Now and Then

On Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, the death toll rose above 100 in Mississippi. In Louisiana, an estimated 25,000 people were stranded at the Superdome and 3,000 were outside the convention center. As many as 75,000 other New Orleans residents were scattered throughout the city, many atop rooftops of submerged homes.

• Photos: Neighborhoods | Aerial views | Mississippi | Evacuees arrive in Texas | Devastation on the coast
• Stories: Breach worsens city's woes| Total evacuation ordered| More

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 06:17 AM | Permalink

By Tuesday morning, Aug. 30, 2005, two levees had been breached and 80 percent of the city was submerged in water up to 20 feet deep. An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in the city - on roofs, at the Superdome and near the city's convention center.
• Photos: Aerial views | Neighborhoods | Devastation on the coast | Mississippi and Alabama
• Stories: Mammoth strike | Those fleeing find refuge in Texas | More

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 06:00 AM | Permalink

At 6:10 a.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish as a strong Category 3 storm, with wind speeds estimated at 127 mph and a central pressure of 920 mb.
• Video: Anniversary coverage from WWL-TV
• Photos: More images from Aug. 29, 2005
• Multimedia: A Year After the Heartbreak

• By 7 p.m., Katrina had weakened to a tropical storm over Mississippi.
• The first editorial about Hurricane Katrina in The Dallas Morning News began this way: For nearly four years, we've all wondered what would happen if we lost an entire American city to the actions of terrorists. But what happens if the terrorist turns out to be Mother Nature?
• Katrina's potential effect on energy prices was also reported.

• Multimedia: More Then and Now comparisons

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 01:23 AM | Permalink

By 1 a.m. CDT on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005, Katrina had strengthened to a Category 4 storm, with 145 mph winds. By 7 a.m., it was a Category 5 storm, with 160 mph winds. The National Weather Service's 24th Katrina bulletin warned that the storm would hit land at Category 4 or 5 intensity and that some levees in the greater New Orleans area could be overtopped.

• From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Katrina whipped through the Gulf of Mexico at a peak intensity of 175 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending 105 miles from the storm's center and tropical-storm winds extending up to 230 miles.
• An urgent weather message issued by the National Weather Service in New Orleans at 10:11 a.m. CDT warned that Hurricane Katrina rivaled the intensity of Hurricane Camille in 1969 and that most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks.
• At 11 a.m., the mayor of New Orleans declared a state of emergency and ordered the first mandatory evacuation in the city's history. He also opened the Superdome as a shelter for those unable to flee the city.
• The storm had a minimum central pressure of 902 mb, the lowest ever recorded in the Gulf and the 4th-lowest ever recorded anywhere.
• A front-page story in The Dallas Morning News began with this sentence: As Katrina bears down on the Gulf Coast, thousands left homeless by last year's devastating storms are still waiting for new or repaired housing while living in temporary trailers or mobile homes.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 01:00 AM | Permalink

By 5 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005, Katrina had become a major hurricane, with 115 mph winds elevating it to Category 3 status. By 10 a.m. Central Daylight Time, a hurricane watch had been issued for New Orleans and surrounding areas. By 10 p.m. CDT, a hurricane warning had been issued for the north central Gulf Coast, including the city of New Orleans.

A hurricane warning, as defined by the National Hurricane Center: Hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours, and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 06:33 AM | Permalink

The first Katrina advisory on Aug. 26, 2005, predicted the storm would "produce a significant heavy rainfall event over South Florida." The 11th and final advisory of the day, issued at 11 p.m. EDT, ends with these words: Stubborn Katrina continues toward the west-southwest ... expected to become an intense hurricane in the central Gulf of Mexico ...

• Katrina moved ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, weakened to a tropical storm over land, strengthened again to Category 1 when it moved over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and intensified to a Category 2 hurricane by 11:30 a.m. EDT.
• The storm cut diagonally across the southern part of Florida from just north of Miami on the east coast, through the Everglades, to Cape Sabel on the west coast.
• Eleven fatalities were attributed to Katrina in Florida.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 05:41 AM | Permalink

The 9th advisory issued on the storm at 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 25, 2005, is the first to refer to the storm as a hurricane. Maximum sustained winds are reported at 75 mph, making it a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 06:29 AM | Permalink

By 11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 24, 2005, the depression had strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina, and a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning had been issued for the state of Florida. By 11 p.m., a hurricane warning was in effect for the southeast Florida coast.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 10:24 AM | Permalink

At 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Aug. 23, 2005, the first advisory was issued by the National Weather Service about Tropical Depression Twelve. By 11 p.m. EDT, a tropical storm warning had been issued for portions of the Florida Keys and Florida's east coast.

Posted by Oscar Martinez at 10:23 AM | Permalink