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Wednesday, August 24th
Over the Bahamas forms tropical depression twelve as swirling band of wind and rain. It picks up moisture and heat and with them, speed. As its winds reach 39 mph it becomes a tropical storm and is given a name, Katrina. Along the coast of Florida a hurricane warning is announced, the first of many. -
Thursday, August 25th
By 4 o'clock Katrina grows into a category 1 hurricane, with 80 mph winds it sideswipes through Florida, just north of Miami. By midnight over 1 million homes lose power, 11 lives are lost. -
Friday, August 26th
Katrina enters north into the Gulf of Mexico and quickly picks up speed and size becoming a category 2 hurricane. Locals try to safeguard their property, as the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi declare states of emergency. -
Saturday, August 27th
As it winds reach 115 mph Katrina turns into a category 3 hurricane, with New Orleans in its sides. City officials urge those who can to evacuate, traffic jams covered the highways, as up to 18 000 cars an hour, tried to make it out of harm's way. -
Sunday, August 28th
Katrina grows into a category 4 hurricane. A few hours later it reaches category 5, the highest possible rate. Winds exceed 175 mph, all residents in New Orleans are ordered to evacuate, for those without the means to leave the city set up shelters. Many locals simply sat down in their homes and prepared to weather the storm. -
Monday, August 29th
As dawn breaks Katrina's wind speeds slow back down to a category 4 hurricane, it makes landfall at 6 am, 60 miles southeast of New Orleans. Its 140 mph winds, covers the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The eye of the storm moves just east of New Orleans, but the city is not spare. New Orleans sits below sea level surrounded by Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. As night falls Katrina slows to a tropical storm, it heads north through Tennessee and Kentucky. -
Tuesday, August 30th
The damage is immense. In Mississippi the hurricane has crushed coastal towns, causing hundreds of deaths. New Orleans lies in shambles, it is left without power and drinking water. Many residents were stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued. Bodies floated on the streets. Thousands made their way to the Superdome and convention centre in hopes of being evacuated. -
Wednesday, August 31th
The water stopped rising but the city is in chaos. Violence was so widespread that police was forced to stop rescue operations to combat the problem. -
Thursday, September 1st
Conditions at the superdome and convention centre are increasingly unsafe. People lack food, water and basic sanitation. There are reports of violent assaults. All together over 50000 people wait for the buses that will evacuate them, for most the buses do not come. -
Friday, September 2nd
The national guard arrives in force and restores order. They bring food and water. Evacuations began.