Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Tropical Depression Twelve formed over the southeastern Bahamas.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Florida landfall as a Category 1 hurricane. As many as six people were killed. Hurricane experts determined that tornadoes had been spawned out of the hurricane, but luckily only struck between houses, causing no deaths.
Gulf of Mexico
Friday, August 26, 2005
Katrina was downgraded to a tropical storm. Increased winds once again upgraded Katrina to a Category 1 hurricane. In the early afternoon, Louisiana's Governor declared a state of emergency for Louisiana. This activated the state's emergency response and recovery program and federal troops were deployed to Louisiana to coordinate the planning of operations with FEMA. 922 Army National Guard and 8 Air National Guard are deployed.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Hurricane Katrina reached Category 3 intensity. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in some Parishes while voluntary evacuations were offered in others. At 5:00 PM EDT, the New Orleans Mayor announced a state of emergency and a called for a voluntary evacuation. He added that he would stick with the state's evacuation plan and not order a mandatory evacuation until 30 hours before the expected landfall. This would allow those residents in low-lying surrounding parishes to leave first and avoid gridlocked escape routes. However, he did recommend that residents of low-lying areas of the city, such as Algiers and the 9th Ward, get a head start. The city would open the Superdome as a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs. Anyone planning to stay there was to bring their own food, drinks and other comforts such as folding chairs.The Louisiana National Guard had delivered three truckloads of water and seven truckloads of MRE's to the Superdome, enough to supply 15,000 people for three days.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Hurricane Katrina reached Category 4 intensity with 145 mph winds. By 7:00 AM CDT, it was a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, gusts up to 215 mph. At 10:00 AM CDT, the Mayor declared that a mandatory evacuation was ordered. At 12:00 PM CDT, the Louisiana Superdome was opened as a, "refuge of last resort," for those residents that were unable to obtain safe transport out of the city. 20,000 people entered the Dome. 4444 Army National Guard and 932 Air National Guard are deployed (5,376 total).Second landfall and the waters are rising
Monday, August 29, 2005
At 5:10 AM CDT, Hurricane Katrina made its second landfall as a strong Category 3 hurricane near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, with sustained winds of more than 125 mph , although Category 4 winds may have briefly affected the area. Katrina also made landfall in St. Bernard parish and St. Tammany parish as a Category 3 hurricane for a total of three landfalls in Louisiana. At approximately 8:14 AM CDT, a flash flood warning was issued for Orleans Parish and St Bernard Parish, citing a levee breach at the Industrial Canal. The National Weather Service predicted three to eight feet of water. By 9:00 AM CDT, there was 6–8 feet of water in the Lower Ninth Ward. At 10:00 AM CDT, Hurricane Katrina made its third landfall, with sustained winds of 120 mph after crossing Breton Sound. By 11:00 AM CDT, there was approximately 10 feet of water in St. Bernard Parish. Many rooftops could not be seen as they were submerged. Therefore, there was much more than 10 feet of water in many places. At 2:00 PM CDT, New Orleans officials confirmed a breach of the 17th Street Canal Levee. There was also confirmation of breaches at two other canals. The hardest-hit areas of the city were the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans East, Gentilly, Lakeview, St. Bernard parish, and Plaquemines parish. The Governor ordered 68 school buses into New Orleans from surrounding parishes to begin evacuating any survivors that remained in the city. 6908 Army National Guard and 933 Air National Guard were deployed (7,841 total). The Aftermath
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
At 12:00 PM CDT, they became aware that the New Orleans levee breaches could not be plugged. The Governor ordered that all of New Orleans, including the Superdome, be evacuated due to the flooding of the city. She commandeered hundreds of buseswhich eventually evacuated more than 15,000 people that were stranded in the city to the SuperDome by Thursday, September 1. There were also many instances of reported of looting, including looting by police officers. The Governor also said that she will request President Bush send federal troops to help restore law and order in New Orleans. 9,668 Army National Guard and 956 Air National Guard were deployed (10,624 total).
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Hurricane Katrina is downgraded to a tropical depression. At 10:00 PM CDT, The Mayor announced that the planned sandbagging of the 17th Street Canal levee breach had failed. At the time, 85% of the city was underwater. The USS Bataan was positioned off the coast of Gulfport, Mississippi to support the relief efforts and The US Navy moved additional ships and helicopters into the region at the request of FEMA.
The Mayor ordered almost the entire New Orleans' police force to abandon search and rescue missions and turn their attention toward controlling the widespread looting and a curfew is placed in effect. At 11:00 PM EDT, it was announced that the center of the remnant low of what was Hurricane Katrina has been completely absorbed by a frontal boundary in southeastern Canada, with no discernible circulation.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
- A 50-member Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents.
- National Guardsmen accompanied by buses (475 in all) and supply trucks begin to arrive at the Superdome.
- A day after the National Guard began delivering food, water and ice in New Orleans, the National President of the American Red Cross requested to set up a shelter in New Orleans to pass out food and water. However, due to the ongoing military rescue operations in the city, the Red Cross was asked to wait for 24 hours. By Saturday, the point was moot because the large-scale evacuation of the city was already underway.
- The conditions at the Superdome, as well as the Ernest N. Memorial Convention Center, continued to deteriorate. Food and potable water were unavailable, with mostly false reports and rumors of rescuers coming under fire from people seeking to hijack supplies or transportation, and few buses were arriving to evacuate the survivors. About 5,000 refugees made it by bus to Reliant Astrodome, yet there were only about 2,000 cots available.
- 4,200 National Guard troops trained as military police would be deployed to New Orleans. An additional 40,000 National Guard troops were to be mobilized. 14,284 Army National Guard and 972 Air National Guard were currently deployed (15,256 total).
- California swift water rescue crew units deployed to the area rescued hundreds in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. However, FEMA later halted the swift water rescue crews from conducting further rescues, citing safety concerns.
- Sealing of the 17th Street Canal from Lake Pontchartrain with sheet pilings begins, while closing the breach continues.
- The New Orleans suburb of Gretna seals the Crescent City Connection across the Mississippi River, turning back fleeing flood victims at gunpoint. Evacuees blamed the incident on racism, but the chief of police stated that the city was in lockdown and was not equipped to handle evacuees from New Orleans.
- President Bush signed a $10.5 billion relief package that was passed by Congress which included supplemental funds for FEMA, as well as $500 million for the Pentagon for its relief efforts.
- The Bush administration sent Governor Blanco a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans. Louisiana officials eventually rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law.
- Sheet piling blocks water flow into the 17th Street Canal, making closure of the breach not relevant to city flooding. Work on closing the breach continues for purposes of pumping.
- Rapper Kanye West brought to light concerns about racism, as he goes off-script on NBC's , "Concert for Hurrican Relief" and says, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." He also made some comments about the Iraq Warand the Bush administration.
- BNSF Railway pledged a contribution of $1 Million, and offered rail transportation to aid in relief efforts for the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
18,678 Army National Guard and 2,464 Air National Guard were deployed (21,142 total).
Saturday, September 3, 2005
25,548 Army National Guard and 3,998 Air National Guard were deployed (28,546 total).
Sunday, September 4, 2005
The evacuation of the Superdome has been completed. 29,588 Army National Guard and 4,596 Air National Guard were deployed (34,184 total).
Monday, September 5, 2005
The 17th Street Canal levee breach was closed with truckloads of rock and sandbags. The canal reopened so that it could be used to pump water out of city. 33,608 Army National Guard and 6,613 Air National Guard were deployed (40,221 total).
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Rescue workers said that there were still many, "holdouts," who were not heeding the mandatory evacuation order first issued by the Mayor on August 28. They were concerned about their property being looted, were unaware of the full extent of the disaster, worried about their pets, or concerned that conditions would be worse in the shelters. Due to unsanitary conditions in the city, as well as contaminations of E. coli bacteria in the standing water in the city, the Mayor ordered the forced evacuation of everyone that was not involved in cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina. 38,093 Army National Guard and 5,770 Air National Guard were deployed (43,863 total).
Senator Barbara Mikulski called for FEMA's Michael Brown's resignation. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid voiced criticism of the disaster's handling, and of the Bush administration's management, delegation of control, leadership, and human consideration.
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
39,736 Army National Guard and 5,952 Air National Guard were deployed (45,688 total).
Thursday, September 8, 2005
40,667 Army National Guard and 5,735 Air National Guard were deployed (46,402 total).
Friday, September 9, 2005
FEMA Director Michael Brown was removed from directing relief efforts in New Orleans. A "zero access" policy with regards to the media was announced, 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.
42,164 Army National Guard and 4,347 Air National Guard were deployed (46,511 total).
Saturday, September 10, 2005
The federal government subsequently agreed not to attempt to restrict media coverage of events and Honoré's deputy says that the original statement referred to a policy of not allowing embedded journalists on relief operations.
42,257 Army National Guard and 4,581 Air National Guard were deployed (46,838 total - the peak deployment, with the military then arriving).
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Under the orders of the Governor, Illinois police officers on loan to Louisiana were sent out with flat bottomed boats to rescue hundreds of frozen embryos from New Orleans Lakewood Hospital's Fertility Institute, the first of which was born on Jan. 16, 2007.
Monday, September 19, 2005
After starting to allow residents back into the city, the Mayor ordered yet another evacuation due to Hurricane Rita. With the levees and pumping systems in a weakened state, even a near-miss could bring flooding back to areas that have begun to dry out. As of September 19, the official death toll stood at 973. Mississippi had refused to raise its death toll above 218, or to explain why. Thousands of dead in Mississippi and Louisiana have not been counted, nor have the bodies been retrieved.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
The official death toll was raised to 1,036, with 63 additional deaths recognized in Louisiana. This marked the first time since 1928 that a natural disaster in the U.S. had been officially acknowledged to have killed at least 1,000 people. State-by-state death tolls: Louisiana 799, Mississippi 218, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Hurricane Rita headed towards Houston, with its outer bands bringing rain to the New Orleans area. Efforts continued to shore up the levees weakened by Katrina.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Hurricane Rita compounded the already growing problems as it makes landfall just west of where Hurricane Katrina had. Brig. Gen. Doug Pritt and the 41st Brigade Combat Team of Oregon were designated as the head of Joint Task Force Rita, leading the multi-state National Guard relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Hurricane Rita. The official regionwide death toll from Hurricane Katrina was upgraded to 1,080. Mississippi still had not officially increased its death toll by much, but added 2 to the count. Thousands feared dead in Mississippi and Louisiana remain out of the official death toll. State-by-State death tolls: Louisiana 841, Mississippi 220, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1.
Saturday, October 1, 2005
The official death toll from Hurricane Katrina was upgraded to 1,135. It had been 33 days since landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi. State-by-State death tolls: Louisiana 896, Mississippi 220, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1.
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
To date, approximately 1.5 million people were evacuated from the damaged areas in Louisiana, roughly 1 million have applied for hurricane-related federal aid, 30,000 are in out-of-state shelters, 46,400 are in state shelters and 972 people have perished in the storm. The official death toll was upgraded to 1,836 with more than 2,500 still missing. State-by-State death tolls: Louisiana 1,577, Mississippi 238, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1, Kentucky 1.
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
The Mayor announced that, due to lack of funds, New Orleans would lay off 3,000 non-essential employees from the city's payroll, or about half of its workforce, over the next two weeks.
... and they are still rebuilding today.
The above thanks to our friends over at Wikipedia.org
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