Diary of a mad hurricane: 'We did respond with amazing speed'
For several days as Hurricane Katrina first threatened and pounded the Gulf Coast, then flooded New Orleans, dozens of government agencies and private researchers helped predict, resist, and recover from the storm. In a series of timelines, U.S. News staffers detail the activities of:
FEMA officials: On paper, feds gave an upbeat analysis;
Climate researchers: Experts feared the worst;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 'It all started crashing pretty fast';
The Army's 82nd Airborne Division: A waiting game;
The Coast Guard: 'Hoisting up every vulnerable-looking thing;
The National Guard: 'We did respond with amazing speed';
State and local emergency officials: Getting through the storm;
and airborne storm chasers: A view from the eye.
Here, the National Guard's story:
At 7:21 a.m. on Wednesday, August 31, inside the National Guard's Joint Operation Center about five miles from the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Steven Blum sits down for a conference call with Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau, the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, and Maj. Gen. Harold Cross, the commander in Mississippi.
"ok, guys," Blum says as the commanders come on the line, "do you have what you need to deal with this thing?" The response comes back quickly from both generals: No. "This thing is worse than we thought it would be," says Landreneau. "We are going to need additional military police and security forces." Landreneau also asks for trucks that can pass through the rising water. "The water is too high and getting higher; we need vehicles that can ride through standing water," Landreneau says.
The three men hash out the new needs. Five thousand extra troops for both states, scores of guard trained in law enforcement tasks, and trucks that can get through the flooding streets of New Orleans.
Blum knows the flooding is bad: On Tuesday the rising waters had forced the Louisiana National Guard to abandon its sophisticated headquarters at Jackson Barracks, knocking out all of its communications save for a few satellite phones. With the loss of the headquarters, Blum has already decided the Louisiana Guard will need the support–and communications equipment–of another Guard headquarters unit. Already, the 35th Infantry Division from the Kansas National Guard is headed to Louisiana. Still, the overall level of needs surprises Blum. He had not appreciated to what extent the New Orleans police had been overwhelmed and needed the help of the National Guard.
"The response requirements exceeded the range of what anyone expected," Blum says later. "No one had seen anything like this, experienced anything like this in their lives. This is the largest natural disaster that has occurred in this country."
At the conclusion of the conference call, Blum and his staff also begin scouring the country for available MPs, transportation companies, and pure manpower. At noon, Blum sits down in front of two large flat-panel screens for a video teleconference. The screens in front of him show the adjutant generals of every National Guard force in the country–save that of Louisiana and Mississippi. A small camera trains on Blum, telecasting his message across the country.
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