HURRICANE KATRINA ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FRIDAY AUG 26 3 DAYS PRIOR TO LANDFALL

  • Louisiana Gov Blanco declares a state of emergency in Louisiana
  • storm rapidly strengthening

SATURDAY AUG 27

  • Blanco asks Pres. Bush to declare state of emergency. Bush does so, authorizing Dept Homeland Security and FEMA “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts” and freeing up federal money for the state
  • Director of National Hurricane Center calls governors of LA and MS and mayor of New Orleans to warn of potential devastation.

SUNDAY AUG 28

  • 1AM Katrina upgraded to Category 4 storm
  • 7AM Katrina upgraded to “potentially catastrophic” Category 5. Prediction of storm surge of 15 to 20 feet above normal tides
  • 9:30AM Mayor Nagin orders mandatory evacuation of the city- Only 20 hours before Katrina would make landfall- less than half the time experts say is needed to evacuate the city
  • 10:00AM storm surge estimate 18 to 20 feet above normal tides- levee protecting New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain is 17.5 feet tall- other levees and floodwalls on the Gulf are much lower
  • 8:30PM Empty Amtrak train leaves New Orleans

MONDAY AUG 29 DAY OF KATRINA

  • 6AM Storm makes landfall as strong Category 4 winds of nearly 145mph with coastal surge of 28 feet
  • 9AM eastern part of the city and Bernard Parish are flooded. Thousands of survivors are trapped
  • Late Morning 17th Street Canal levee gives way sending water from Lake Pontchartrain into the city in a second slower wave of flooding inundates the downtown area
  • 11AM FEMA director sends memo requesting additional 1,000 rescue workers from Dept of HS “within 48hrs” and 2,000 more within 7 days.
  • Later Brown says FEMA has only 2,600 employees nationwide and normally relies on state workers, National Guard, private contractors and other federal agencies during disaster relief operations
  • PM Time uncertain Blanco calls Pres. Bush and asks for everything he has to help

TUESDAY AUGUST 30 1 DAY AFTER KATRINA

  • Dawn-water has continued to rise overnight, estimates are that 80% of New Orleans in under water, reports of looting surface
  • 11:04AM Bush delivers adds to end of a speech- “we’re beginning to move in the help that people need”
  • 3:00PM Sen Landrieu reports “most of the roads and highways are impassable…there may be only way into the city right now and it has to be used for emergency personnel to get food and water and rescue equipment to people…”

WEDSENDAY AUGUST 31 2 DAYS AFTER

  • Morning-looting intensifies in New Orleans. Nagin orders police to abandon search and rescue missions and focus on packs of looters
  • late afternoon Bush holds cabinet meeting on Katrina. FEMA has moved 25 search and rescue teams into the area. People in the Superdome- “Buses are on the way to take those people from New Orleans to Houston”

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1 3 DAYS AFTER

  • Time Uncertain Red Cross President Marsha Evans asks permission to enter the city with relief supplies, but Louisiana state officials deny permission.
  • Thirty thousand National Guard troops from across the country are ordered to report but many do not arrive for several days
  • Buses arrive at Superdome to take evacuees to the Astrodome in Houston

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2 4 DAYS AFTER

  • Red Cross renews its request to enter the city. Louisiana officials say they needed 24 hours to provide an escort and prepare for Red Cross arrival. 24 hours later a large scale evacuation is underway and the Red Cross relief never reaches New Orleans.
  • Noon Military trucks drive through floodwaters to the convention center, the first supplies of water and food to reach victims. Thousands of armed National Guardsmen stream into the city to help restore order.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 5 DAYS AFTER

  • 10:06 AM Bush announces he is ordering additional active duty forces to the Gulf Coast.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 5 ONE WEEK LATER

  • US Army Corps of Engineers repair the levee breach on 17th Street Canal and begin to pump water from the city.
  • Nagin orders police and law enforcement officials to remove everyone from the city who is not involved in recovery efforts. Despite the orders many residents do not leave

WEDNSEDAY SEPTEMBER 7 9 DAYS AFTER

  • FEMA brings in Kenyon International Services to assist in recovering bodies. A week later the state and federal officials argue over wh is to pay the cost of that service.
  • A bipartisan joint Congressional Committee is announced to investigate the response to Hurricane Katrina at “ all levels of government”

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9 11 DAYS AFTER

  • Chertoff removes Brown from his role.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12 TWO WEEKS LATER

  • Brown resigns as head of FEMA

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15

  • Bush says, “the system at every level of government, was not well coordinated, and was overwhelmed in the first few days…Congress is preparing an investigation and I will work with members of both parties to make sure this effort is thorough”