As Hurricane Katrina approached land it pulled in dryer air
from the north and moved out of the warmest waters over the Loop
Current . It was downgraded to a strong Category 4 storm but continued
on its path toward the heart of New Orleans with sustained winds of 135 miles per hour.
Overnight high tides began to flood the areas outside the levees. By
4:30 am there were leaks reported on the Industrial Canal.
At 5:00am
the MrGO levees began to crumble, allowing Lake Borgne into St. Bernard
Parish wetlands. From there they would cross the smaller Arpent 40
canal levee and flood the parish from Chalmette south to
Poydras by 8:30am.
At 6:10 a.m. Katrina made landfall on the Louisiana coast between
Grand
Isle and the mouth of the Mississippi River at Buras. Its 21 foot surge
inundated southern Plaquemines Parish on both sides of the river and drove up the Mississippi River. Wobbling to the
northeast
it appeared that it might miss New Orleans.
Unfortunately a jog back onto a northerly course developed almost immediately.
At 6:30 am New Orleans East began to flood when water from Lake Borgne driven by strong east winds began to over top and
breach levees all along the southern boundary of New Orleans East.
The picture shows the inter coastal waterway levee under the I-510
bridge just as the storm surge over tops the levee and floods New
Orleans East. The picture is taken looking toward the south so the
waves you see in the distance are marching across the picture toward
the Industrial Canal and the Lower Ninth Ward.
At 7:30 the Industrial Canal breached on its western side at Florida
Avenue intensifying flooding in Gentilly and the Upper Ninth Ward that
had started at 4:30 with some leaks. Within 15 minutes the levees on
the east side of the canal failed creating the massive flood that
destroyed the Lower Ninth Ward, Arabi and continued on into Chalmette
where it met the flood waters driven in from Lake Borgne. There are
some contradictory reports about the timing of this breach. Wikipedia
reports that Arabi was dry as late as 8:30-9:00 suggesting this breach
took place an hour after the Corps chronology.
By 8:30 am the storm was due east of the city. Sustained winds were
under 100 mph but gusts to 120 were reported. In the city the wind rips
two holes in the roof of the Superdome where 10,000 people
have taken refuge. Power had
failed at around 5am and the tension of waiting in the dark and
stagnant air is briefly relieved as the holes admit light as well as
torrents of rain water. The crowd cheers the light but fear returns
quickly as concern for the integrity of the entire structure grows.
As an estimated 200,000 people hunker down in their homes across Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard as damaging winds rip roofs off, down trees and break glass across
the
city. Heavy rains flood parts of Jefferson Parish where pumps have been
shutdown and operators evacuated to safety.
As the storm move northward the winds in the city shift from
easterly to northerly and the Lake Pontchartrain seawalls began to take
a beating. The levee along the London Avenue Canal fails first at 9:30 am
followed at 9:45 by the 17 Street Canal levee. A group of firefighters riding the storm out at Marina Towers reported the 17th Street canal breached at 9:00am. Water flows through
the three breaches into the central bowl of the city. Water levels rise slowly and at first no
one seems
aware of what is happening.Water will continue
to flow into the city until midday on Thursday, September, 1st when
levels in the city and the lake finally equalize.
By 11a.m fast moving Katrina is past the city and makes another landfall near the
Louisiana-Mississippi state line with 125 mph winds and a 28 foot
surge. Buildings as much as 1/2 mile from the coast are destroyed.
Slidell is slammed with water and wind. Waveland, MS is leveled by the strong northeast quadrant of the storm.
The Times Picayune reports at 2 pm that City Hall confirmed a
levee breach along the 17th Street canal in Lakeview at
Bellaire. Over the next several hours additional reports show the
flooding from this breach spreading throughout the heart of the city.
Additional breaches of the London Avenue canal flood areas west of the
industrial canal including Gentilly, Treme, and the Bywater. Flood
waters will continue to rise.
More than 1.3 million homes and
businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are without
electricity, according to utility companies.Twelve hours after making landfall, Katrina is
downgraded to a tropical storm. Remnants head north toward Tennessee
and the Ohio River Valley, spurring harsh storms and tornadoes.
As darkness settles over the city, word is slow to spread of the unfolding
tragedy. The flooding from the 17'th Street Canal and the London
Avenue Canals continues. It's just too hard to get
around and communications are fragmented. The
newspaper hints at the magnitude of the story but won't
report the full impact until Tuesday morning. The Mayor and Governor
know there is a problem but have been unable to get word through to
FEMA and
DHS or the President.
Marty Bahomonde of FEMA observes the breaches and flooding during a
late afternoon helicopter tour and emails word to Michael Brown and
others in FEMA. Brown tells Andy Card, the President's Chief of Staff
but not Chertoff.
The national media mistakenly reports that
New Orleans has dodged a bullet. General Matthew Broderick, at
the the Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) in Washington, is
unable due to conflicting reports to determine the "truth on the
ground" so he does not advise DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff or the President of the
levee breaches and flooding. Instead he goes home determined to resolve
the truth first thing in the morning.
Around midnight the national press finally realizes their error begins reporting the levee breaches and continuing flooding of New Orleans.