Hurricane Katrina at 10: Live-Tweeting the Storm Timeline
In 2005, there was no news feed on Facebook - only a collection of your college friends, if you had an EDU email address. There was no Twitter. YouTube and Mashable had just launched. Can you imagine how different Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath would have gone down, had Social Media been present?
All My Hurricane Katrina at 10 Blogs:
AccuWeather.com Special Reports: Remembering Hurricane Katrina 10 Years Later
Remember: all we had back then was television, newspapers, and their online versions. The conditions at the Superdome, the looting, all of that would have been immediately discovered via Twitter. The government would have felt pressure from Social Media to act faster; it's entirely possible that lives could have been saved.
Other technology would have helped too -- daily consumer drone flights over the city to coordinate rescues, I'd imagine. Here's what the #katrina10 hashtag looks like this morning according to TrendsMap.com:
This Anniversary I'm live-tweeting the events during Hurricane Katrina as they occurred in 2005, posting tweets at the times of each major milestone (a complete timeline will be posted here after the event). From @accuweather I'm tweeting major storm updates and what we said about the storm, including live streaming videos and maps. And on my own Twitter, @weathermatrix, I'm tweeting each one of my blog entries during the storm as if Twitter were available then. I think it will provide a unique look at how the events over those two weeks in 2005 would have unfolded on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter, look for the hashtag #katrina10, or view the links below for the tweets.
Below is a text version of the timeline that I tweeted:
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8/11/05:
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A tropical wave, departs the west coast of Africa.
8/19/05:
The tropical wave moved through the Leeward Islands and merged with the middle tropospheric remnants of Tropical Depression Ten, producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms north of Puerto Rico.
8/22/05:
AccuWeather warns clients of "A disrupting storm for the Gulf... a real problem..."
4PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog states "There's some excitement brewing here at AccuWeather about a possible hit from a regurgitated TD 10 on Florida this week. Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com and wrap up those tropical weather plans."
6 PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog says "one of our [AccuWeather.com] headlines is on the possible re/re/re development of TD 10 on its way to Florida, as alluded to in the previous blog entry."
TUE 8/23/05:
At 5 PM, Tropical Depression 12 formed from the interaction of a tropical wave, the middle tropospheric remnants of Tropical Depression Ten, and an upper tropospheric trough. Tropical Storm Warnings were issued for the Bahamas. Watches are considered for Florida (NHC). The depression could become a storm by Wednesday.
11 PM ...TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS AND FLORIDA EAST COAST... (NHC)
WED 8/24/05:
AccuWeather sends News Director Steve Penstone and Videographer Vern Horst to Florida to cover the storm live on streaming video.
5 AM ...TROPICAL DEPRESSION MOVING SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE BAHAMAS...NEARING TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH... A HURRICANE WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA EAST COAST. (NHC)
8 AM ...NEARING TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH... (NHC)
11 AM ...DEPRESSION STRENGTHENS INTO TROPICAL STORM KATRINA OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS... ...HURRICANE WATCH AND TROPICAL STORM WARNING ISSUED FOR FLORIDA... ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. DUE TO ITS SLOW FORWARD SPEED...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...AND SOUTH FLORIDA... WITH TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES AND ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. (NHC)
2 PM ...TROPICAL STORM KATRINA STRENGTHENING OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS... ...HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT FOR THE BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE ESTIMATED NEAR 45 MPH... ...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KATRINA WAS REFORMING [NORTHWEST OF PREVIOUS LOCATION] (NHC)
5 PM ...KATRINA GETTING BETTER ORGANIZED OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS... ...NEW WATCHES AND WARNINGS ISSUED FOR FLORIDA... THIS MOTION WILL BRING THE CENTER INTO THE FLORIDA STRAITS THURSDAY NIGHT. (NHC)
6 PM: AccuWeather's first live report from Hurricane Katrina - streaming video from Ft. Lauderdale, FL https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I
8 PM: ...KATRINA BEGINS TO TURN MORE WESTWARD... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED REMAIN NEAR 45 MPH... (NHC)
11 PM ...KATRINA HEADING WESTWARD FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...HURRICANE WARNINGS IN EFFECT... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE ON THURSDAY BEFORE REACHING THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA EAST COAST. (NHC)
THU 8/25/05:
5 AM: ...CENTER OF KATRINA PASSING SOUTH OF GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...NEW TROPICAL STORM WATCH IN FLORIDA... THIS MOTION SHOULD BRING THE CENTER THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS INTO THE FLORIDA STRAITS TODAY...AND NEAR OR OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA COAST THURSDAY NIGHT OR FRIDAY MORNING. DUE TO ITS SLOW FORWARD SPEED...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...AND SOUTH FLORIDA. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. (NHC)
8 AM: ...KATRINA SLOWLY GETTING BETTER ORGANIZED AS IT MOVES WESTWARD TOWARD SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA... (NHC)
11 AM: AccuWeather streaming live Hurricane Katrina report from Hollywood Beach, FL https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=45s
11 AM ...KATRINA GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS TOWARD SOUTHEAST FLORIDA... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT... AND KATRINA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE BEFORE THE CENTER REACHES THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF FLORIDA... ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHERN FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. (NHC)
1 PM ...KATRINA CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS TOWARD SOUTHEAST FLORIDA... THE CENTER SHOULD BE NEAR OR OVER THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST LATER TONIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. REPORTS FROM A NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 65 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.(NHC)
2 PM: An increase in eyewall lightning in Katrina indicates possible strengthening (Accu_Jesse)
2 PM: AccuWeather's second streaming Hurricane Katrina report today showing rough surf at Hollywood Beach, FL https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=2m18s
3 PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog: "Almost all of the models are trending further west after Katrina hits the Gulf, which would be Very Bad since the longer it spends in the warm gulf waters the worse it's going to be for whoever draws the short straw and has to deal with landfall. Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com and your various media outlets and make sure those weather plans are concluded."
3 PM ...KATRINA JUST BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS TOWARD SOUTHEAST FLORIDA... ...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS NEARING THE FLORIDA COAST... REPORTS FROM A NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND NOAA DOPPLER RADARS INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 70 MPH... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND KATRINA COULD STILL BECOME A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE BEFORE THE CENTER REACHES THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF FLORIDA. (NHC)
5 PM: Live streaming from Ft. Lauderdale, FL https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=3m13s Cat 1 eyewall coming on shore, downed trees & beach sandstorm destroys cameras!
5 PM ...STRENGTHENING HURRICANE KATRINA BEARING DOWN ON THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA... ...NEW WARNINGS AND WATCHES ISSUED FOR FLORIDA......EYE OF KATRINA CURRENTLY MAKING LANDFALL BETWEEN HALLANDALE BEACH AND NORTH MIAMI BEACH WITH 80 MPH WINDS...PORT EVERGLADES JUST REPORTED GUSTS TO 92 MPH WINDS... LATEST REPORT FROM A NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND THE MIAMI NOAA DOPPLER RADAR INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 80 MPH... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR- SIMPSON SCALE. STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS...ARE LIKELY ON HIGH RISING BUILDINGS. A GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS KATRINA CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE EVERGLADES TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. (NHC)
8 PM: Hurricane Katrina coming ashore - downed power line & poles - live stream from Tri-Rail Stn. In Ft. Lauderdale; https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=4m2s
9 PM ...KATRINA RELENTLESSLY POUNDING SOUTH FLORIDA...CALM OF THE LARGE EYE EXPERIENCED AT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER... (NHC)
11 PM ...EYE OF KATRINA MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS ANTICIPATED WHILE KATRINA IS OVER LAND. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTH FLORIDA...AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. (NHC)
11 PM... The forecast window of error touches southeastern Louisiana. (NHC)
A 95 mph gust was reported by UM/RSMAS (@Accu_Jesse)
FRI 8/26/05
1 AM ...KATRINA WEAKENS SLIGHTLY [TO A TROPICAL STORM WITH 70 MPH WINDS] WHILE PASSING OVER MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY FLORIDA...EXPECTED TO RESTRENGTHEN SOON OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO... (NHC)
3 AM ...CENTER OF KATRINA EMERGES OFF THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF FLORIDA OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO... ...HEAVY RAINS AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS CONTINUE OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS... KATRINA COULD REGAIN HURRICANE STATUS LATER TODAY. (NHC)
5 AM......KATRINA REGAINS HURRICANE STATUS OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO... SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. (NHC)
9 AM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog: "Katrina has moved across Florida cutting power to over a million people. Her movement turned southwest and now she's in the Gulf again, gaining strength. Joe Bastardi thinks it's possible she hits Cat 3 before coming on shore again, and then moves northeast to spread rain and mayhem. "
10 AM: Morning after Katrina in Hollywood Beach - made a mess of islands, boat sank on IC Waterway, watch our live stream: https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=4m44s
10 AM: 13.24" of rain was reported by Homestead AFB (@Accu_Jesse)
11 AM ...KATRINA GETTING STRONGER AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD AWAY FROM SOUTH FLORIDA... NOAA DOPPLER RADAR DATA AND REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 80 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND KATRINA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE BY SATURDAY. (NHC)
11 AM: New Orleans is very near the window of forecast movement for the storm (NHC)
FEMA National Situation Update: "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest ... then turn northward. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level. ..." (PBS)
11:30 AM ...KATRINA RAPIDLY STRENGTHENING AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD AWAY FROM SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS... RECENT REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT NOW INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS NOW A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND KATRINA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY THREE OR MAJOR HURRICANE ON SATURDAY. ...KATRINA RAPIDLY STRENGTHENING AS IT MOVES SLOWLY WESTWARD AWAY FROM SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS... KATRINA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY THREE OR MAJOR HURRICANE ON SATURDAY... (NHC)
12:00 PM: JB: I LEAVE WITH THIS FOR NOW. THIS IS A POTENTIAL CATASTROPHE IN THE MAKING, AND FROM LOUISIANA TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, PLANS SHOULD BE MADE TO TAKE ACTION IF CALLED UPON TO DO SO. The only "saving grace" is there will be time to prepare. It's moving slow. The downside is that with the pattern the way it is, the storm could be one of the top Gulf hurricane hits in modern times.
4 PM: Dry Tortugas weather station in the Gulf sees winds of 81 mph with gusts to 103 mph (@Accu_Jesse)
4 PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog: "JB was just on CNBC and clearly outlined a New Orleans hit. I think he's the first meteorologist to move the storm that far west, but the models are doing the same. Take a look at Jesse's Blog for more info on this. JB also said that he thinks this could be a cat 4 or a cat 5 - and the strongest hit there since Camille. Hyperbole? I don't know - everyone stay tuned and make your preparations. And if your gas tank is running low you might as well fill up now before oil breaks the $70 a barrel mark and gas jumps 10-15 cents. Sigh."
Most residents work a full day and take "wait and see" approach (NOLA)
5 PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog: "Bloomberg downplays storm; If Joe Bastardi is right, Katrina is headed right for the Louisiana platforms."
5 PM ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS DISCONTINUED FOR MAINLAND FLORIDA... A SUSTAINED WIND OF 81 MPH WITH A GUST TO 105 MPH WAS REPORTED AT DRY TORTUGAS C-MAN STATION LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN EYEWALL. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND KATRINA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A CATEGORY THREE ...MAJOR... HURRICANE TODAY AND ON SATURDAY. (NHC)
5 PM... First landfall is forecast just west of the Mississippi/Alabama border, window includes New Orleans (NHC)
Together with Hurricane Wilma, the Dry Tortugas National Park took a total loss of 12 weather monitoring stations including the structural components. In addition, 9 other sites were submerged by the storm surge resulting in the destruction of the monitoring equipment housed at these sites.
10 PM: Three days before the storm made landfall, AccuWeather meteorologists urged residents to take action. AccuWeather COO forecasted, "A large part of New Orleans could be underwater for days if not weeks."
11 PM MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. (NHC)
Point landfall is now forecast on the southeastern-most Louisiana coast, moving northwestward near the coastal border of Louisiana & Mississippi (NHC)
State of emergency is declared in Louisiana & Mississippi (NATGEO)
An EF-2 tornado in Monroe County, FL causes $5 million in damage (NWS)
Overall damage totaled $623 million (2005 USD)(NCDC)
14 people killed in Florida; 6 directly (NHC)
What would turn out to be the maximum rainfall from the storm had fallen at Perrine, Florida, where they racked up 16.33" of rain during the storm, 15.10" in 24 hours (NHC)
SAT 8/27/05:
2 AM MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE TODAY. (NHC)
5 AM ...KATRINA BECOMES A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS...RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT DATA AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT KATRINA HAS BECOME A LARGER HURRICANE. (NHC)
5 AM: The point forecast landfall is now Grand Isle, LA, moving north directly over New Orleans (NHC)
9 AM: Live streaming on our way to Biloxi, MS, as is Hurricane Katrina. https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=7m44s Could be catastrophic at landfall Monday. NOLA watch out.
An eye became clearly evident in infrared satellite imagery at sunrise (NHC)
Most residents learn that Katrina's path is set for New Orleans (NOLA)
11 AM: ...CATEGORY THREE KATRINA MOVING WESTWARD IN THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...EXPECTED TO TURN WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND STRENGTHEN... ...A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF LOUISIANA... INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS... A HURRICANE WATCH WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR OTHER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. INTERESTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF KATRINA. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS... AND KATRINA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. (NHC)
12 PM: AccuWeather streaming live from Gulfport, MS, we'll see effects of Hurricane Katrina tom. PM. NOLA under evac notice, I-10 contraflow. https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=9m2s
Metro-area evacuations begin en masse clogging all outbound arteries of the city for 48 hours (NOLA)
FEMA Situation Update: "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..." (PBS)
Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. (PBS)
St. Tammany, St. Charles, Plaquemines Parishes announce mandatory evacuations (NOLA)
Orleans and Jefferson Parish both announce voluntary evacuations (NOLA)
Louisiana's Governor Blanco sends "State of Emergency" letter to President Bush (NOLA)
A mandatory evacuation is ordered for Hancock County, MS (FOX)
LSU scientists issue a projected storm surge map (NOLA)
Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, telephones the Times-Picayune to warn of a "worst-case scenario" (NOLA)
5 PM: Streaming live from Gulfport, MS, this is what to expect from a 20 ft. storm surge. NOLA could be under water. https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=10m8s
5 PM: THE HURRICANE WATCH IS EXTENDED WESTWARD TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA AND EASTWARD TO THE FLORIDA-ALABAMA BORDER. A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER. A HURRICANE WARNING WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST LATER TONIGHT OR SUNDAY (NHC)
8 PM: DATA FROM BUOYS INDICATE THAT 12-FOOT WAVES ARE ALREADY APPROACHING PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST... HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THE CENTRAL GULF COAST SUNDAY EVENING. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF COAST. (NHC)
11 PM: A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER...INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH HAVE BEEN ISSUED FROM THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER EASTWARD TO DESTIN FLORIDA...AND FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 25 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKE LANDFALL. HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THE CENTRAL GULF COAS SUNDAY EVENING. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE PATH OF KATRINA. (NHC)
11 PM: By the end of the day, Katrina had doubled in size. A new eyewall began to form. (NHC)
SUN 8/28/05:
2 AM: REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED AND ARE NOW NEAR 145 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TODAY. (NHC)
5 AM: ...DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES WEST- NORTHWESTWARD BUT EXPECTED TO TURN NORTHWARD... ...NEW TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR NORTHERN GULF COAST... ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE BEGINNING THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI...AND ALABAMA...AND OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. (NHC)
8 AM: We're evacuating from Gulfport, MS, on I-10, as are scores of others, check out the traffic. https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=11m26s
8 AM: ...KATRINA...NOW A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE...HEADED FOR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. (NHC)
9:30 a.m. Orleans Parish issues first-ever mandatory evacuation (NOLA)
11 AM... REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 175 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 28 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. (NHC)
11:11 AM: NWS issues famous "NON-PRECIPITATION WARNING" saying "MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS... PERHAPS LONGER... THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL... HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY... A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE... ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT... AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD... AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES... SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED... POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS... AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED... WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS... THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK" (NWS)
11:30 AM President Bush vows to help those affected by the storm (NOLA)
The Times-Picayune reports that an estimated 112,000 New Orleans residents do not own cars. (PBS)
Reporting from Biloxi, MS, waiting for a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina landfall with 200 mph winds, a doomsday scenario https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=12m39s
State puts contraflow plan into effect on interstates (NOLA)
Superdome houses 26,000 residents as city's "refuge of last resort" (NOLA)
Alabama declares State of Emergency (FOX)
On August 28, or about three days after Katrina struck the state, President George W. Bush declared a disaster area for Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which allocated federal funding for debris removal and other emergency services. Three days later, Monroe County was also declared a disaster areas, and on the same day the three counties were designated to receive funding for public assistance; this included aid to repair roads and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings, and recreation areas. (FEMA)
Cuban television reports 8,000 without power; the coastal city of Surgidero de Batabano was 90% underwater (FEMA)
May Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, briefed President Bush and FEMA officials that "there will be minimal flooding in the city of New Orleans itself"
AccuWeather warns: "life-threatening flooding with breached levees as Lake Pontchartrain will flood New Orleans from the north on Monday 50-70% of the city will be flooded and could remain under water for days or weeks. Preparing to save lives should be rushed to completion."
2 PM: Katrina's 902 mb central pressure was the fifth lowest on record for the Atlantic basin.
5 PM: MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 165 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR- SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY UNTIL LANDFALL. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AT CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE INTENSITY. WINDS AFFECTING THE UPPER FLOORS OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THOSE NEAR GROUND LEVEL. KATRINA IS A LARGE HURRICANE. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST. SOME LEVEES IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA COULD BE OVERTOPPED. SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOODING WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE ALONG THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST. (NHC)
6PM: AccuWeather Redesign Blog: "Reuters has a story courtesy CNN that says oil production has been cut by a third"
Tropical storm-force winds close down emergency services in metro area (NOLA)
8 PM: MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR- SIMPSON SCALE. (NHC)
9 PM Times-Picayune building loses power, generators power up (NOLA)
10 PM... AccuWeather.com streaming video interview of man in Mobile, AL who went through Hurricane Camille in 1969 https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=14m54s
11 PM: Katrina not only extremely intense but also exceptionally large. The new eyewall, which had contracted throughout the day, began to erode on its southern side. This was the first sign that Katrina would rapidly lose strength just before landfall. Over 1,200,000 people are under an evacuation order. (NHC)
Thousands of New Orleans residents who are unable to leave town or have chosen not to leave seek shelter in the Louisiana Superdome. (NATGEO)
3 tornadoes reported in Alabama and one in Florida (NWS)
MON 8/29/05:
12 AM: AccuWeather decides to pull live crew out of coastal Mississippi due to danger of Hurricane Katrina's high winds and storm surge.
1 AM: ...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE NORTHERN GULF COAST... ...SUSTAINED HURRICANE- FORCE WINDS NEARING THE SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA COAST...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AT EITHER CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE INTENSITY. (NHC)
2 AM: https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=13m55s AccuWeather streaming storm surge and lightning from Dauphin Island, AL as Hurricane Katrina causes Tornado Warning
3 AM: MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 155 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS NOW A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. NOAA BUOY 42040 LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER RECENTLY REPORTED WAVES HEIGHTS OF AT LEAST 40 FEET. (NHC)
3:40 AM: ...DIRECT STRIKE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC AND LIFE THREATENING HURRICANE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY... TIDES ARE RAPIDLY INCREASING ALONG THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST... THREE TO FIVE FEET ABOVE NORMAL...WITH SOME LOCATIONS NEAR SEVEN FEET ABOVE NORMAL. SEVERE TIDAL FLOODING WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP OVER THE AREA ALONG THE COAST AND TIDAL LAKES. WINDS ASSOCIATED CATEGORY 4 AND CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE CAN TOTALLY DESTROY MOBILE HOMES AND POORLY CONSTRUCTED DWELLINGS...AND CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO EVEN WELL CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS. HIGHER WIND SPEEDS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER ON UPPER FLOORS OF TALL BUILDINGS CAUSING DAMAGE.
5 AM: MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH... RECENTLY...A SUSTAINED WIND OF 53 MPH WITH GUST TO 91 MPH WAS REPORTED AT GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA. NOAA BUOY 42040 LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. DURING THE PAST HOUR...A WIND GUST TO 83 MPH WAS REPORTED FROM A UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI BUOY LOCATED JUST EAST OF THE CHANDELEUR ISLANDS... RECENTLY REPORTED WAVES HEIGHTS OF AT LEAST 46 FEET. THE TORNADO THREAT AHEAD OF KATRINA CONTINUES TO INCREASE AND SCATTERED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY OVER SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA... SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHERN ALABAMA...AND OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...KATRINA WILL MOVE ONSHORE THE SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA COAST JUST EAST OF GRAND ISLE THIS MORNING... AND REACH THE LOUISIANA- MISSISSIPPI BORDER AREA THIS AFTERNOON. (NHC)
5 AM: Metro-area emergency officials hold status meeting (NOLA)
7 AM ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE KATRINA PREPARING TO MOVE ONSHORE NEAR SOUTHERN PLAQUEMINES PARISH LOUISIANA... ...HURRICANE- FORCE WIND GUSTS OCCURRING OVER MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...IN THE NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN AREA...AND AS FAR EAST AS THE CHANDELEUR ISLANDS... KATRINA WILL MOVE ONSHORE THE SOUTHERN COAST OF PLAQUEMINES PARISH NEAR EMPIRE AND BURAS LOUSIANA WITHIN THE ENXT HOUR...AND REACH THE LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI BORDER AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO STEADILY DETERIORATE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE DAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY PRIOR TO LANDFALL...BUT KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. DURING THE PAST HOUR...A SUSTAINED WIND OF 56 MPH WITH A GUST TO 85 MPH WAS REPORTED AT NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT...AND A SUSTAINED WIND OF 74 MPH WITH A GUST TO 96 MPH WAS REPORTED AT THE NAVAL AIR STATION IN BELLE CHASSE LOUISIANA. NOAA BUOY 42040 LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER RECENTLY REPORTED WAVES HEIGHTS OF AT LEAST 47 FEET. (NHC)
6 AM: The estimated minimum central pressure of 920 mb at landfall, just south of Buras, Louisiana, is the third lowest landfall pressure on record for the United States.(NOAA)
6 AM 317,000 households are without power (NOLA)
The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. They spend the next 24 hours trying to save themselves. (PBS)
Officially, the storm surge reaches 27.8 feet at Pass Christian, MS, with waves on top of that. (NHC) Other unconfirmed reports include 33.4 feet (FEMA) and as high as 41.5 feet in Waveland, MS (WIKI)
Sustained winds of 67 mph were recorded in Mobile, Alabama, and the storm surge there was approximately 12 feet (NHC)
7 AM water reported coming over the levee in the 9th Ward (NOLA)
9 AM: Morning in Mobile, AL with Hurricane Katrina on land to our west... horizontal and high winds gusting to 50 mph here https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=16m23s
9 AM: ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER WILL BE PASSING JUST TO THE EAST OF NEW ORLEANS DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS WITH THE WORST OF THE WEATHER FOR THAT CITY OCCURRING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE CENTER IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI LATER TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 118 MPH...AND GULFPORT MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 94 MPH WITH A GUST TO 100 MPH. A LITTLE EARLIER...BELLE CHASE REPORTED A GUST TO 105 MPH. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES REGION TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOODING IS OCCURRING ELSEWHERE ALONG THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST. THE TORNADO THREAT AHEAD OF KATRINA CONTINUES TO INCREASE... (NHC)
9 AM...LEVEES OVERTOPPED IN ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES... (NHC)
8:45 AM six to eight-foot flood waters reported in Lower 9th Ward (NOLA)
President Bush makes emergency disaster declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi, freeing up federal funds (FOX)
The roof is failing at the Jackson County Emergency Management building, causing officials to relocate to the Jackson County Courthouse. Jackson County EM has been without power for an hour because the generators flooded from approximately 2 feet of water outside the building and winds [were clocked at] 134 mph. (FEMA)
Interstate 10 is shut down with damage to 40 percent of its Twin Span Bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. (PBS)
9 AM winds rip hole in roof of Superdome (NOLA)
9 AM eye of the storm passes to the east of New Orleans central business district. Windows in high-rise buildings blow out (NOLA)
10 AM: Streaming live from Mobile, AL, the hotel our crew is in is starting to give way with winds over 60 mph. Rpts of Superdome damage and 113 mph wind gusts in MS, water flowing into New Orleans https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=17m24s
11 AM: ...CENTER OF POWERFUL HURRICANE KATRINA AGAIN MOVING ASHORE...NEAR THE LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI BORDER... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. WINDS AFFECTING THE UPPER FLOORS OF HIGH RISE BUILDINGS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THOSE NEAR GROUND LEVEL. WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS THE CENTER MOVES OVER LAND. HOWEVER...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD AS FAR AS 150 MILES INLAND ALONG THE PATH OF KATRINA. (NHC)
11 AM NWS reports a breach in the Industrial Canal levee, emptying Lake Pontchartrain into the neighborhoods of Eastern New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward in Orleans Parish and all of St. Bernard Parish (NOLA)
1 PM ...KATRINA STILL POWERFUL BUT GRADUALLY WEAKENING... THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 105 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS NOW A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. (NHC)
2 PM breach in the 17th Street Canal is confirmed. Flooding of Lakeview, Mid-City, Broodmoor, Gentilly result over the next 48 hours. (NOLA)
2 PM: Scenes of destruction in Mobile, AL streaming live back from our crew there: Power poles and trees down, roofs coming off. Downtown Mobile flooded. https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=18m21s
2 PM flood waters in the Lower Ninth Ward reach 12 feet in some areas (NOLA)
3 PM THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 95 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS NOW A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. (NHC)
5 PM: https://youtu.be/MnpvzhBeO6I?t=19m20s VIDEO: Our crew's hotel is disintegrating around them in Mobile, AL. 10-12' water in downtown Mobile.
Flood waters continue to rise and it becomes apparent that it is a worst-case scenerio (NOLA)
8 PM: ...KATRINA NOW A TROPICAL STORM ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI BUT STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS REMAIN A THREAT... (NHC)
40 tornadoes were reported this day (7 in Alabama; 4 in Florida, 18 in Georgia, and 11 in Mississippi) as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Five tornadoes were EF-2; one person died in Georgia. (NWS)
Big Branch, Louisiana racked up 14.82" of rain during the storm (NHC)
TUE 8/30/05:
9 AM Times-Picayune employees evacuate newspaper building in delivery trucks as water rises a foot an hour (NOLA)
11 AM: ...KATRINA BECOMES A TROPICAL DEPRESSION... ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTH OF CLARKSVILLE TENNESSEE. STILL PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS... (NHC)
Local media reports that Martial Law is declared in Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish (NOLA)
Looting reports go national presenting New Orleans as a lawless and violent haven for those still trapped in the city (NOLA)
The Army Corps of Engineers attempts to plug breaches in the 17th Street Canal and Industrial Canal levees. Its efforts fail. The city floods further. (PBS)
Flood waters continue to rise throughout city (NOLA)
The hurricane death toll in Mississippi rises to more than 100 (FOX)
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco says everyone still in New Orleans - an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people - must be evacuated. (FOX)
6 tornadoes are reported in Pennsylvania, another 6 in Virginia, and one in Ohio, all from the remnants of Hurricane Katrina.
WED 8/31/05:
2:45 AM: One more tornado is reported in Lycoming County, PA, bringing the total to 62 twisters spawned by Katrina (NWS)
Flood waters reach an equilibrium as the "bowl" of the city is now even with Lake Ponchartrain (NOLA)
Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt declares a public health emergency in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida (NATGEO)
Some neighborhoods under as much as 20 feet of water (NOLA)
Hellish scenes reported from those stranded in the Superdome: assaults, rape and suicide reported though later most dismissed (NOLA)
Estimates of 30 days before city can be pumped out (NOLA)
Thousands stranded in houses, on roofs (NOLA)
On national television New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issues a "desperate SOS" for help from the federal government (NATGEO)
Nagin offers a startling estimate of New Orleans' death toll: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands," he says. (FOX)
Army Corps of Engineers estimates it will be at least 30 days or more before New Orleans will be pumped out. (FOX)
Five offshore Louisiana oil rigs are reported missing and two more are adrift. (FOX)
Approximately one million people with power in metro area (NOLA)
Media reports that thousands are stranded in the New Orleans Convention Center without food or water as a steady stream of people, many from the flooded Central City neighborhood, trickled first toward Lee Circle and then to the Convention Center, hoping to be saved from increasingly desperate straits (NOLA)
Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. Gov. Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. (PBS)
[FEMA] mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. (PBS)
Gov. Blanco announces New Orleans must be evacuated because of the still- rising water and uninhabitable conditions. Mayor Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people remain in the city. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. Virtually all communication systems are out. (PBS)
7:30 PM: Over 2 million are still without power.
Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: "What we did -- under Louisiana law the parish presidents, the head of the counties, have the authority to use private resources. In all honesty, we begin looting. We go to Sam's and Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie and gather up food and water and start distributing it because we had 60 hours' worth of resources that we had stored, but now we're out of it....When we didn't get any assistance from the state or from FEMA in the time period that we thought was appropriate, I got someone in an automobile and said, 'Go to Baton Rouge, go find out. I've got to know. Go up there, face to face and say, "What is happening here? Where is water? Where is food? Where is all the things that we need to get out of here?"' And he passes, literally, hundreds of school buses lined up to come and get these folks. But the problem was that because of the fear that resulted from the civil unrest, the bus drivers said, 'We're not going in there to pick these people up unless you put a law enforcement official on every one of the buses, because we're afraid.'"
THU 9/1/05:
Corps of Engineers begins to build dam to stop levee breach at the 17th Street Canal (NOLA)
More than 10,000 people have been rescued in St. Bernard Parish (NOLA)
Times-Picayune asks, Where is the calvary? as still no federal help has arrived (NOLA)
Governor Blanco demands "no less than 40,000 troops" (NOLA)
Looting, carjacking and other violence spreads, and the military decides to increase National Guard deployment to 30,000. (FOX)
Louisiana has 780,735 customers remaining without power (FEMA)
The death toll in Mississippi hits 126. (FOX)
Mayor Nagin lambasts federal officials in a tirade for their lack of effective response (NOLA)
First 5,000 of approximately 23,000 evacuees arrive at Houston Astrodome by bus (NOLA)
Bush seeks $10.5 billion storm-relief package (NOLA)
FEMA reports ""Law and order all but broke down in New Orleans over the past few days. Storm refugees reported being raped, shot and robbed, gangs of teenagers hijacked boats meant to rescue them, and frustrated hurricane victims menaced outmanned law officers. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens. ..." (PBS)
NOAA issues incredible "Hurricane Hunters" photos from the eye of the storm, taken 8/28
Gas prices spike again as 20 oil rigs are reported missing, a pipeline is on fire and 90% of Gulf production is still offline. (FORBES)
Lines at gas pumps throughout the Southeast with one station gouging people at $6.07 a gallon (CNN)
FRI 9/2/05:
7,000 soldiers moved in on the Convention Center of 15,000 angry refugees and a boulevard littered with putrefying corpses (NOLA)
Fires break out in various warehouses across the city (NOLA)
Bush tours area, says what is wrong "we're going to make right" (NOLA)
Mayor Nagin predicts electricity to be out in city for three months (NOLA)
Airport becomes way station for refugees (NOLA)
Thousands of refugees still in Superdome, Convention Center and I-10 (NOLA)
Congress approves $10.5 billion to cover the immediate rescue and relief efforts. (FOX)
More than 50 nations pledge hurricane assistance. (FOX)
18,678 Army National Guard and 2,464 Air National Guard were deployed (21,142 total) (WIKI)
SAT 9/3/05:
FEMA says storm overwhelmed agency; outrage grows in Washington (NOLA)
Authorities beging to regain grip on city with military's aid (NOLA)
An estimated 25,000 angry and exhausted people are still at the Convention Center; buses begin arriving to evacuate them. New Orleans residents are still trapped by the floodwaters, and dispatchers receive about 1,000 emergency phone calls from people needing to be rescued.
Officials said Saturday they would start aggressively dealing with the bands of armed looters who pushed the city to the brink of complete breakdown. ..." (PBS)
4,600 active duty troops under the command of Gen. Russel Honoré arrive in New Orleans. (PBS)
President Bush ordered 7,200 additional active duty troops to the region, for a total of 30,000 (NOLA)
Rape, gunfire reported at Convention Center (NOLA)
Law enforcement agencies fielded about 1,000 distress 911 calls Saturday (NOLA)
St. Bernard rescuers find 31 dead in nursing home (NOLA)
Death toll expected to be in thousands, though nothing offical yet (NOLA)
Last of evacuees taken from Superdome and Convention Center (NOLA)
Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard breaks down on "Meet the Press" and tells how a colleague's elderly mother died in her home Friday after waiting four days for rescuers that never arrived (NOLA)
Rescuers continue to pluck residents from hellish waters (NOLA)
SUN 9/4/05:
Estimated 2,000 people, many of them with serious medical problems, were still housed inside Louis Armstrong International Airport (NOLA)
Convention Center evacuees are still being loaded onto buses and evacuated and search-and- rescue operations continue. (PBS)
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. (PBS)
USCG helicopters rescue 1,037 people from roof tops. USCG air & surface units assist with the evacuation of 9,400+ patients and staff from hospitals in the greater New Orleans area.(USCG)
DOL receives a $62 million federal grant -To provide about 10,000 temporary jobs for dislocated workers to help in the recovery and clean-up efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.- The National Emergency Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will be used in part for demolition, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and lands in coordination with other agencies providing services to affected communities. (FEMA)
MON 9/5/05:
16,000 National Guard troops dedicated to search and rescue mission (NOLA)
Jefferson Parish residents allowed in for look and see (NOLA)
Agencies begin trying to save stranded pets (NOLA)
The breach in the 17th Street Canal is finally repaired (PBS)
Some electrical substations serving downtown New Orleans are repaired, but Entergy, the local energy utitlity, must first ensure that buildings can receive the electricity safely before the power is restored. (PBS)
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." (PBS)
Corps of Engineers shifts work to dammning London Avenue Canal (NOLA)
Mayor Nagin says more than 10,000 could be dead (NOLA)
Makeshift morgue set up in St. Gabriel, La. to handle 140 bodies per day (NOLA)
Less than 2% of New Orleans residents have not abandoned their city (NEWS24)
470,000 customers without power as of Sunday morning
90,000 - Destruction area, in square miles affected by the storm (larger than Great Britain) (PRNEWS)
TUE 9/6/05:
Mayor Ray Nagin orders the total evacuation of New Orleans due to the dangers posed by the contaminated standing water. He estimates 5,000 to 10,000 people are still in the city, with many of them still waiting to be rescued. power is restored to the Warehouse and Central Business Districts. Half of telephone service is back. The Army Corps of Engineers projects it could take 80 days to pump the water out of the city. (PBS)
USCG Air & Surface Operations rescue 10,182 people in the greater New Orleans area.
9/9/05:
New Orleans Director of Homeland Security Terry Ebbert announced a "zero access" policy with regards to the media, in order to prevent members of the media from reporting on the recovery of dead bodies in New Orleans. CNN filed a lawsuit, then obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent government agencies from interfering with news coverage of recovery efforts. (WIKI)
FEMA has declared 19 states, as far away as Washington State, as Federal Disaster Areas because of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
CNN reports that Congress has approved another $51.8 billion in Katrina relief.
Forbes predicts the storm could cost $185 billion all-told.
Mississippi reports Homes/mobile homes with major damage: 11,264. (FEMA)
Mississippi reports 212,566 customers still without power. (FEMA)
Mississippi has distributed 14,552,328 pounds of ice, 1,623,240 gallons of water, 724,800 tarps, and ,721,088 Meals Ready to Eat. (FEMA)
Louisiana reports homes/mobile homes with major damage: 9,396 (inland only - coastal counties still can't report) (FEMA)
Louisiana reports 325,567 meters without power. (FEMA)
9/10/05:
42,257 Army National Guard and 4,581 Air National Guard were deployed (46,838 total - the peak deployment, with the military then arriving)
9/12/05:
Michael D. Brown resigned as Director of FEMA for, "the best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president." (BBC)
9/14/05:
Congress approved the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 for Hurricane Katrina victims (IRS)
9/15/05:
In an address to the nation, President Bush declares, "It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice." (PBS)
9/19/05:
After starting to allow residents back into the city, Mayor Nagin ordered yet another evacuation due to Hurricane Rita (WASH POST)
9/24/05:
The official regionwide death toll from Hurricane Katrina was upgraded to 1,080 (WIKI)
10/1/05:
The official death toll from Hurricane Katrina was upgraded to 1,135 (WIKI)
10/4/05:
1 million have applied for hurricane-related federal aid, 30,000 are in out-of-state shelters, 46,400 are in state shelters (WIKI)
11/22/05:
As of Nov. 22, 2005, more than 900 people are known to have died in New Orleans. The vast majority of them were elderly. (PBS)
2/15/06:
Congress issues their report "A FAILURE OF INITIATIVE: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina"
5/31/06:
A report is issued saying the flood prediction model in New Orleans was antiquated and too conservative.
6/15/06: News is issued that FEMA was swindled for $1 billion by Katrina evacuees.
