TABLE 1—
Timeline of Events Associated With Hurricane Katrina, 2005
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, August 24 | Storm in Bahamas upgraded to Tropical Storm Katrina | |
| Thursday, August 25 | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Coordination Center activated; Katrina upgraded to category 1 hurricane, passes through Florida into Gulf | |
| Friday, August 26 | Governor of Louisiana declares state of emergency; National Hurricane Center forecasts Katrina will strike east of New Orleans | |
| Saturday, August 27 | 5:00 am | Katrina upgraded to Category 3 |
| 9:00 am | Mandatory evacuation orders in St Charles and Plaquemines Parishes and coastal areas of Jefferson Parish; voluntary evacuation in St Tammany, St Bernard, New Orleans Parish, and noncoastal areas of Jefferson Parish President Bush declares federal state of emergency in Louisiana |
|
| Sunday, August 28 | 12:40 am | Hurricane Katrina upgraded to category 4 |
| 7:00 am | Hurricane Katrina upgraded to category 5 | |
| 10:00 am | Mandatory evacuation of New Orleans ordered; New Orleans Superdome named as shelter of “last resort for evacuees with special needs” | |
| Monday, August 29 | 6:10 am | Hurricane Katrina makes landfall just east of New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard parishes under 6—10 feet of water |
| 2:00 pm | Officials confirm breach of 17th Street Canal; 2 other levees also breached | |
| Tuesday, August 31 | Governor of Louisiana orders evacuation of all of New Orleans, including 23 000 people estimated to be at New Orleans Superdome; agreement made to use Houston’s Reliant Astrodome as shelter | |
| Wednesday, September 1 | 5000 evacuees arrive in Reliant Astrodome; additional 10 000 people come to New Orleans Superdome seeking evacuation | |
| Thursday, September 2 | Houston’s 3 other major shelters begin accepting evacuees (Reliant Center, Reliant Arena, and George R. Brown Convention Center) | |
| Friday, September 3 | Evacuation of New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center completed with a total of 42 000 evacuees | |
| Saturday, September 4 | At their peek census, the 4 major Houston shelters house 27 100 evacuees. | |
Source. Information taken from a variety of sources and timelines (including The New York Times, Times-Picayune, Houston Chronicle, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cable News Network, CBS News, Harris County Joint Information Center, and the Brookings Institution).