main concourse outside the dome hoping to get on the buses to the Astrodome in Houston, 350 miles away. Many of them boarded without having any idea of where they were headed. Denise Thornton was tasked with deciding the order of evacuation. So they hoofed it. The Katrina survivors who fled devastation only to freeze in Texas 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. In the bathrooms, every toilet had ceased to function. [21] The Astrodome started to fill up, so authorities began to transfer people to the nearby Reliant Arena, Reliant Center, and George R. Brown Convention Center in Downtown Houston in the following days. Mouton then sent two diesel mechanics from the National Guard down to Thornton, and told them to invent a way to refuel the tank without opening the door that led to the outside. Photo. They would later learnwhat had happened: Levees at various locations in and around the city had failed, and the pumping stations, overwhelmed with water and damaged by the storm, werent working. [5] Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau of the Louisiana National Guard, said that the number of people taking shelter in the Superdome rose to around 15,00020,000 as search and rescue teams brought more people from areas hit hard by the flooding.[6]. Duette Sims stands in the heavily damaged Christian Community Baptist Church in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward on August 28, 2007. The National Guard had pulled back from many parts of the building. Trapped in the Superdome: Refuge becomes a hellhole This is a nuthouse, said April Thomas, 42, there with her 11 children. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thornton and Mouton found this odd, but figured the drains in the city had been backed up. And despite the fact that this was meant to be a temporary shelter, they ended up being stranded in the stadium for a week. 25% were caused by injury and trauma and 11% were caused by heart conditions. He starts off the essay with his own personal account of the damage that Hurricane Katrina left. However, this didn't happen because the storm was too strong it happened due to the failures of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And according to Vox, when the Louisiana National Guard asked FEMA for 700 buses to help with the evacuation, only 100 were sent in response. [32] While numerous people told the Times-Picayune that they had witnessed the rape of two girls in the ladies' restroom and the killing of one of them, police and military officials said they knew nothing about the incidents. 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. WATCH:I Was There: Hurricane Katrina Superdome Survivor. By the evening of August 25, when it made landfall north of the Broward-Miami-Dade county line, it had intensified into a category 1 hurricane. Back in 2005, Nagin went on the Today Show and said, "it wouldn't be unreasonable to have 10,000" deaths from Hurricane Katrina. More Stories Emerge of Rapes in Post-Katrina Chaos : NPR He started bawling. According to NBC News, the average age of victims was 69, and "just under half of all victims were 75 or older." This is not normal.. Katrinas death toll is the fourth highest of any hurricane in U.S. history, after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, which killed between 8,000 and 12,000 people; Hurricane Maria, which killed more than 4,600 people in Puerto Rico in 2017; and the Okeechobee Hurricane, which hit Florida in 1928 and killed as many as 3,000. 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. If we had evacuated who knows what wouldve happened Thornton said. Inside the Superdome, things were descending further into hell. But over the Gulf of Mexico, some 165 miles west of Key West, the storm gathered strength above the warmer waters of the gulf. But after the levees broke, the city buses went underwater. The emergency generator later failed, and engineers had to protect the backup generator from floodwaters by creating a hole in a wall and installing a new fuel line. All sources confirm deaths, although the numbers of the dead vary. Thats been the history. All they could do was try to protect the generator. [7] According to many, the smell inside the stadium was revolting due to the breakdown of the plumbing system, which included all toilets and urinals in the building, forcing people to urinate and defecate in other areas such as garbage cans and sinks. And we look up and see a metal beam, a massive beam, that had been windblown into the aluminum siding.