The papa bear of weather hit the southeastern USA last month and left thousands of square miles of prime waterfront an uninhabitable wasteland. Mississippi and Louisiana were the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, but the Big Easy, New Orleans, got all the coverage as state, local and federal government officials fumbled the ball over rescue efforts. Many left New Orleans on the advice of the authorities, but many didn’t. With 20% of its population without personal transportation, many couldn’t. As the city sank under water and the seriousness of the situation sank into the populace, the last places of refuge, the Superdome and the Convention Center, became latter day public housing projects with their own inner city microcosms of drug overdoses and homicides. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
A shrimp boat lies partially submerged in the canal near Dulac, Louisiana, Wednesday 19 October 2005. The seafood industry as a whole took a big hit across the gulf region, where many processors suffered catastrophic damage and upwards of 25% of the fisherman lost boats. EPA/STEVE POPE
With the most comprehensive assemblage of photographic footage to date, National Geographic reconstructs the disaster from several days before the storm through the deadly week after. This TV special shows graphic footage of the wind, rain and eventual levy breaks that spelled the doom of the birthplace of jazz in America. It also shows the logistical nightmare of saving the survivors of a city that simply could not understand the domino effect that floods, utility outages and a complete lack of support would have on a largely unprepared populace.
The 9-11 attacks in New York City caused an increasing concern about terrorist death threats at the same time as global warming and other climatic changes combined to increase the chances of hurricanes and other large-scale climatic upsets in the United States. A week before Katrina hit, temperatures rose to 105 degrees in Jackson, Mississippi, breaking the old record that had stood for some one hundred years. Two degrees might not sound like much, but when the change is from 103 to 105 degrees in virtually 100 percent relative humidity it means a lot to those living in the area. The general report was that you couldn’t breath. This writer flew out of the area five days before Katrina, through thunder-head cumulus clouds a thousand feet high.
It was obvious this was a place where big weather events happened. The warmer the coastal waters, the faster a hurricane gathers force as the warm air and water feed the cyclonic forces of the pressure extremes that make a hurricane. The scientists had done their job, with countless reports and simulations of what would happen if such a storm hit New Orleans. The dikes holding back the water from the city below sea level were old. They were earthen structures with only lightly anchored concrete toppings. Engineers knew decades before hand they would not withstand over-topping. Once the water came over in the slightest amount the earth would quickly erode and the concrete toppings would collapse. At that point the piles of dirt were no more than sand boxes against a fire hose; they would offer no resistance against the water seeking its own level, a level that left many homes submerged to their attics. These attics became coffins for those trapped inside.
As the mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana quarreled over coordination and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) struggled with the White House to get action, the body count rose. By the time the last bus loads of refugees were out the area was an uninhabitable wasteland. Rebuilding would start from scratch.
Assuredly the complacency of the citizens of the city played into their demise. But what are the responsibilities of the authorities to protect people against themselves? What of the 100,000 civilians who had no cars or personal transportation to evacuate? Why did the last Amtrack train leave the city with empty seats when officials knew people had no means of exit?
It will be years before the entire story is told. But in the wake of the government resignations and the Bush administration apologies few answers are emerging. All we know for now is that the biggest weapon of mass destruction to hit American shores went unchallenged. See it Tuesday, November 1st from 9-11pm ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.
When : November 1, 2005, 9-11pm EST/PST.
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