Katrina, a photographic timeline: Powerful proof federal response was NOT slow (warning, many pics)

Yahoo News Photos ^ | 9/6/05

[Wolfstar]

The near total evacuation of the major American port city of New Orleans, Louisiana was accomplished between Tuesday afternoon, August 30 and Friday afternoon, September 2, 2005. This evacuation occurred while other search, rescue, relief and evacuation operations were simultaneously being conducted throughout the Gulf Coast between approximately Lafayette, Louisiana, on the west and the Florida panhandle on the east -– an area of about 90,000 sq. miles, or the size of the entire nation of Great Britain.

I'd say this amazing achievement is the opposite of slow. I'd say that it's a stunning accomplishment and one that demonstrates superb organization, remarkable logistics flow, and the greatness of the American spirit.

From the following photographic timeline, it should be clear to all reasonable people that the failure of government response occurred before the hurricane hit, and it occurred solely at the local and state level.

[Wolfstar]

Warning to those with older computers and slow dial-up modems, this thread will have many photos.

Request to all: please refrain from posting any other images/photos until the all-clear is given. This is a photographic essay. It will be most effective if it is uninterrupted until complete. Thanks.

[MJY1288]

Fabulous job Wolfstar, You are a treasure :-)

[Wolfstar]

Pinging you to a Dose extra: A photographic timeline of the Katrina disaster.

[Theresawithanh]

Awesome, can't wait to see this, Wolfstar! (It's like I think I'm on The Dose or something!)

[Wolfstar]

South Miami-Dade County as seen during a fire department aerial reconnaissance mission in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, August 26, 2005 in the Gulf of Mexico after killing seven people across southern Florida.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image of Hurricane Katrina taken as the hurricane continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico, August 26. The hurricane flooded neighborhoods, cut power to 2.4 million, and left Florida's densely populated southeast coast littered with branches and fallen trees.

[Wolfstar]

Traffic heading west on Interstate 10 gets rerouted north for 40 miles, after officials turned all four lanes one way to head north out of New Orleans August 27, 2005. People voluntarily began leaving on Saturday.

[Wolfstar]

Marc Crawford, with St. Tammy Parish, bags sand late into the night at the Parish Road maintenance building near Slidell, north of New Orleans August 27. One of five such locations around the parish, the crew has bagged over 8,000 sand bags and are bagging them at a rate of 1,500 an hour for parish residents. They would have been better off if officials dropped the sandbag filling and ordered a mandatory evacuation earlier.

[SouthTexas]

Ping for reception.

[Wolfstar]

NOAA Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina at 11:09 ET, August 27, 2005.

[Wolfstar]

On Sunday, August 28, waters along the Gulf coast rise as Hurricane Katrina gets closer to Air Station New Orleans on Grand Isle, Louisiana, in this photograph taken by one of the last helicopters to leave the station.

Cars carrying residents leave downtown New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina August 28. Note that contrary to New Orleans disaster planning, the both sides of this highway were not open to traffic going in one direction.

Tourists and residents stream north on Interstate 10 as they evacuate New Orleans in an attempt to flee Hurricane Katrina August 28.

[Wolfstar]

President Bush is handed a map by Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin during a video teleconference with federal and state emergency management organizations on hurricane Katrina from his Crawford ranch, August 28, 2005. The President approved major disaster declarations for the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, clearing the way for the use of federal money to help respond to Hurricane Katrina, the White House said. In addition, the President urged the governor of Louisiana and mayor or New Orleans to issue mandatory evacuation orders.

[Wolfstar]

A woman walks in the middle of a street through the rain-soaked and deserted French Quarter of New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Katrina August 28. Hundreds of thousands of New Orleans residents fled inland as Katrina strengthened into one of the fiercest U.S. storms ever seen and barreled toward the low-lying Gulf Coast city.

NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico on August 28, 2005.

[Wolfstar]

Thousands of people wait outside the Superdome to be let in for shelter from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans August 28. Mayor Nagin said this was a refuge of last resort. People were told to bring several days of food and water with them. However, despite telling people they would need several days of food and water, the city did no pre-positioning of supplies or security at any city hospitals, hotels or shelters, including the Superdome and Convention Center.

Drivers and passengers wait outside their cars as traffic snarls on the interstate highway leaving downtown New Orleans August 28.

[Wolfstar]

Marci Romagnoli and Ruth Calain of the Gulfport Oceanarium, feed dolphins in a swimming pool at a local hotel in Gulfport, Mississippi August 28. Officials at the Oceanarium were able to move the dolphins inland to safety in advance of Hurricane Katrina, but the Mayor of New Orleans didn't even try to use city resources to move people out of harms way.

[Wolfstar]

Power poles are pushed over in a flooded street after Katrina struck Gretna, Louisiana, Monday, August 29.

Hurricane Katrina destroys much of Biloxi, Mississippi August 29. Although the media reported from Biloxi and other points along the coast, the easy, "sexy" story was in New Orleans, a media hub.

Fifty-three-year-old Richard Googe looks around the Thomasville Apartments in Biloxi, Mississippi where he lives and weathered Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005.

[Wolfstar]

NOAA satellite image of Katrina taken as the storm continued to move farther inland after it came ashore August 29. While the media concentrated on the story in New Orleans, this photo shows the massive region hit by Katrina. East to west, it stretched across the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to about Lafayette, Louisiana. North to south at the time this satellite image was taken, it stretched from well out in the Gulf up into Illinois and Indiana.

At points along the entire front of that monster storm, FEMA had to stage first responders and initial supplies in safe locations. As the storm moved out of the Gulf region Monday afternoon, the first response would have been directed to areas that seemed the hardest hit. At that time, New Orleans seemed to have escaped any serious damage. The area directly hit was the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. That's where initial first-response aid was directed.

[Wolfstar]

This NOAA satellite image was taken Monday, August 29 at 15:15 ET (3:15pm. 2:15pm Central), as the worst of the storm moved northward and skies were just beginning to clear along the Gulf Coast.

This image was taken a half-hour later at 15:45 ET. Although the worst had passed, there was still considerable cloud cover and rain in the region, while localities north of the Gulf were experiencing the effect of Katrina. With roads flooded and blocked by debris, first responders and supplies had to move through that weather on their way to the Gulf as initial damage assessments started to come in.

Mark the time. It was late afternoon before the weather cleared enough to begin moving the first responders into the area.

[Sthitch]

You have to wonder why the Louisiana State Police were not untangling the "snarls".

[Wolfstar]

Some low-lying eastern districts of New Orleans were flooded during the afternoon of August 29, but the media gathered in the French Quarter was reporting that New Orleans had been spared any major damage.

Darnell Stewart, riding his horse Brandy, patrols around a flooded business site in the Terme area of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, August 29. (I have never seen any further info on what happened to Mr. Stewart and Brandy, but they were early heroes in New Orleans.)

The Treme area of New Orleans lies under several feet of water after Hurricane Katrina hit.