Inside Hurricane Katrina Page #10

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on September 12th,

Michael Brown resigns.

He leaves behind

a tarnished organization...

And an enormous

political problem

for the bush administration.

The following week, another

hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico

gives officials

at all levels of government

a chance to prove they learned

something from Katrina.

Honore:
Let's not get stuck

on the last storm...

Cynthia morrell:
Right now

we're going down Paris Avenue,

which is like a major hub

going to the lakefront

of New Orleans.

Most of these

are single family homes.

Narrator:
Two weeks after

flooding from Hurricane Katrina.

Decimated New Orleans,

city councilwoman

Cynthia morrell

and her husband Arthur,

a state representative,

boat through their neighborhood.

Cynthia:
Ha ha ha!

That's my son's car,

right there... the top of it.

Arthur:
That's my jeep

over there.

Cynthia:
And that's his jeep.

Arthur:
The pressure

from the water.

Pushed these concrete retainers,

and the dirt gave way.

And then the water

just pushed in.

Down on the other side

they just fell,

because those rebars

and that concrete

could not hold all this.

It's too heavy.

Narrator:
Some of the city's

giant pumps have begun.

To send the floodwaters

back into lake pontchartrain.

People are returning

to inspect their homes.

Man:
As you can see, this used

to be a pretty nice block,

with the houses,

mostly families all lived here,

all of the families... monleys,

miss Kate, Mr. hale,

miss Johnson, the yancies,

Fletchers.

You know, ah, Langley,

he had the barbershop there.

Narrator:
City council president

Oliver Thomas.

Visits his neighborhood

in the ninth ward...

And the house where he grew up.

Thomas:
I said that

all my crying was done...

But I guess it's not.

This is the house

that my father used

his g.I. Bill to buy this house,

so we wouldn't have to rent

or live with family anymore.

Narrator:
As authorities search

more neighborhoods in New Orleans,

the death toll climbs.

Over the next month

it will exceed 1,200

across Louisiana, Mississippi

and Alabama.

The Gulf coast has lost its

battle with Hurricane Katrina.

Survivors remained trapped

for days,

while the most powerful nation

on earth

struggled to bring them

food and relief.

Hardly an inspiring performance,

especially in a post 9/11 world.

I think that people

in this country

had a right to believe

that the country was being made

more safe after September 11th.

Everybody dropped the ball

on this.

There's no question about it.

Narrator:
Tuesday,

September 13th.

President Bush becomes

the first top official

to accept blame

for the Katrina crisis.

President Bush:

Katrina exposed serious problems.

In our response capability

at all levels of government.

And to the extent

that the federal government

didn't fully do its job right,

i take responsibility.

Man:
Mike check, 1, 2.

Mike check.

Narrator:
Tuesday,

September 20th.

Another hurricane, Rita,

storms into the Gulf.

Public officials have

a second chance to get it right.

Don't get stuck

on stupid, reporters.

We're moving forward, and don't

confuse the people, please.

Let's not get stuck

on the last storm.

Blanco:
Our first mission

is to save lives.

We have a coordinated federal,

state and local effort

moving in place as we speak.

Plante:
The federal government

was busy assuring us...

There had been plans made...

People pre-positioned,

plenty of supplies, water,

and meals ready to eat.

They were determined not to make

the same mistake again

three weeks later.

Narrator:
Saturday,

September 24th.

Hurricane Rita comes ashore

between Johnson's bayou,

Louisiana,

and sabine pass, Texas.

Damage is extensive and

dozens of people are killed.

But this time, the government

seems to have its act together.

[Gavel bangs]

Man:
The select committee

will come to order...

Narrator:
Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, September 27th.

Man:
Good morning and welcome

to this morning's hearing.

Narrator:
The recently resigned

FEMA director, Michael Brown,

testifies before

a house committee.

Brown places blame

for the events in New Orleans

squarely at the local

and state level.

I very strongly

personally regret

that I was unable to persuade

Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin

to sit down,

get over their differences

and work together.

I just couldn't pull that off.

My biggest mistake was

not recognizing, by Saturday,

that Louisiana

was dysfunctional.

Narrator:
The very next day,

Louisiana Governor

Kathleen Blanco

appears before

a senate committee

but does not answer

brown's attack.

Conrad:
You were criticized

yesterday heavily by Mr. brown.

I'd just give you a chance here,

if you would like to,

to respond to that.

Blanco:
Senator Conrad,

i appreciate that,

but today I came really to talk

about job creation.

Narrator:
Monday, October 17th.

FEMA has released e-mails

to the house committee

investigating Katrina,

and they are leaked

to reporters.

Michael Brown sent one

to a colleague

two days before Katrina struck.

In it, he alludes to FEMA's

2004 Hurricane Pam war game:

"Look at this scenario"

compared to the planning

we did for New Orleans,

"and, well, you get the picture."

But who did get the picture?

Five days after Katrina,

another e-mail,

from a frustrated FEMA official

in Mississippi,

suggests the agency did not:

"Resources are far exceeded

by requirements," he writes.

"Getting less than 25 percent

of what we have been requesting

from hq daily."

Katrina has caused

Americans to wonder

whether the government,

at any level,

is prepared to respond

to a major disaster

or terrorist event

in their hometowns.

After 9/11, congress provided

billions of dollars

for cities and states to improve

their evacuation plans.

How good would those plans be

in a crisis?

Take New York City.

It depends on its vulnerable

public transit system

to get people to safety.

Or Los Angeles.

In the event

of a catastrophic earthquake

that would require people

to flee the city,

L.A. has no plan for evacuating

millions of people

or housing them.

I don't see a waterline.

May be lucky...

Big gray house on the corner.

Narrator:
Jazz trumpeter

Kermit Ruffins returns home.

His house is

on relatively high ground

and escaped significant damage.

Ruff ins:
To look

at that city now.

Is just like...

We can't wait to rebuild.

I mean, that's all

we can think about.

There's my baby picture there,

some of my records right here.

Nice kitchen back there.

I love those red beans and rice.

Narrator:
Ruffins then

checks out Vaughn's,

the neighborhood bar where he's

played a Thursday night gig

for the last 13 years.

Ruff ins:
I'll tell you one thing,

it looks exactly the same.

This place will be rolling

in no time.

All we need is electricity here.

Narrator:
Hurricane Katrina

has dampened the spirit.

Of the big easy.

But it has not drowned it.

Ruff ins:
It may take a year.

For it to really start

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