Timeline of Hurricane Katrina

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

A National Guard multi-purpose utility truck brings supplies to the Louisiana Superdome in downtown New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina is downgraded to a tropical depression.

At 10:00 PM CDT (0300 UTC), Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the planned sandbagging of the 17th Street Canal levee breach had failed. At the time, 80% of the city was underwater.

Michael Chertoff released a memo to other cabinet members and the Environmental Protection Agency stating that, "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 declared Hurricane Katrina to be an Incident of National Significance and designated Michael Brown, Under-Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R), as the Principal Federal Official (PFO) for incident management purposes."Landay, Jonathan S.; Young, Alison; McCaffrey, Shannon. "[Chertoff delayed federal response, memo shows]." Knight Ridder Newspapers/[realcities.com]. September 13, 2005.

The USS Bataan was positioned off the coast of Gulfport, Mississippi to suppor the relief efforts.DeVera, Joanne. "[CNO Visits Bataan During Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts]" United States Navy. September 11, 2005. The United States Navy moved additional ships and helicopters into the region at the request of FEMA.Staff Writer. "[CNN Update: August 30]." CNN. August 30, 2005. The number of National Guardsmen on duty in the Gulf Coast rose to approximately 8,300. They remained under their respective governors' control, which enables them to provide law-enforcement support in the affected regions, which is prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act.Miles, Donna. "[Military Providing Full-Scale Response to Hurricane Relief Effort]." American Forces Information Service. August 31, 2005.

President Bush observes damage from Hurricane Katrina over New Orleans, August 31.

President Bush returned early 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. He later declared a Public Health Emergency for the Gulf Coast.

Mayor Nagin 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.Nossiter, Adam. "[Superdome evacuations begin.]" The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 1, 2005.

State workers began work at closing the 17th Street Canal breach, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adds additional resources to the task.

At 11:00 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the National Hurricane Center 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."[Tropical Summary Message]." Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. August 31, 2005. The remnants of the hurricane caused roads in northern Quebec to be rutted and eroded by heavy rainfall, isolating the north shore communities for several days.

BNSF Railway announced that it expected to restore limited freight service to southern Louisiana by 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, Louisiana. 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. BNSF transferred freight through other hubs such as St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and Memphis, Tennessee, until service was restored.Press Release. "[Hurricane-Damaged Line Expected to Open Thursday]." 'BNSF Railway Company.'' August 31, 2005.

Norfolk Southern (NS) announced that the majority their mainlines that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina were again operational. They 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, remained out of service due to washouts, continued flooding, as well as the city's evacuation orders. Freight that would have normally transferred in New Orleans was routed to other terminals across the NS system. The company's experience with previous hurricanes helped it to prepare action plans before Katrina made landfall. They moved repair equipment, supplies and employees into nearby areas and quickly deployed them to inspect and repair the system after the storm passed.Press Release. "[Norfolk Southern Post-Katrina Operations Returning To Normal]." Norfolk Southern. August 31, 2005.

Thursday, September 1

President Bush appeared on Good Morning America, and said that he understood the frustration of Katrina victims, many of whom are still waiting for food, water, and other aid. "I fully understand people wanting things to have happened yesterday," Bush said. "I understand the anxiety of people on the ground. … So there is frustration. But I want people to know there's a lot of help coming." He said that the government's first priority is to save lives, and described the devastation that he saw while flying over the hardest-hit areas as, "very emotional," but was also very optimistic about the prospects of New Orleans' recovery.Good Morning America. "[Exclusive: Bush Says Focus Must Be on People]." ABC News. September 1, 2005

A 50-member Canadian search-and-rescue team from Vancouver, British Columbia 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 (from Camp Beauregard) began delivering food, water and ice in New Orleans, the National President of the American Red Cross, Marsha Evans, 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 at the time, 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.Staff Writer. "[Red Cross: State rebuffed relief efforts]." CNN. September 9, 2005.

Meanwhile, conditions at the Superdome, as well as the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, continued to deteriorate. Food and potable water were unavailable, anarchy was flaring up, with reports 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.Douglas, Jack, Jr.; Dodd, Scott; Merzer, Martin. "[Time running out for hurricane survivors]." The Times Leader. September 1, 2005. Secretary Chertoff is criticized by NPR's Robert Siegel during an interview on All Things Considered, as he had no knowledge of the approximately 2,000 survivors at the Convention Center with no food or water. He said, "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the Convention Center who don't have food and water."Siegel, Robert. "[U.S. Aid Effort Criticized in New Orleans]." National Public Radio/All Things Considered. September 1, 2005. FEMA Director Brown said that FEMA only became aware of crisis at the Convention Center on this date, yet later claims to have known about it 24 hours earlier.Kirkpatrick, David D.; Shane, Scott. "[Ex-FEMA Chief Tells of Frustration and Chaos]." New York Times. September 15, 2005.

Secretary Chertoff announced that 4,200 National Guard troops trained as military police would be deployed to New Orleans over the next three days. Governor Blanco requested the mobilization of an additional 40,000 National Guard troops.

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."[CNN Transcript: Anderson Cooper 360]." CNN. September 1, 2005.

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 bridge across the Mississippi River, turning back fleeing flood victims at gunpoint. Evacuees blamed the incident on racism, but the police chief stated that the city was in lockdown and was not equipped to handle evacuees from New Orleans.Staff Writer. "[Racism, resources blamed for bridge incident]." CNN. September 13, 2005.

The Kansas City Southern Railway reopened its Meridian Speedway railway line between Meridian, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana, after clearing debris and repairing damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The line is also used by Norfolk Southern as a bridge route for NS intermodal trains between the Meridian and Alliance, Texas. KCS is also working with CSX Transportation and Meridian and Bigbee Railway to transfer additional intermodal traffic through Meridian rather than New Orleans or Birmingham.Staff Writer. "[KC Southern Railway reopens Mississippi-Louisiana line]." [Kansas City Business Journal]. September 2, 2005.

Friday, September 2, 2005

The front page of the September 2, 2005 edition of The Times-Picayune.

President George W. Bush meets victims of Hurricane Katrina on September 2, 2005, during his tour of Biloxi.

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.Staff Writer. "[Bush signs $10.5 billion disaster aid bill]." CNN. September 3, 2005. He also toured the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, saying that he is ordering additional active duty forces to the region, and authorized a withdrawl of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

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. Roig-Franzia, Manuel; Hsu, Spencer. "[Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting]." Washington Post. September 4, 2005.

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.

Singer Kanye West brought to light concerns about racism, as he goes off-script on NBC's, "Concert for Hurricane Relief" and says, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." He also made some comments about the Iraq War and the Bush administration.Goldberg, Jonah. "[We're Going West]." National Review. September 7, 2005.

In a letter to the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, BNSF Railway (headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas) pledged a contribution of $1 Million, and offered rail transportation to aid in relief efforts for the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The monetary contribution came from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation as a donation to the American Red Cross relief efforts, while the transportation assistance was organized by the Association of American Railroads, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Railroad Administration, as well as other railroads that serve the area. The letter also stated that repairs to the Bayou Boeuf bridge were now completed and BNSF's mainline was reopened as originally planned at 6:00 PM CST on September 1.

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Monday, September 5, 2005

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) called for Michael D. Brown's resignation. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) voiced criticism of the disaster's handling, and of the Bush administration's management, delegation of control, leadership, and human consideration.Loven, Jennifer; Espo, David. "[Dems Assail White House on Katrina Effort]." San Francisco Chronicle. September 7, 2005.

Thursday, September 8, 2005

Friday, September 9, 2005

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality issued an administrative order for information on railroad car status information from seventeen railroads in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Department sought to obtain a listing 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 were involved.News Release. "[DEQ requests information from railroad companies]." Environmental Protection Agency. September 11, 2005.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Thursday, September 14, 2005

September 15, 2005

Monday, September 19, 2005

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

Friday, September 23, 2005

Saturday, September 24, 2005

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 of 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

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

The official death toll was upgraded to 1,213 with more than 2,500 still missing. State-by-State death tolls: Louisiana 972, Mississippi 221, Florida 14, Alabama 2, Georgia 2, Tennessee 1, Kentucky 1.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

See also

• Meteorological history of Hurricane Katrina

References

External links

• [Think Progress Katrina Timeline]
• [Hurricane Katrina: Open-Content Timeline]
• [A timeline of government response to Hurricane Katrina]
• [Timeline to disaster: Salon.com's hour-by-hour account]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.