The air smelled toxic. It damaged more than a million housing units in the region. "Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Superdome." . 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. The Louisiana Superdome, once a mighty testament to architecture and ingenuity, became the biggest storm shelter in New Orleans the day before Katrina's arrival Monday. Nagin had no solution. A bustling black market has also emerged, with cigarettes, at $10 a pack, and anti-diuretics, which help forestall going to the bathroom, hot items. Hurricane Katrina, 10 years later: The myths that persist, debunked. Out of 60 nursing homes in New Orleans, 21 had evacuated their residents in advance of Katrina. 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. Feces covered the walls of bathrooms. Food rotted inside the hundreds of unpowered refrigerators and freezers spread throughout the building. That would be sorted out soon, Thornton thought, or maybe never at all. A storm worth worrying about had entered the gulf. The bad news is its going to take us several days to pump the water out of the city even if they can stop the water flow from coming in, Thornton recalls Nagin saying. Thousands of survivors are at the Astrodome after the Superdome became unsafe following the levee breaks in New Orleans. . Hurricane Katrina had intruded on the last safe place. [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. Caleb Wells. Thornton and Mouton went to work, spending a hour writing up a two-page, handwritten list of everything they needed. Gunfire has ricocheted down the corridors. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. A man pushes his bicycle through flood waters near the Superdome in New Orleans on Aug. 31, 2005. But Thornton wasnt thinking about that right then. 4:23 PM EST, Mon January 16, 2023. "[2], Despite these previous periods of emergency use, as Katrina approached the city, officials had not stockpiled enough generator fuel, food, and other supplies to handle the needs of the thousands of people seeking refuge there. Inside the Superdome, things were descending further into hell. Every sink was broken. The Bayou Classic was moved from the Superdome to Reliant Stadium in Houston. 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. The Thorntons woke early to the sound of the wind. However, according to "Deaths Directly Caused by Hurricane Katrina" by Poppy Markwell and Raoult Ratard, only about one third of those deaths were due to drowning. Though leaving in the light of day would be easier, it could also cause hysteria from those left behind in the Dome. If water engulfed the generator, the building would be cast into complete darkness. Inside the Dome, though, a small group of women and men fought to retain whatever order they could. The generator kept burning. It's not a hotel," said the emergency preparedness director for St. Tammany Parish to the Times-Picayune in 1999. Apart from the foster children, roughly 5,000 additional children were listed as missing in the Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina. Sixteen years after Katrina, New Orleans has strengthened its flood The National Flood Insurance Program paid out $16 billion in claims. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin were criticized for not ordering mandatory evacuations sooner. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Meanwhile, flooding continued to worsen in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina deaths, Louisiana, 2005 - PubMed And then thenext morning, more bad news: The buses had been rerouted and delayed, sent to a highway overpass where people were stranded. [7] Medical machines also failed, which prompted a decision to move patients to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Hurricane Katrina had intruded on the last safe place. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was underwater by August 30. 25% were caused by injury and trauma and 11% were caused by heart conditions. Thanks for contacting us. Weve been here since 6 a.m., and this is getting worse and worse, State Police Officer K.W. By 4:30 p.m., the winds were dying down and Thornton and Mouton went outside and surveyed the building. New homes stand in the Lower Ninth Ward on May 15, 2015. At St. Rita's Nursing Home, residents were reportedly abandoned by the staff, and 35 people drowned as a result. Although up to 1.7 million people were evacuated in Louisiana alone, hundreds of thousands of people were stranded during the hurricane. 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. Preparations by location South Florida. Local legend has it the 73,000-seat stadium was built atop a cemetery, cursing the football team that calls it home the Saints to an eternity as cellar-dwellers. [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. On the flight out west, Thornton looked down and saw his home in Lakewood South, as well as the seven feet of water surrounding it. You need to go take a look. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Over the next two days the weather system gathered strength, earning the designation Tropical Storm Katrina, and it made landfall between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a category 1 hurricanea storm that, on the Saffir-Simpson scale, exhibits winds in the range of 7495 miles (119154 km) per hour. 24 With scant food and water sources, . [37] This was done as covertly as possible so as to not cause rioting or charges of favoritism. That night, around 6 p.m., Thornton got a phone call. At their peak, hurricane relief shelters housed 273,000 people. Photo taken from the I-10-US 90 junction showing most of the white rubber protective membrane over the roof of the Superdome torn away by strong winds during Katrina. 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." It ran into the reserve tank. Although Louisiana and Mississippi were most heavily affected, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia also suffered casualties due to the disaster. SMG opened up the club rooms in the arena, and the citys health department would send staff to take care of the patients. Preparations for Hurricane Katrina - Wikipedia The dome's emergency generator was able to power the internal lighting but little else; the building's air conditioning system would no longer operate, nor would the refrigeration system which was keeping food from spoiling. 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. Revisit the timeline, impacts, controversy, and disaster recovery of August 2005's Hurricane Katrina, the costliest Atlantic hurricane on record. We took him to the terrace and said, Look. , As he saw the floodwaters rising around the stadium, the man broke down. And cars were overturned on Poydras Street.. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The men had little time to celebrate though water was still coming in under the door. Police watch over prisoners from Orleans Parish Prison who were evacuated to a highway on September 1, 2005. In response, guardsmanput up barbed wire at various areas around the building, protecting themselves from the general population. All Rights Reserved. The cost to repair the dome was initially stated by Superdome commission chairman Tim Coulon to be up to $400 million. The National Weather Service writes that Hurricane Katrina is "one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the United States.". The 2006 Sugar Bowl, which pitted the University of Georgia Bulldogs against the West Virginia University Mountaineers, was moved from the Superdome to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Although FEMA had promised 360,000 military rations, only 40,000 had arrived by that day. Thousands were looking for a place to go after leaving the Superdome shelter. Hurricane Katrina survivors arrive at the Houston Astrodome Red Cross Shelter after being evacuated from New Orleans. Please check your email for a confirmation. No one knew what would happen. Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts | CNN Blanco declined to seek reelection in 2007, and died in 2019. The heavy death toll of the hurricane and the subsequent flooding it caused drew international attention, along with widespread and lasting criticism of how local, state and federal authorities handled the storm and its aftermath. The population of New Orleans fell from 484,674 in April 2000 to 230,172 in July 2006, a decrease of over 50%. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. A Warner Bros. And with everyone scattered, it became incredibly difficult to reunite children with their birth parents. [30][31], 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. Denise Thornton was tasked with deciding the order of evacuation. This is ready to break. Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana Superdome Emergency lights worked intermittently as engineers struggled to keep backup generators running as the area around the dome flooded. [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. Tulane University postponed its scheduled football game against the University of Southern Mississippi until November 26. So that means youre going to have to be here probably another 5 or 6 days., Mr. [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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Parishioners gather during Sunday services in the rebuilt church on May 10, 2015. This was it. Houses stand in the Seventh Ward on May 12, 2015. To see all these downtown buildings completely shut down, Thornton said. Up to a month after Hurricane Katrina, over 100 children were still unaccounted for, and it took until November to find everyone. When they got back to the Dome, they arrived to chaos. Hurricane Katrina's Devastation in Photos - HISTORY Soon after they arrived, officialsenacted contraflow, shutting down all roads leading in and opening up every lane out of the city. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. We will investigate if the individuals come forward. Unfortunately, it was made significantly worse than it had to be. FEMA infamously brought in trailers, "hastily built and steeped in toxic resins," that were used to house people after the hurricane. The Evacuation of Older People: The Case of Hurricane Katrina Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin had stated that as a "refuge of last resort," only limited food, water, and supplies would be provided. The bullet went through his own leg. We cant spare 6 feet.. [13], On September 2, 475 buses were sent by FEMA to pick up evacuees from the dome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where more than 20,000people had been crowded in similarly poor living conditions. First delivery to the Superdome on August 31, 2005. The mass exodus from the Gulf Coast and New Orleans during and after Katrina represented one of the largest and most sudden relocations of people in U.S. history. An interesting fact about Hurricane Katrina is that to date, it remains the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.