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Timeline Hurricane Katrina History 2005 New Orleans Levees, Storm Daily UpDates, Landfall Florida, Planning, Aftermath

Hurricane Katrina

2005 Levee Work Request

  • Corps of Engineers' request for $22.5 million to strengthen Levees and Walls Protecting New Orleans is turned down and US Congress approves $5.5 million

August 23rd, 2005 Storm Begins To Form

  • Tropical depression That Will Later Become Hurricane Katrina Begins To Form over the Bahamas

August 24th, 2005 Storm Upgraded To Tropical Storm

  • Tropical depression Is Upgraded To Tropical storm status and Given The Name Katrina
  • Florida Governor Jeb Bush declares a state of emergency In Southern Florida closing Schools and setting up Shelters in several counties in the southern part of the state.

August 25th, 2005 Katrina Landfall Florida Coast

  • Storm Is Upgraded To Hurricane Early Morning
  • Hurricane Katrina makes landfall Florida between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida Mid Morning as a Category 1 hurricane sustained wind speeds of 125 mph
  • Katrina causes between $1 – $2 billion worth of damages and leaves 1 million without electricity,
  • On the Florida Panhandle the storm surge was typically about five feet
  • Katrina causes the death of 14 in the State of Florida
  • Storm Loses Strength While Passing Over Land Loosing Hurricane Status
  • Storm Enters the Gulf of Mexico and begins regaining Wind Speeds

August 26th, 2005 United States Coast Guard Makes Plans

  • The United States Coast Guard activates more than 400 reservists
  • State of Mississippi activated its National Guard

August 27th, 2005 Katrina Regains Hurricane Status

  • Katrina Regains Hurricane Status Category 3 In The Gulf and Also Doubled In Size
  • President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in selected regions of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi
  • The Department of Homeland Security Department the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts

August 28th, 2005 Katrina Upgraded To Category 5

  • Hurricane Katrina upgraded to Category 5 status with 175 mph Sustained Winds
  • The director of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield, expressed concern that Katrina might push its storm surge over the New Orleans levees and flood walls
  • The Size and strength Of Hurricane Katrina Increases and Concerns over how large an area could be affected raised by National Weather Service
  • Voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders were issued for large areas of southeast Louisiana as well as coastal Mississippi and Alabama.
  • New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered the mandatory evacuation of the city Of New Orleans
  • Louisiana Superdome set up as temporary Refuge of last resort capable of holding 26,000
  • Canadian National Railway, Amtrak and Waterford Nuclear Generating Station shut down in preparation
  • 1,000,000 obey Evacuation Order and Leave The City Of New Orleans
  • 100,000 Choose to stay in the City
  • 10,000 take shelter at the Louisiana Superdome 300 National Guard troops stationed in Dome
  • Northern Louisiana region declared a disaster area by the Federal Government prior to Landfall

August 29th, 2005 Katrina Makes Landfall As Category 3 Louisiana.

  • Hurricane Katrina Makes Landfall as Category 3 status at 6:10 AM local time near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana with sustained windspeeds of 140 MPH
  • Storm Surge in Area Affected up to 22 foot New Orleans
  • Storm Surge in Area Affected up to 30 foot Biloxi-Gulfport Mississippi
  • Breaches to 53 different levees in greater New Orleans
  • Section of the 17th Street Canal levee gives way allowing a sea of water from Lake Pontchartrain to flood Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east.
  • 80% of the city of New Orleans Flooded
  • Hurricane Katrina Causes the Loss of life of 1,577 in Louisiana
  • Hurricane Katrina Causes the Loss of life of 238 in Mississippi
  • Many Of Those who stay behind take refuge on rooftops ( Water is over 15 feet deep ) waiting for rescue
  • The United States Coast Guard begin rescue operations soon after the worst of the storm is over, many are taken to Louisiana Superdome
  • Mississippi 90% of the buildings along the Biloxi-Gulfport coastline are destroyed worst effected areas Hancock County ( Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pearlington, and Clermont Harbor. ), Harrison County ( Biloxi and Gulfport ), and Jackson County ( Pascagoula )
  • No Clean Water or electricity in the City Of New Orleans
  • No Communications Including Cell Phones Available New Orleans
  • Hurricane disrupts 95 % of the daily Gulf of Mexico oil production
  • Over 1.7 million people lost power in the Gulf states of Mississippi and Louisiana
  • Interstate 10 leading east out of the city of New Orleans is closed due to bridges smashed
  • Most coastal highways along the Gulf were impassable due to severe flooding in places
  • Katrina Moves Inland and downgrades to tropical storm with rain and Tornadoes affecting Tennessee, Ohio and Georgia

August 30th, 2005 Aftermath

  • Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco ordered the complete evacuation of Louisiana Superdome evacuees are transported to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
  • Looting and violence spreads through the city of New Orleans including car jacking, with reports of gangs armed with guns controlling large parts of the city
  • Rescue Helicopters were also fired on by snipers attempting to keep control of large areas.
  • Coast Guard rescues 1,200 people from rooftops In New Orleans.
  • U.S. military begins to move ships and helicopters to the region
  • FEMA Begins search and rescue operation
  • FEMA Begins Setting UP Temp Hospitals for sick and Injured
  • The American Red Cross launches disaster mobilization plan by the end of the day 75,000 people housed in temporary shelters

August 31st, 2005 Regaining Control

  • Curfew Imposed On City Of New Orleans
  • New Orleans's 1,500-member police force was ordered to abandon search and rescue missions and turn their attention toward controlling the widespread looting
  • Public health emergency was declared for the entire Gulf Coast including New Orleans
  • President George Bush Returns From Texas Holiday flying over New Orleans Disaster Area On Route Back To Washington DC
  • Gas Prices US Wide increase to record highs ( Reports of $5.00 per gallon in some areas ) due to disruption in oil supplies caused by Hurricane Katrina.

September 1st, 2005 Additional Resources Arrive

  • 6,500 National Guard troops arrive in New Orleans
  • Vice President Dick Cheney Returns From Vacation

September 2nd, 2005 Food, water and medical supplies begin arriving

  • President Bush takes aerial tour of New Orleans and stops at Biloxi, Mississippi, and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
  • Food, water and medical supplies begin arriving in New Orleans for many survivors who have been without for 5 days
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begin operations to repair levees and repair existing pumps and bring in additional pumps estimate could take up to 40 days to drain the city of water

September 3rd, 2005 Utility Teams Begin Massive Operation To Restore Power

  • 3,600 paratroopers from 82nd Airborne Division arrived in New Orleans
  • A call for utility companies from throughout the United States begin work to restore power to more than 1 million Gulf Coast customers ( I can remember watching news reports of 30 or 40 teams going from Wisconsin to help. )

September 4th, 2005

  • 27,000 National Guard troops now stationed in Louisiana for disaster relief.
  • 1,000 firefighters responding to calls for help from around the country undergo 1 days community relations training prior to beginning work in New Orleans.
  • US Coast Guard has rescued 15,665 people since beginning operations 6 days ago

September 5th, 2005

  • Workers plug the breach in the 17th Street Canal
  • 1,000 firefighters responding to calls for help from around the country arrive In New Orleans To Provide Assistance.
  • Following the repair of 17th Street Canal Breach U.S. Army Corps of Engineers start pumps to drain the city of New Orleans of water
  • Teams begin the gruesome task recovering those killed in the hurricane

September 6th, 2005

  • New Orleans Mayor Nagin orders the removal of all those not involved in recovery efforts from the city

September 7th, 2005

  • Bodies of 30 patients who were unable to evacuate are found at St. Rita's Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish
  • Floodwater in the city of New Orleans is found to hold dangerous levels of bacteria and lead which could cause serious problems for those coming in contact with floodwater.

September 8th, 2005

  • Vice President Dick Cheney, tours the hurricane affected zone in Gulfport, Mississippi,

September 9th, 2005

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Director Michael Brown stands down due to criticism of his handling of the disaster
  • Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen is appointed head of relief operations on the Gulf Coast

September 10th, 2005

  • Due to the success of obtaining additional pumps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the City Of New Orleans will be dry before beginning of October.

September 12th, 2005

  • Public health officials use C-130 cargo planes to spray pesticide over New Orleans in an effort to control the mosquito population.
  • Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina had struck 40 percent of the city of New Orleans remains under water

September 13th, 2005

  • A Report says over 160,000 homes in New Orleans are beyond repair and will have to be demolished


September 15th, 2005

  • President George W. Bush admits to the nation the government had failed to respond adequately to the devastation caused to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and urged Congress to approve a massive reconstruction program.

September 14th, 2005

  • The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee opens hearings into the response to Hurricane Katrina
  • Construction Workers working under FEMA begin work on trailer home cities for hundreds of thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees across Louisiana and Mississippi

September 17th, 2005

  • Business Owners From French Quarter Begin Returning for clean up operation
  • Animal Charities ask for donations to help feed and house pets abandoned or lost during Katrina and to find original owners or new owners


September 19th, 2005

  • Preparations are made for possible landfall of Tropical Storm Rita which could decimate the city due to weak structure of many levees.


September 20th, 2005

  • The Red Cross prepares to move 13,000 New Orleans evacuees from shelters in southern Louisiana that are vulnerable if Rita makes landfall in or near the state.


September 23rd, 2005

  • Hurricane Rita makes landfall causing water to flood over some of the partially repaired levees causing flooding in the 9th Ward


September 27th, 2005

  • The slow return to the area begins with those evacuated from the Algiers neighborhood


October

  • Amtrak resumed passenger rail service to New Orleans bringing mass ground transportation back to the city for the first time since Hurricane Katrina Struck
  • Businesses reopen in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street
  • Katrina caused an estimated $96 billion dollars in damage
  • Latest Estimates are more than 300,000 homes were completely destroyed or made uninhabitable
  • More than 770,000 people were displaced due to the hurricane

  • 2006

    • January 2006 85 percent of public schools in Orleans parish had still not reopened
    • July 2006 100,000 people still living in 37,745 FEMA-provided trailers.
    • July 2006 Louisiana Superdome Repairs Completed
    • July 2006 Only 200,000 of New Orleans' 500,000 original residents have returned so far
    • September 2006 Louisiana Superdome hosts first New Orleans Saints Football Game Since Katrina

    2007

    • An estimate for number of homeless people living in New Orleans is 12,000 people
    • After two years Tens of thousands of home owners and business owners who suffered catastrophic losses from flooding after the levees breached in New Orleans are denied insurance claims due to fine print in insurance policies which did not cover flood damage, including damage from man-made disasters like the breach of the levees
    Related Links
    Internal Related Pages
    August 25
    August 28
    August 29
    August 30
    August 31
    September 2
    2005
    External Resources For More Further Reading and Video Links To News Stories
    Hurricane Katrina non-profit project to assist Hurricane Katrina survivors
    Hurricane Katrina
    CNN Hurricane Katrina Including Then and Now and Survivor Stories
    CNN Katrina
    BBC Katrina Home Page providing links to Over 50 News Items Related To Katrina
    BBC Katrina
    Wikipedia Home Page For Hurricane Katrina
    Wikipedia Katrina







    100 years of price Change

    100 Years Of Price Changes

    We spent many hours researching cost of living information for each year and I created this page after being asked a number of times about why I did not include current prices alongside our cost of living information for each year and thought this was the easiest way to make the information available. includes Average Cost Of New Home, Average Wages, New Car cost, Gallon Of Gas and a 1lb Hamburger Meat, 1920 to 2023