5 pm EDT (2100 UTC) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issues a statement saying that Tropical Depression Twelve had formed over the southeastern Bahamas.
7 am EDT [1100 UTC] - The FEMA National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) Red Team was activated. [1]
5 pm EDT (2100 UTC) - Tropical Storm Katrina is upgraded to become Hurricane Katrina, the fourth hurricane of the 2005 season.
6:30 pm EDT (2230 UTC) - Katrina makes its first landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane near Hallandale Beach on the Dade-Broward county line. After landfall, instead as going West as forecast, Katrina jogged hard left (South) almost parallel to the coastline in densely populated metropolitan Miami. One man, who stayed on his boat rather than stay at one of the nearby hotels which were still open, was killed. Katrina continued its path through Coral Gables and southwest Miami, then went southwest through unpopulated Everglades National Park and exited the state near the southern tip of mainland Florida. Despite the course change, only 14 Florida deaths were attributed to the hurricane, since it was only a Category 1, with sustained winds of 80 mph.
Katrina destroyed many old large trees in Miami, pulling some out of the ground by the roots. Hurricane experts who toured the Kendall/Sunset area after the storm determined that tornadoes had been spawned out of the hurricane, but luckily only struck in between houses, causing no deaths
1 am EDT [0500 UTC] - Maximum sustained winds had decreased to 70 mph and Katrina had again become a tropical storm. [2]
5 am EDT [0900 UTC] - The eye of Hurricane Katrina was located just offshore of southwestern Florida over the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles north-northeast of Key West. Maximum sustained winds had again increased to 75 mph and Katrina is once again a category one hurricane. [3]
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco declares a state of emergency for the state of Louisiana. [4] This declaration included activation of the state of Louisiana's emergency response and recovery program under the command of the director of the state office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to supply emergency support services.
Following the declaration of a state of emergency, federal troops are deployed to Louisiana to co-ordinate planning of operations with FEMA.[5], [6]
11 pm EDT (1500 UTC) - The National Hurricane Center forecasts Katrina will strike the town of Buras, east of New Orleans. The prediction was off by 18 miles, which is considered within an acceptable range of accuracy. [7]
9 am CDT St Charles Parish officials call for a mandatory evacuation of its residents.[8]
St Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis first announces a state of emergency in his parish, then later that same day calls for an evacuation and sets up two shelters in his community. He requests that all citizens planning on leaving get out by noon on Sunday.
Plaquemines Parish declared a mandatory evacuation. Officials were in the process of picking up special-needs residents at mid-day Saturday.
Jefferson Parish officials declared a voluntarily evacutation for most of the parish but a mandatory evacuation for the coastal areas of Grand isle, Crown Point, Lafitte and Barataria.
St. Bernard Parish has recommended all residents evacuate, though it likely will not declare a mandatory evacutation because the parish won’t offer shelters, said Emergency Management Director Larry Ingargiola.[9]
5 pm EDT (2100 UTC) Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin host a mid-afternoon press conference, and Nagin warns residents of the serious potential for danger. The mayor said he would stick with the state’s evacuation plan[10] and not officially call for residents to leave New Orleans proper until Sunday. This will allow those residents in low-lying surrounding areas to leave first and avoid gridlocked escape routes. Ray Nagin calls for a voluntary evacuation of the city at this time, and stresses the need for those in low-lying areas of New Orleans to evacuate. Nagin said the city would open the Superdome as a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs. He advised anyone planning to stay there to bring their own food, drinks and other comforts such as folding chairs, as if planning to go camping.
“No weapons, no large items, and bring small quanties of food for three or four days, to be safe,” he said.
[11]
Governor Blanco requests that President Bush declare a major disaster for the State of Louisiana in a letter through FEMA Region VI Director Gary Jones [12]. In the 4-page letter, Blanco makes specific requests under the Stafford Act for aid (housing, counseling, unemployment, and Small business funding) as well as requesting "direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property" (by removing debris) and agrees to reduced liability. [13]
Map of Louisiana counties eligible for assistance due to September 27 authorizationIn response to Governor Blanco's request, President Bush declares a Federal state of emergency in Louisiana under the authority of the Stafford Act[14], which provides a "means of assistance by the Federal Government to State and local governments BALLS in carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate the suffering and damage which result from such disasters...". The emergency declaration provides for federal assistance and funding [15] and assigns to the FEMA federal coordinating officer (FCO), by law, the responsibility for coordinating relief efforts with those government bodies and relief agencies which agree to operate under his advice or direction [16]. It also provide for military assets and personnel to be deployed in relief and support operations, although the Posse Comitatus Act impose strict limitations on the use of Active Duty soldiers in law enforcement. While Blanco's request mentions the City of New Orleans in the first paragraph, [17], the subsequent declaration [18] does not cover the parishes expected to receive the most damage, like Jefferson Parish and New Orleans (Orleans Parish). These and other Southeast Louisiana Parishes were mentioned by name in Blanco's request. See [19]. BALLLSSS
Saturday night, National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield briefed leadership on Katrina. According to the St Petersburg State Times [20], this included President Bush, Governors of Louisiana and Mississipi, and the Mayor of New Orleans.
9:30 am CDT (1430 UTC) - President Bush calls Governor Blanco, says he is “very concerned about the storm’s impact”, and urges Blanco and Nagin to order a mandatory evacuation. The Mayor and the Governor had a press conference scheduled for 9:30 AM during which they announced the mandatory evacuation. It seems apparent that the phone call from President Bush did not cause them to call for a mandatory evacuation. "We're facing the storm most of us have feared," Nagin told an early-morning news conference, the governor at his side. Katrina was now a Category 5 hurricane, set to make landfall overnight. Minutes earlier, Blanco had been pulled out to take a call from the president, pressed into service by FEMA's Brown to urge a mandatory evacuation. Blanco told him that's just what the mayor would order." [21]
10 am CDT (1500 UTC) - Mandatory evacuation is ordered for New Orleans City by Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco[23].
Noon CDT (1700 UTC) - Louisiana Superdome opened as a "refuge of last resort".[24]
1 pm CDT (1800 UTC) - In the Gulf of Mexico, Katrina quickly strengthens to a strong Category 5. At its peak, hours from landfall, hurricane hunter planes measured 175 mph sustained winds, with gusts to 216 mph.
President Bush declares a state of emergency in Alabama [25] and Mississippi [26], and a major disaster in Florida [27] under the authority of the Stafford Act.
President Bush meets in videoconference with National Hurricane Director Max Mayfield to discuss hurricane Katrina while at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. [28][29]
Governor Blanco makes arrangements with the Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico for National Guard reinforcements, however the federal authorities do not issue the required authorisation for these reinforcements until September 1.
6:10 am CDT (1110 UTC) - Hurricane Katrina makes a second landfall near Buras, Louisiana, United States with 145 mph winds.
8 am CDT (1300 UTC) - New Orleans: Rising water on both sides of the Industrial Canal [30].
9 am CDT (1400 UTC) - New Orleans: 6-8 feet of water in the Lower Ninth Ward [31].
10 am CDT (1500 UTC) - Hurricane Katrina makes a third landfall near Pearlington, Mississippi, United States with 125 mph winds after crossing Breton Sound.
11 am CDT (1600 UTC) - New Orleans: 10 feet of water in St. Bernard [32].
10 am MST (1700 UTC) President Bush appears at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club in El Mirage, Arizona for a Medicare event as the hurricane makes second landfall. [33] He adds, "I want to thank the governors of the affected regions for mobilizing assets prior to the arrival of the storm to help citizens avoid this devastating storm." [34]
2 pm CDT (1900 UTC) - New Orleans officials publicly confirm 17th Street Canal breach [35].
3 pm CDT (2000 UTC) - New Orleans Homeland Security Director Terry Ebbertt said “Everybody who had a way or wanted to get out of the way of this storm was able to."[36]
Governor Blanco sends 68 school buses into New Orleans from surrounding, unflooded parishes, to begin evacuating those left in the city.[37]
AP: "FEMA director Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments." Brown sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff five hours after landfall to activate 1,000 Homeland Security workers into the region. Brown acknowledges that this process will take two days. Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities." [38][39]
Brown defines role of requested assigned personnel and additional aid from the Department of Homeland Security: "Establish and maintain positive working relationships with disaster affected communities and the citizens of those communities. Collect and disseminate information and make referrals for appropriate assistance. Identification of potential issues within the community and reporting to appropriate personnel. Convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public. Perform outreach with community leaders on available Federal disaster assistance." [40]
President Bush declares a major disaster for Louisiana [41], Mississippi [42], and Alabama [43] under the authority of the Stafford Act.
1:30 am CDT (0630 UTC) - CNN reports that the levee on the 17th Street Canal, which connects into Lake Pontchartrain and initially began flooding portions of the city on Monday morning, suffered a two city-block wide breach. It is later reported that a total of three levees are breached.
12 pm CDT (1700 UTC) - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff becomes aware that the New Orleans levee breaches cannot be plugged [44].
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) briefs the press that "I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening." (This statement was initially misattributed to FEMA official Bill Lokey)[45]
President Bush spends the day at the North Island Naval Base in San Diego making a speech to commemorate the September 2 anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender [46]
10 pm CDT (0300 UTC, August 31) - New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announces that the planned sandbagging of the 17th Street levee breach has failed.
80 percent of New Orleans is underwater.
Many instances of looting, including looting by police officers, reported in the city of New Orleans.
Michael Chertoff, released a memo to other cabinet members and the EPA stating "the President has established the `White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Response.' He will meet with us tomorrow to launch this effort." The memo also announced "I hereby declare Hurricane Katrina an Incident of National Significance and designate Michael Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R), as Principal Federal Official (PFO) for incident management purposes." [47][48]
FEMA refuses to allow volunteer firefighters into New Orleans.
USS Bataan was positioned near New Orleans prior to Katrina making landfall, and begins relief operations.[49]
The U.S. military moves additional ships and helicopters to the region at the request of the FEMA. Hurricane Katrina gets downgraded to a tropical depression. [50]
Morning: With continuing delays in Washington's approval of National Guard reinforcements from other states,[51]
Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana orders that all of New Orleans, including the Superdome, be evacuated.[52]
Governor Blanco commandeers hundreds of buses from across Louisiana using her executive powers, and those buses eventually evacuate more than 15,000 people stranded in New Orleans. The school buses evacuate most people on Wednesday and Thursday.[53]
Governor Blanco says, in an interview on FNC, that she will request President Bush to send Federal troops to help restore law and order in New Orleans.[54] The Governor says that she should have requested them sooner, but was worried about putting people in jeopardy according to an interview with CNN.[55]
President Bush heads back to Washington from vacationing at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Though he does not stop in Louisiana, Air Force One flies low over the Gulf Coast so that he can view the devastation. [56]
President Bush declares Gulf Coast a Public Health Emergency. [57]
First report of relief supplies delivered to Superdome.
New Orleans's 1,500 member police force is ordered to abandon search and rescue missions and turn their attention toward controlling the widespread looting and a curfew is placed in effect. Mayor Ray Nagin calls for increased federal assistance.
The National Guard remain under their respective governors' control, which enables them to provide law-enforcement support in the affected regions -- something the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits active-duty forces from doing within the United States. [58]
State workers begin work at closing 17th Street Canal breach, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adds resources to the task.
11 pm EDT (0300 UTC) - U.S. government weather officials announce that the center of the remnant low of what was Katrina has been completely absorbed by a frontal boundary in southeastern Canada, with no discernible circulation. The remnants of the hurricane cause roads in northern Quebec to be rutted and eroded by heavy rainfall, isolating the north shore communities for several days.
BNSF Railway announces that it expects to restore limited freight service to southern Louisiana by the end of the day on September 1. Other than debris on the mainline, the biggest problem facing crews working to reopen the line is the damage to the Bayou Boeuf bridge in Morgan City; the bridge and bridge piers were struck by a barge propelled by the storm's winds and wave action. BNSF sent crews to repair damaged railway signal systems starting on August 30. Until the southern connections are rebuilt and restored to service, BNSF is transfering freight through other hubs such as St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and Memphis, Tennessee. (BNSF)
Norfolk Southern (NS) announces that the majority of the company's mainlines that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina are again operational. NS removed almost 3,700 fallen trees and inspected over 1,400 miles (2,253 km) of track before setting trains in motion. Track directly into New Orleans, however, is still out of service due to washouts and continued flooding and the city's evacuation orders. Freight that normally would have transferred in New Orleans is being handled by other terminals across the NS system. NS's experience with previous hurricanes helped it to prepare action plans before Katrina made landfall; NS moved repair equipment, supplies and employees into nearby areas and quickly deployed them to inspect and repair the system after the storm passed. (NS)
President Bush tells ABC's Diane Sawyer: "I fully understand people wanting things to have happened yesterday" (ABC)
A 50 member Canadian search-and-rescue team from Vancouver reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents (the Canadians arrive 5 days before the U.S. military does according to Louisiana State Senator Walter Boasso) [59]
National Guardsmen accompanied by buses (475 in all) and supply trucks begin to arrive at the Superdome.
A day after the National Guard out of Camp Beauregard began delivering food, water and ice in New Orleans, the national president of the American Red Cross, Marsha Evans, requests to set up a shelter in New Orleans to pass out food and water. The Red Cross is asked to wait for 24 hours by state officials because of concerns over logistical difficulties. [60]
Knight Ridder Newspapers reports "few buses" arrived at Superdome, and about 5,000 refugees made it by bus to Houston's Astrodome.[61]
The shelter in Houston's Astrodome is ruled full and could not accept any more people.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announces that 4,200 National Guard troops trained as military police will be deployed to New Orleans over the next three days. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco requests the mobilization of 40,000 National Guard troops.
California swift water rescue crew units each rescue hundreds in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. [62]
FEMA halts California swift water rescue crews from conducting further rescues, citing safety concerns. [63]
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff is informed by NPR's Robert Siegel during an interview on All Things Considered that 2000 people are at the New Orleans Convention Center with no food or water. Chertoff has no knowledge of the situation, and initially dismisses it as a rumor: "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the Convention Center who don't have food and water. " [64]
Ted Koppel on ABC News Nightline interviews FEMA Director Brown who declares that FEMA only became aware of crisis at the Convention Center on this date. Koppel questions how FEMA could not have known that thousands of people were without food, water, or toilets for days. [65] Brown later claims he knew of it 24 hours earlier.[66]
Sealing of 17th Street Canal from lake with sheet pilings begins, while closing breach continues.
The New Orleans suburb of Gretna seals the Crescent City Connection bridge across the Mississippi, turning back fleeing flood victims at gunpoint. [67]
The Bush administration sent Gov. 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. [68] This matter reportedly was initially discussed by Pres. Bush and Gov. Blanco in phone conversations or a meeting aboard Air Force One.
Sheet piling blocks water flow into 17th Street Canal, making closure of breach not relevant to city flooding; work on closing breach continues for purposes of pumping.
The American Red Cross asks again to enter New Orleans to provide food and water to those still inside the city. By this time FEMA and the National Guard have gotten trucks with food into the city, and a mass evacuation of those left in the city is already underway. As a result, the ARC does not set up a shelter within the city.[69][70]
Singer Kanye West goes off-script on NBC's "Concert for Hurricane Relief" and says, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." [71]
Forced evacuation of New Orleans ordered by mayor.
"Hundreds of firefighters who volunteered to help rescue victims have instead been playing cards, taking classes on the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and lounging at an Atlanta airport hotel for days while they await orders." Some had been waiting for four days. [73][74]
Some firefighters handed their first assignment: "to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas." [75]
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) calls for Michael D. Brown's resignation. Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid begin to voice criticism of the disaster's handling, and of the Bush administration's management, delegation of control, leadership, and human consideration. [76]
President Bush issued an executive order suspending the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, allowing federal contractors rebuilding after Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.
Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality issues an administrative order for information on railroad car status information from seventeen railroads in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Department is seeking a list of all car reporting marks, types, contents, locations and physical status within the region. Previous flyovers of the area revealed a number of cars derailed in various states of damage, but it is as yet unknown the amount or types of hazardous materials that are involved. (EPA)
Hurricane Rita compounds 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 are designated the head of Joint Task Force Rita ([81]) leading the multi-state National Guard relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita kjklajhjkjklaj yjnhlmnalkhjkabfkklsjfiojagojknn njkbnahglsdkhfmkldnxgjiohduignj
Tuesday, August 23 - The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issues a statement saying that Tropical Depression Twelve had formed over the southeastern Bahamas.
Thursday, August 25 - The storm is upgraded to become the fourth hurricane of the 2005 season.
6:30 pm EDT (2230 UTC) - Katrina makes its first landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. At least 11 deaths in Florida are attributed to the storm.
6:10 am CDT (1110 UTC) - Katrina makes second landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 4 Hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph
Morning (prior to 10 am MST (1700 UTC)) - President Bush shares birthday photo-op at Luke AFB in Arizona with Senator John McCain[83]
10 am MST (1700 UTC) - President Bush urges citizens affected by Katrina to continue to listen to local authorities during his appearance at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club in El Mirage, Arizona for a Medicare event as the huricane makes second landfall. [84]
At the event in El Mirage, speaking on the subject of immigration, President Bush also mentioned a conversation with Michael Chertoff:
"I spoke to Mike Chertoff today -- he's the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue, so we got us an airplane on -- a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor? He said, you bet we are. That's the most effective way to do things, is to work with the state and local authorities. There are more resources that will be available, we'll have more folks on the border; there will be more detention space to make sure that those who are stopped trying to illegally enter our country are able to be detained." [85]
Air Force One flyover the Gulf Coast, pilot descends for the President to take a glimpse at the devastation. He then returns to the White House, ending his vacation prematurely. [88]
President Bush gives an interview with ABC television saying I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will. [89]
The levees were designed for a Category 3 hurricane. Officials are on record as stating that water pouring over the top of the levees was to be expected. President Bush stated a levee failure was not. It is subject to interpretation and most certainly debate as to whether the failure of a levee to hold back a storm surge (whether it is due to levee breakage or being overtopped) is to be considered levee failure or not. It should be noted that as Katrina made landfall at Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana and approached New Orleans, the National Hurricane Center reports Katrina was a Category 4 Hurricane and did not weaken to a Category 3 until it made its third landfall at the Louisiana/Mississippi border.
"Making landfall in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, just south of Buras, with 140 mph winds ... Category 4 ... At 6:10 AM CDT, on 29 August. Continuing northward ... Katrina made a second landfall near the Louisiana-Mississippi border at 10:00 AM CDT... With maximum winds of nearly 125 mph... Category 3." [90]
President Bush declares Gulf Coast a Public Health Emergency [91]
President Bush signs the $10.5 billion relief package after Congress passed it. [92]
President Bush tours the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, saying that he is ordering additional active duty forces to the region. He also authorizes a drawdown of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. [93]
FEMA director Michael Brown resigns from the department for "the best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president". [94]
Thursday, September 15
President Bush addresses the nation from New Orleans [95]
Fourth week aftermath
Monday, September 19
After starting to allow residents back into the city, the Mayor of New Orleans orders another evacuation for fear of Hurricane Rita; with the levees and pumping system in a weakened state, even a near-miss could bring flooding back to areas that have begun to dry out [96].
Death toll
The official death toll in all states is now 1, as of September 19. Mississippi has 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. [84]
Updated death toll
Wednesday, September 21
The official death toll is raised to 1,036, with 63 additional deaths recognized in Louisiana. This marks the first time since 1928 that a natural disaster in the U.S. has been officially acknowledged to have killed 1,000 people. Mississippi still will not increase its impossibly low 218 figure.
State by state: Louisiana 799, Mississippi 218, Floria 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1
Friday, September 23
Hurricane Rita heads toward Houston; its outer bands bring rain to the New Orleans area. Efforts continue to shore up levees weakened by Katrina.
Saturday, September 24
The official regionwide death toll from Hurricane Katrina is now 1,080. For unknown reasons, Mississippi is not officially increasing its death toll by much, but it has added 2 to the count. Thousands of dead in Mississippi and Louisiana remain out of the official death toll.
STATE BY STATE: Louisiana 841, Mississippi 220, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1
Fifth week aftermath
Saturday, October 1
The official death toll from Hurricane Katrina is now 1,135. It has been 33 days since landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi.
STATE BY STATE: Louisiana 896, Mississippi 220, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1
Sixth week aftermath
Tuesday, October 4
About 1,5 million 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 in-state shelters and 972 people have perished in the storm.
Many are expecting now that Louisiana will lose one of seven Congressional seats by the next census in 2010. Besides, the population shift could actually be the early stages of the deterioration of New Orleans' long-term hold over the State Legislature. There are now 21 seats in the House and Senate that encompass or touch on Orleans Parish, of 144 total seats statewide, and that is expected to reduce to just a few seats.
The official death toll from Hurricane Katrina is now 1,213 with more than 2500 reported missing. STATE BY STATE: Louisiana 972 [97], Mississippi 221, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1, Kentucky 1.
Wednesday, October 5
Mayor Ray Nagin announces that due lack of funds New Orleans will sack 3,000 non-essential people, about half of its workforce, over the next two weeks.[98]
