One year later, rebuilding and services are spotty, despite $110 billion in federal monies.
Political fallout from the storm and government response is captured in an off-the-cuff remark from President Bush on 2 September 2005: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." Michael Brown, who headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- part of the Department of Homeland Security, became the expedient public scapegoat for an Administration seemingly unprepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Never mind that such a disaster had been predicted by experts for years.
What has happened in the intervening year? How are New Orleans and the Gulf Coast recovering?
History
Katrina was a fast-moving storm that took scientists and residents by surprise.Thursday 25 August 2005
At 5 pm EDT, NOAA upgraded tropical storm Katrina to hurricane status. By 11 pm, the storm crossed the tip of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and experts predict it will cross the Florida panhandle.
Friday 26 August 2005
At 11 am EDT, NOAA predicts that Hurricane Katrina will become a Category 2 hurricane by Saturday. Projected landfall remains the Florida panhandle. In its 5 pm report, NOAA upgrades the projection to Category Three, and for the first time, the projected landfall is west of the Florida panhandle, just west of the Mississippi-Alabama state line.
Saturday 27 August 2005
At 4 am CDT, NOAA declares that Hurricane Katrina is a Category 3 "major hurricane with 115 mph winds." The projected landfall is now New Orleans; yet residents went to bed thinking the hurricane would hit the Panhandle.
Sunday 28 August 2005
At 1 am CDT, NOAA upgrades Katrina to a Category 4 hurricane. Six hours later, Katrina is labeled a Category 5 storm. At 10.11 am CDT, NOAA's National Weather Service issues an urgent weather message enumerating the "devastating damage" expected from Hurricane Katrina. "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... Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards."
Monday 26 August 2005
At 6.10 AM CDT, Katrina makes landfall as a strong Category 4 storm, south of Buras, LA along the Mississippi delta. The most dangerous part of the storm, the eastern eyewall, hit the Mississippi coastline where Hurricane Camille struck in 1969.