Hurricane Katrina effortlessly cruised its northward way along the Eastern coastline of Louisiana on August 29, 2005 producing immediate destruction, inducing unforeseen havoc and forever reversing the blasé attitude I had developed about hurricanes, as a longtime resident of Southwestern Louisiana. The reactions (no proactive steps) of the local, state and federal governments crushed my naïve conceptions about leadership in the United States. Ultimately hundreds of thousands of people evacuated New Orleans, some of their own accord and destination, others with tardy assistance…..their destinations chosen according to capacity limitations of accepting shelters strewn among several states.

Hurricane Katrina left its mark upon the history of Louisiana and left behind many urban legends. My husband was flown to New Orleans on the Tuesday (2 days) after the storm to assist evacuees that needed medical attention. His account of the immediate aftermath (the absence of local/state/federal governments’ assistance) was almost unbelievable to me. Our governments were tied up in red tape…trying to decide who had authority to do “what and when”. All the while, evacuees were left to fend for themselves. And, then along came the stories of the Superdome and its evacuees.

This quote comes from Sharon Keating:
(http://goneworleans.about.com/od/hurricanekatrina/a/evacuation3_3.htm)
“The situation at the Dome and Convention Center has become one of urban legend. Suffice it to say that of the tens of thousands of people trapped in New Orleans, and in the most horrible conditions imaginable without food, water, or shelter, there is much reason to understand the panic and hysteria which gave way to those stranded there. The forensic evidence supports the finding that there were a total of four deaths by violence in the time following the hurricane.”

I have two friends that were flown to the Superdome on the Tuesday (2 days) after Hurricane Katrina to also assist evacuees that needed medical attention. This is their story as it was told to me in the weeks following Katrina:
A diminutive amount of light sustained the persevering Dome when they arrived. Liz’s initial appraisement of the situation was that of disbelief. Smells of urine, feces and sweat permeated through the “chaos” of approximately 28,000 people. People continued to wade through waist-high water towards the dome; however no one was vacating. Gifford immediately realized that the Superdome was not being supervised by anyone. The military presence was evident, but no whereabouts of FEMA or Red Cross. Inhabitants, who were able to stand, waited in line for 2 hours for food and water. Individuals, that were unable to stand to wait in line, had no choice but to share. Liz and Gifford defined their own responsibilities and attempted to manage the First Aid Center. The Superdome was deemed un-safe by their employer on Thursday, so their presence terminated. A meager amount of organization developed with evacuations by helicopter. Gifford and Liz stated that local and state government assistance was non-existent.

I wish this story was an unsubstantiated rumor, an urban legend about Hurricane Katrina, but unfortunately it is true.