Hurricane Katrina

==Preparations==
{{Main|Preparations for Hurricane Katrina}}

===Federal government===
[[File:BUSHLA.jpg|thumb|Flanked by [[Michael Chertoff]], [[Secretary of Homeland Security]], left, and Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]], President Bush meets with members of the Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Recovery on August 31, 2005.]]

The [[United States Coast Guard]] began pre-positioning resources in a ring around the expected impact zone and activated more than 400 reservists. On August 27, it moved its personnel out of the New Orleans region prior to the mandatory evacuation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hurricane Katrina: How the Coast Guard Got it Right|first=Amanda|last=Ripley|date=October 23, 2005|newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1122007-2,00.html|access-date=July 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521131513/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1122007-2,00.html|archive-date=May 21, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Aircrews from the Aviation Training Center, in Mobile, staged rescue aircraft from Texas to Florida.<ref name="CG leadership">{{cite report |first1=Bruce |last1=Jones |first2=David |last2=Callahan |title=Leadership Talent Emerges During Hurricane Katrina Aviation Rescue Operations |url=http://www.uscg.mil/leadership/news/archive/fall05.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923014800/http://www.uscg.mil/LEADERSHIP/news/archive/fall05.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 23, 2008 |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |access-date=July 6, 2014 |location=Mobile, Alabama}}
 [http://waterdamagerestorationdallastexas.com/removal/ Water Damage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428110950/http://waterdamagerestorationdallastexas.com/removal/ |date=April 28, 2017}}</ref> All aircraft were returning towards the Gulf of Mexico by the afternoon of August 29.  [[Aircrew]]s, many of whom lost their homes during the hurricane, began a round-the-clock rescue effort in New Orleans, and along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines.<ref name="WP Coast Guard">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501418.html|title=Coast Guard's Response to Katrina a Silver Lining in the Storm|first=Stephen|last=Barr|date=September 6, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424091917/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501418.html|archive-date=April 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Presidency of George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]] declared a state of emergency in selected regions of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi on August 27.<ref>{{cite news|first=George W.|last=Bush|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html|title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana|publisher=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]]|date=August 27, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507075732/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html|archive-date=May 7, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> "On Sunday, August 28, President Bush spoke with Governor Blanco to encourage her to order a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans."<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-109srpt322/pdf/CRPT-109srpt322.pdf|title=Congressional Reports: S. Rpt. 109-322 – Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared|publisher=[[Federal Digital System]]|date=2006|access-date=July 6, 2014|page=235|location=Washington, D.C.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905092256/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-109srpt322/pdf/CRPT-109srpt322.pdf|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> However, during the testimony by former [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) chief [[Michael D. Brown|Michael Brown]] before a U.S. House subcommittee on September 26, Representative [[Stephen Buyer]] (R-IN) inquired as to why Bush's declaration of state of emergency of August 27 had not included the coastal parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, and Plaquemines.<ref name="Brown testimony">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/national/nationalspecial/27text-brown.html?ei=5070&en=eda6637e28de37c1&ex=1188792000&pagewanted=all|title=Former FEMA Director Testifies Before Congress|date=September 27, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013330/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/national/nationalspecial/27text-brown.html?ei=5070&en=eda6637e28de37c1&ex=1188792000&pagewanted=all|archive-date=October 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The declaration actually did not include any of Louisiana's coastal parishes, whereas the coastal counties were included in the declarations for [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]].<ref>{{cite news|first=George W.|last=Bush|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828.html|title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Mississippi|publisher=White House Office of the Press Secretary|date=August 28, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507035330/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828.html|archive-date=May 7, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=George W.|last=Bush|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828-3.html|title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Alabama|publisher=White House Office of the Press Secretary|date=August 28, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507105626/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828-3.html|archive-date=May 7, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Brown testified that this was because Louisiana [[Kathleen Blanco|Governor Blanco]] had not included those parishes in her initial request for aid, a decision that he found "shocking". After the hearing, Blanco released a copy of her letter, which showed she had requested assistance for "all the southeastern parishes including the City of New Orleans" as well specifically naming 14 parishes, including Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines.<ref>{{cite report|first=Kathleen|last=Blanco|author-link=Kathleen Blanco|url=http://jjic.gov.state.la.us/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf|title=Governor Blanco asks President to Declare an Emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina|date=August 28, 2005|access-date=April 14, 2010|publisher=Government of the State of Louisiana|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304155101/http://jjic.gov.state.la.us/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2012|location=Baton Rouge, Louisiana}}</ref>

Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were issued for large areas of southeast Louisiana as well as coastal Mississippi and Alabama. About 1.2 million residents of the Gulf Coast were covered under a voluntary or mandatory evacuation order.<ref name="KatrinaTCR"/>

====National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)====
On the afternoon of August 26, the [[National Hurricane Center]] (NHC) realized that Katrina had yet to make the turn toward the Florida Panhandle and ended up revising the predicted track of the storm from the panhandle to the Mississippi coast.<ref name="NHC disc 014">{{cite report|first=Stacy R.|last=Stewart|work=National Hurricane Center|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 14|date=August 26, 2005|access-date=July 6, 2014|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al122005.discus.014.shtml?|location=Miami, Florida|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002045708/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al122005.discus.014.shtml|archive-date=October 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The National Weather Service's New Orleans/Baton Rouge office issued a [[National Weather Service bulletin for New Orleans region|vividly worded bulletin]] on August 28 predicting that the area would be "uninhabitable for weeks" after "devastating damage" caused by Katrina, which at that time rivaled the intensity of [[Hurricane Camille]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/warn_archive/LIX/NPW/0828_214001.txt|title=Urgent – Weather Message|work=[[National Weather Service New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=August 28, 2005|access-date=July 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060301101418/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/warn_archive/LIX/NPW/0828_214001.txt|archive-date=March 1, 2006|location=New Orleans, Louisiana}}</ref> During video conferences involving the president later that day and on August 29, NHC director [[Max Mayfield]] expressed concern that Katrina might push its storm surge over the city's levees and flood walls. In one conference, he stated, "I do not think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern."<ref name="Levee Breach Warning">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/02/fema.tapes/index.html|title=Transcripts, tape show Bush, Brown warned on Katrina|date=March 2, 2006|access-date=July 6, 2014|newspaper=[[CNN]]|location=Washington, D.C.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701165301/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/02/fema.tapes/index.html|archive-date=July 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Florida and Gulf Coast===
In Florida, Governor [[Jeb Bush]] declared a [[state of emergency]] on August 24 in advance of Hurricane Katrina's landfall.<ref name="Florida-preps">Staff writer. [http://floridadisaster.org/eoc/eoc_activations/katrina05/reports/Sitrep_Katrina_082605_3.pdf "Hurricane Katrina Situation Report No. 3"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624012053/http://floridadisaster.org/eoc/eoc_activations/katrina05/reports/Sitrep_Katrina_082605_3.pdf |date=June 24, 2006}} ''Florida State Emergency Response Team''. August 26, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2006.</ref> By the following day, Florida's Emergency Operations Center was activated in [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]] to monitor the progress of the hurricane.<ref>{{cite report|publisher=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]|date=August 25, 2005|title=Officials Urge Preparedness As Katrina Intensifies|access-date=April 11, 2012|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18417|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608050649/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18417|archive-date=June 8, 2010}}</ref> Before Katrina moved ashore, schools and businesses were closed in the Miami area. Cruise ships altered their paths due to seaports in southeastern Florida closing.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters |title=Hurricane Katrina drenches Florida |date=August 26, 2005 |publisher=Television New Zealand |access-date=April 10, 2012 |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/606925 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221000944/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/606925 |archive-date=December 21, 2013}}</ref> Officials in Miami-Dade County advised residents in mobile homes or with special needs to evacuate. To the north in Broward County, residents east of the [[Intracoastal Waterway]] or in mobile homes were advised to leave their homes. Evacuation orders were issued for offshore islands in [[Palm Beach County, Florida|Palm Beach County]], and for residents in mobile homes south of Lantana Road. Additionally, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for vulnerable housing in [[Martin County, Florida|Martin County]].<ref name="Florida-preps"/> Shelters were opened across the region.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|first=Shadi|last=Rahimi|title=Tropical Storm Becomes a Hurricane as it Nears Florida|date=August 25, 2005|access-date=April 10, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/national/24cnd-storm.html}}</ref> Officials closed the [[Miami International Airport]],<ref name="afp827">{{cite news|agency=Agence France-Presse|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 27, 2005|title=Reeling from hurricane, Florida braces for 2nd hit|access-date=April 10, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/26/travel/26iht-travel27.html}}</ref> [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]], [[Key West International Airport]], and [[Florida Keys Marathon Airport]] due to the storm. In Monroe and [[Collier County, Florida|Collier]] counties, schools were closed, and a shelter was opened in [[Immokalee, Florida|Immokalee]].<ref name="nyt826">{{cite news|first1=Joseph B. |last1=Treaster |first2=Shadi |last2=Rahimi |title=Hurricane Moves Over Gulf After Soaking Southern Florida|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 26, 2005|access-date=April 10, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/26/national/26cnd-katrina.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2}}</ref>
[[File:Hurricane Katrina LA landfall radar.gif|thumb|Radar loop of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in Louisiana]]
On August 28, Alabama Governor [[Bob Riley]] declared a state of emergency for the approaching Hurricane Katrina. On the same day, he requested President Bush to declare "expedited major disaster declaration" for six counties of South Alabama, which was quickly approved. Three hundred fifty national guardsmen were called on duty by August 30.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3775450 |title=Riley declares state of emergency due to Katrina threat |access-date=October 8, 2006 |year=2005 |publisher=KATC, WorldNow |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928065227/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3775450 |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref> The state of Mississippi activated its [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] on August 26 in preparation for the storm's landfall. Additionally, the state government activated its Emergency Operations Center the next day, and local governments began issuing evacuation orders. By 6:00 p.m. [[Central Time Zone (North America)|CDT]] on August 28, 11 counties and cities issued evacuation orders, a number which increased to 41 counties and 61 cities by the following morning. Moreover, 57 emergency shelters were established on coastal communities, with 31 additional shelters available to open if needed.<ref name="CongressInvestigation">{{cite book|author=United States Congress|date=February 19, 2006|title=A Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]]|location=[[Washington, DC]]|access-date=May 20, 2011|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/katrinareport/fullreport.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326065222/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/katrinareport/fullreport.pdf|archive-date=March 26, 2009|author-link=United States Congress}}</ref>

By Sunday, August 28, most infrastructure along the Gulf Coast had been shut down, including all freight and [[Amtrak]] rail traffic into the evacuation areas as well as the [[Waterford Nuclear Generating Station]]. Since Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak's [[Sunset Limited]] service has never been restored past New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/mobile-alabama-amtrak-service-restoration|title = Amtrak line to be restored to Gulf Coast by 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Popup&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554014709 |title=Service Alert: Hurricane Katrina Update – City of New Orleans, Crescent, Sunset Limited – Revised Service Information |date=September 1, 2005 |publisher=[[Amtrak]] |access-date=May 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922031250/http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak%2Fam2Copy%2FSimple_Copy_Popup&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554014709 |archive-date=September 22, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Louisiana====
{{See also|Hurricane preparedness for New Orleans}}
[[File:New Orleans Elevations.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Vertical cross-section of New Orleans, showing maximum levee height of {{convert|23|ft|m|0}}. Vertical scale exaggerated.]]
In Louisiana, the state's hurricane evacuation plan calls for local governments in areas along and near the coast to evacuate in three phases, starting with the immediate coast 50 hours before the start of tropical-storm-force winds. Persons in areas designated Phase II begin evacuating 40 hours before the onset of tropical storm winds and those in Phase III areas (including New Orleans) evacuate 30 hours before the start of such winds.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Louisiana Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness |title=Louisiana Citizen Awareness and Disaster Evacuation Guide |access-date=July 20, 2006 |url=http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/evacinfo/stateevacrtes.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714152101/http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/evacinfo/stateevacrtes.htm |archive-date=July 14, 2006}}</ref> Many private caregiving facilities that relied on bus companies and ambulance services for evacuation were unable to evacuate their charges because they waited too long.<ref name="providermag">{{cite web|last1=Connole|first1=Patrick|title=Long Term Care Providers Tackle Disaster Preparedness In A Post-Katrina World|magazine=Provider Magazine |date=February 1, 2011|url=https://www.providermagazine.com/Monthly-Issue/2011/Pages/0211/Disaster-Preparedness-In-A-Post-Katrina-World.aspx|access-date=October 11, 2020}}</ref> Louisiana's Emergency Operations Plan Supplement 1C (Part II, Section II, Paragraph D) calls for use of school and other public buses in evacuations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/DOD/manual/full%20text%20documents/State%20Authorities/La.%20EOP_Supplement1c.pdf|title=State Of Louisiana Emergency Operations Plan Supplement 1C|date=July 2000|access-date=May 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909235959/http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/DOD/manual/full%20text%20documents/State%20Authorities/La.%20EOP_Supplement1c.pdf|archive-date=September 9, 2006}}</ref> Although buses that later flooded were available to transport those dependent upon public transportation, not enough bus drivers were available to drive them as Governor Blanco did not sign an emergency waiver to allow any licensed driver to transport evacuees on school buses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vtpi.org/katrina.pdf|first=Todd|last=Litman|publisher=Victoria Transport Policy Institute|date=April 13, 2006|access-date=May 20, 2011|title=Lessons From Katrina and Rita: What Major Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners|page=5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325121112/http://vtpi.org/katrina.pdf|archive-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref>

By August 26, many of the computer models had shifted the potential path of Katrina {{convert|150|mi|km}} westward from the Florida Panhandle, putting the city of New Orleans directly in the center of their track probabilities; the chances of a direct hit were forecast at 17%, with strike probability rising to 29% by August 28.<ref>[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.015.shtml "Hurricane Katrina Probabilities Report Number 15"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220192914/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.015.shtml |date=February 20, 2006}} and [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.021.shtml Hurricane Katrina Probabilities "Report Number 21"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220192958/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.021.shtml |date=February 20, 2006}} ''National Hurricane Center''. August 26, 2005. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.</ref> This scenario was considered a potential catastrophe because some parts of New Orleans and the metro area are below sea level. Since the storm surge produced by the hurricane's right-front quadrant (containing the strongest winds) was forecast to be {{convert|28|ft|m|1}}, while the levees offered protection to {{convert|23|ft|m|1}}, emergency management officials in New Orleans feared that the storm surge could go over the tops of levees protecting the city, causing major flooding.<ref>Drye, Willie. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050905140525/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0829_050829_hurricane.html "Hurricane Katrina Pulls Its Punches in New Orleans"].  ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]''. August 29, 2005. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.</ref>

At a news conference at 10 a.m. EDT on August 28, shortly after Katrina was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, New Orleans mayor [[Ray Nagin]] ordered the first-ever [[emergency evacuation|mandatory evacuation]] of the city, calling Katrina "a storm that most of us have long feared".<ref>Staff Writer. [http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/08/29/katrina-heads-for-new-orleans.html "Katrina Heads for New Orleans"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807213728/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/08/29/katrina-heads-for-new-orleans.html |date=August 7, 2015}} ''[[Fox News]]/[[Associated Press]]''. August 29, 2005. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.</ref> The city government also established several "refuges of last resort" for citizens who could not leave the city, including the massive [[Louisiana Superdome]], which sheltered approximately 26,000 people and provided them with food and water for several days as the storm came ashore.<ref>Staff Writer. [http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08_28.html#074657 "26,000 shelter at Superdome"]. {{webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20051112032104/http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08_28.html |date=November 12, 2005}} ''Times-Picayune''. August 28, 2005. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.</ref><ref>''Diary From the Dome'' is a 2008 memoir written by a tourist who was stuck inside the Superdome during Katrina and the levee failures. It offers an overview of the conditions inside the stadium as well as a critique of the media's coverage of the disaster.</ref> Some estimates claimed that 80% of the 1.3 million residents of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area evacuated, leaving behind substantially fewer people than remained in the city during the [[Hurricane Ivan]] evacuation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/29/asb.01.html|title=Hurricane Katrina Pummels Three States|last=Brown|first=Aaron|date=August 29, 2005|publisher=CNN|access-date=May 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521230304/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/29/asb.01.html|archive-date=May 21, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>