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Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:10:51 -0700

KATRINA TIMELINE

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report

 

 

KATRINA TIMELINE

 

Comment on the timeline here.

 

 

Friday, August 26

 

GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA [Office

of the Governor]

 

GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM PENTAGON: At a 9/1

press conference, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force

Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the process of requesting

additional forces on Friday, 8/26. [DOD]

Saturday, August 27

 

GOV. HALEY BARBOUR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN MISSISSIPPI [Office

of the Governor]

 

5AM CDT — KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE [CNN]

 

GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN

LOUISIANA: " I have determined that this incident is of such severity

and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of

the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary

Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property,

public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a

disaster. " [Office of the Governor]

 

FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN FULL AUTHORITY TO

RESPOND TO KATRINA: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify,

mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources

necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.†[White House]

Sunday, August 28

 

2AM CDT †" KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

 

7AM CDT †" KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE [CNN]

 

MORNING — LOUISIANA NEWSPAPER SIGNALS LEVEES MAY GIVE: " Forecasters

Fear Levees Won’t Hold Katrina " : " Forecasters feared Sunday

afternoon that storm driven waters will lap over the New Orleans

levees when monster Hurricane Katrina pushes past the Crescent City

tomorrow. " [Lafayette Daily Advertiser]

 

9:30 AM CDT — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER MANDATORY EVACUATION OF

NEW ORLEANS: “We’re facing the storm most of us have feared,â€

said Nagin. " This is going to be an unprecedented event.â€

[Times-Picayune]

 

4PM CDT †" NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL HURRICANE WARNING:

In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, “Most of the area will be

uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At least one-half of

well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled

roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed. …

Power outages will last for weeks. … Water shortages will make human

suffering incredible by modern standards. " [National Weather Service]

 

AFTERNOON — BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL

HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR: Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National

Hurricane Center: “‘We were briefing them way before landfall. …

It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the

levee could be topped.’†[Times-Picayune; St. Petersburg Times]

 

LATE PM †" REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE: “Waves crashed

atop the exercise path on the Lake Pontchartrain levee in Kenner early

Monday as Katrina churned closer.†[Times-Picayune]

 

APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36

HOURS WORTH OF FOOD [Times-Picayune]

 

LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD REQUESTS 700 BUSES FROM FEMA FOR EVACUATIONS:

FEMA sends only 100 buses. [boston Globe]

Monday, August 29

 

7AM CDT †" KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

 

8AM CDT †" MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING OVER LEVEE:

“I've gotten reports this morning that there is already water coming

over some of the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward, we've had one

of our pumping stations to stop operating, so we will have significant

flooding, it is just a matter of how much.†[NBC's " Today Show " ]

 

MORNING — BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION: " 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

[immigration], 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. " [White House]

 

MORNING †" BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN

[White House]

 

11AM CDT — MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT DHS DISPATCH 1,000

EMPLOYEES TO REGION, GIVES THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE: " 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.' " [AP]

 

LATE MORNING †" LEVEE BREACHED: “A large section of the vital 17th

Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new `hurricane

proof' Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in

Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north.â€

[Times-Picayune]

 

11AM CDT — BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE MEDICARE DRUG

BENEFIT: " This new bill I signed says, if you're a senior and you like

the way things are today, you're in good shape, don't change. But, by

the way, there's a lot of different options for you. And we're here to

talk about what that means to our seniors. " [White House]

 

4:30PM CDT — BUSH TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA SENIOR CENTER TO DISCUSS

MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: " We've got some folks up here who are concerned

about their Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with us. … I

could tell — she was looking at me when I first walked in the room to

meet her, she was wondering whether or not old George W. is going to

take away her Social Security check. " [White House]

 

8PM CDT — RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL GAME: Rumsfeld

" joined Padres President John Moores in the owner's box…at Petco

Park. " [Editor & Publisher]

 

8PM CDT †" GOV. BLANCO AGAIN REQUESTS ASSISTANCE FROM BUSH: “Mr.

President, we need your help. We need everything you’ve got.â€

[Newsweek]

 

LATE PM †" BUSH GOES TO BED WITHOUT ACTING ON BLANCO’S REQUESTS

[Newsweek]

Tuesday, August 30

 

11AM CDT †" BUSH SPEAKS ON IRAQ AT NAVAL BASE CORONADO [White House]

 

MIDDAY †" CHERTOFF FINALLY BECOMES AWARE THAT LEVEE HAS FAILED: “It

was on Tuesday that the levee–may have been overnight Monday to

Tuesday–that the levee started to break. And it was midday Tuesday

that I became aware of the fact that there was no possibility of

plugging the gap and that essentially the lake was going to start to

drain into the city.†[Meet the Press, 9/4/05]

 

PENTAGON CLAIMS THERE ARE ENOUGH NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS IN REGION:

“Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate

National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs.†[WWL-TV]

 

MASS LOOTING REPORTED, SECURITY SHORTAGE CITED: " The looting is out of

control. The French Quarter has been attacked, " Councilwoman Jackie

Clarkson said. " We're using exhausted, scarce police to control

looting when they should be used for search and rescue while we still

have people on rooftops. " [AP]

 

U.S.S. BATAAN SITS OFF SHORE, VIRTUALLY UNUSED: " The USS Bataan, a

844-foot ship designed to dispatch Marines in amphibious assaults, has

helicopters, doctors, hospital beds, food and water. It also can make

its own water, up to 100,000 gallons a day. And it just happened to be

in the Gulf of Mexico when Katrina came roaring ashore. The Bataan

rode out the storm and then followed it toward shore, awaiting relief

orders. Helicopter pilots flying from its deck were some of the first

to begin plucking stranded New Orleans residents. But now the Bataan's

hospital facilities, including six operating rooms and beds for 600

patients, are empty. " [Chicago Tribune]

 

2PM CDT †" PRESIDENT BUSH PLAYS GUITAR WITH COUNTRY SINGER MARK

WILLIS [AP]

 

BUSH RETURNS TO CRAWFORD FOR FINAL NIGHT OF VACATION [AP]

Wednesday, August 31

 

NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ARRIVE IN LOUSIANA, MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, AND

FLORIDA: Troops arrive two days after they are requested. [boston Globe]

 

TENS OF THOUSANDS TRAPPED IN SUPERDOME; CONDITIONS DETERIORATE: " A

2-year-old girl slept in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a

restroom. Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by

teenagers. `We pee on the floor. We are like animals,' said Taffany

Smith, 25, as she cradled her 3-week-old son, Terry. … By Wednesday,

it had degenerated into horror. … At least two people, including a

child, have been raped. At least three people have died, including one

man who jumped 50 feet to his death, saying he had nothing left to

live for. There is no sanitation. The stench is overwhelming. " " [Los

Angeles Times, 9/1/05]

 

PRESIDENT BUSH FINALLY ORGANIZES TASK FORCE TO COORDINATE FEDERAL

RESPONSE: Bush says on Tuesday he will " fly to Washington to begin

work…with a task force that will coordinate the work of 14 federal

agencies involved in the relief effort.†[New York Times, 8/31/05]

 

JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY DIRECTOR SAYS FOOD AND WATER SUPPLY GONE:

" Director Walter Maestri: FEMA and national agencies not delivering

the help nearly as fast as it is needed. " [WWL-TV]

 

80,000 BELIEVED STRANDED IN NEW ORLEANS: Former Mayor Sidney

Barthelemy " estimated 80,000 were trapped in the flooded city and

urged President Bush to send more troops. " [Reuters]

 

3,000 STRANDED AT CONVENTION CENTER WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER: “With

3,000 or more evacuees stranded at the convention center — and with no

apparent contingency plan or authority to deal with them — collecting

a body was no one's priority. … Some had been at the convention center

since Tuesday morning but had received no food, water or

instructions.†[Times-Picayune]

 

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DECLARED FOR ENTIRE GULF COAST: " After a

natural disaster, short and long-term medical problems can occur.

Diseases like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and mosquito-borne illnesses

tend to break out under these conditions. " [WCBS-TV]

 

EARLY AM †" BLANCO AGAIN TRIES TO REQUEST HELP FROM BUSH: “She was

transferred around the White House for a while until she ended up on

the phone with Fran Townsend, the president's Homeland Security

adviser, who tried to reassure her but did not have many specifics.

Hours later, Blanco called back and insisted on speaking to the

president. When he came on the line, the governor recalled, " I just

asked him for help, `whatever you have'. " She asked for 40,000

troops.†[Newsweek]

 

4PM CDT — BUSH GIVES FIRST MAJOR ADDRESS ON KATRINA: “Nothing about

the president's demeanor… — which seemed casual to the point of

carelessness — suggested that he understood the depth of the current

crisis.†[New York Times]

 

7PM CDT †" CONDOLEEZZA RICE TAKES IN A BROADWAY SHOW: “On Wednesday

night, Secretary Rice was booed by some audience members at

‘Spamalot!, the Monty Python musical at the Shubert, when the lights

went up after the performance.†[New York Post, 9/2/05]

 

8PM CDT — FEMA DIRECTOR BROWN CLAIMS SURPRISE OVER SIZE OF STORM: " I

must say, this storm is much much bigger than anyone expected. " [CNN]

Thursday, September 1

 

7AM CDT — BUSH CLAIMS NO ONE EXPECTED LEVEES TO BREAK: " I don't think

anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. " [Washington Post]

 

CONDOLEEZZA RICE VISITS U.S. OPEN: “Rice, [in New York] on three

days' vacation to shop and see the U.S. Open, hitting some balls with

retired champ Monica Seles at the Indoor Tennis Club at Grand

Central.†[New York Post]

 

STILL NO COMMAND AND CONTROL ESTABLISHED: Terry Ebbert, New Orleans

Homeland Security Director: " This is a national emergency. This is a

national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no

command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami

victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans.†[Fox News]

 

2PM CDT — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES " DESPERATE SOS " TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:

" This is a desperate SOS. Right now we are out of resources at the

convention centre and don't anticipate enough buses. We need buses.

Currently the convention centre is unsanitary and unsafe and we're

running out of supplies. " [Guardian, 9/2/05]

 

2PM CDT — MICHAEL BROWN CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE HEARD OF REPORTS OF

VIOLENCE: " I've had no reports of unrest, if the connotation of the

word unrest means that people are beginning to riot, or you know,

they're banging on walls and screaming and hollering or burning tires

or whatever. I've had no reports of that. " [CNN]

 

NEW ORLEANS “DESCEND INTO ANARCHYâ€: “Storm victims were raped

and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open,

and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as

flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. ‘This is a

desperate SOS,’ the mayor said.†[AP]

CONDOLEEZZA RICE GOES SHOE SHOPPING: “Just moments ago at the

Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several

thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this,

so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin

Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s

timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, ‘How dare

you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!’†[Gawker]

MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY LEARNS OF EVACUEES IN CONVENTION CENTER: “We

learned about that (Thursday), so I have directed that we have all

available resources to get that convention center to make sure that

they have the food and water and medical care that they need.†[CNN]

Friday, September 2

ROVE-LED CAMPAIGN TO BLAME LOCAL OFFICIALS BEGINS: “Under the

command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White

House rolled out a plan…to contain the political damage from the

administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.†President Bush’s

comments from the Rose Garden Friday morning formed “the start of

this campaign.†[New York Times, 9/5/05]

EARLY AM — BUSH WATCHES DVD OF THE WEEK’S NEWSCASTS CREATED BY STAFF

WHO THOUGHT BUSH “NEEDED TO SEE THE HORRIFIC REPORTSâ€: “The

reality, say several aides who did not wish to be quoted because it

might displease the president, did not really sink in until Thursday

night. Some White House staffers were watching the evening news and

thought the president needed to see the horrific reports coming out of

New Orleans. Counselor Bartlett made up a DVD of the newscasts so Bush

could see them in their entirety as he flew down to the Gulf Coast the

next morning on Air Force One.†[Newsweek]

10:35AM CDT — BUSH PRAISES MICHAEL BROWN: " Brownie, you're doing a

heck of a job. " [White House, 9/2/05]

10 AM CDT — PRESIDENT BUSH STAGES PHOTO-OP “BRIEFINGâ€: Coast Guard

helicopters and crew diverted to act as backdrop for President Bush's

photo-op.

BUSH VISIT GROUNDS FOOD AID: “Three tons of food ready for delivery

by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on

the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic

was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans,

officials said.†[Times-Picayune]

LEVEE REPAIR WORK ORCHESTRATED FOR PRESIDENT’S VISIT: Sen. Mary

Landrieu, 9/3: “Touring this critical site yesterday with the

President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort

to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this

critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became

apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for

a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources

we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of

equipment.†[sen. Mary Landrieu]

BUSH USES 50 FIREFIGHTERS AS PROPS IN DISASTER AREA PHOTO-OP: A group

of 1,000 firefighters convened in Atlanta to volunteer with the

Katrina relief efforts. Of those, " a team of 50 Monday morning quickly

was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first

assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated

areas. " [salt Lake Tribune; Reuters]

12PM CDT — BUSH “SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSEâ€: " I am satisfied

with the response. I am not satisfied with all the results. " [AP]

Saturday, September 3

SENIOR BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL LIES TO WASHINGTON POST, CLAIMS

GOV. BLANCO NEVER DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY: The Post reported in

their Sunday edition " As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a

state of emergency, the senior Bush official said. " They were forced

to issue a correction hours later. [Washington Post, 9/4/05]

9AM CDT — BUSH BLAMES STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS: " [T]he magnitude of

responding to a crisis over a disaster area that is larger than the

size of Great Britain has created tremendous problems that have

strained state and local capabilities. The result is that many of our

citizens simply are not getting the help they need. " [White House, 9/3/05]

How to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

What We're About

What We're Fighting For:

* Social and Economic Justice

* Healthy Communities

* Global Leadership

* A Secure America

What We're Fighting Against:

* Corrupt Establishment

* Incompetent Establishment

* Braindead Media

* Radical Right-Wing Agenda

Think Progress Highlights

* CIA Leak List: The 21 Administration Officials Involved in

Exposing Plame

* DeLay's Dirty (Baker's) Dozen

* Democracy Hypocrisy: Bush's " Vision " Meets Reality

* How to Talk to a Conservative About Karl Rove (If You Must)

* Katrina: A Comprehensive Timeline

* Katrina: The Disaster and Its Aftermath

About Think Progress

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