Democrats and Republicans have criticised the Bush Administration for its disorderly response to the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina. These are warnings made in the days before the hurricane and the comments made afterwards.
Friday, August 26
After striking Florida on Thursday and killing 11 people, Hurricane Katrina heads west into the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say that the storm could make landfall anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to New Orleans as early as Monday, possibly as a category four storm.
Saturday, August 27
At 10am, the National Hurricane Centre issues a hurricane warning for the "southeastern coast of Louisiana... including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain." Forecasters predict that the storm will make landfall a fraction to the east of New Orleans on either Monday or Tuesday.
Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Centre says: "I’ve been here 33 years, and we’ve always been concerned about New Orleans. I had to let the mayor know that this storm has the potential not only to cause large property damage, but large loss of life if people don’t make the right decision."
Chris Sisko, a meteorologist at the Centre, says of New Orleans: "With them sitting well below sea level, this is a potential set up for a catastrophic event that has never been seen before."
Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans advises people to leave the city: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a test. This is the real deal. Do all things you normally do for a hurricane but treat this one differently because it is pointed towards New Orleans."
Forecasters warn of "Storm surge flooding of 15ft above normal tide levels... Locally as high as 25ft along with large and dangerous battering waves."
Sunday, August 28
Hurricane Katrina strengthens to become a category five hurricane and heads north towards New Orleans.
A 4pm hurricane warning says: "Maximum sustained winds are near 165mph with higher gusts. Katrina is a potentially catastrophic category five hurricane... "
Ivor van Heerden, director of the Louisiana State University Public Health Research Centre: "This is what we've been saying has been going to happen for years... Unfortunately, it's coming true." New Orleans "is definitely going to flood."
Jeff Hingle, Placquemines Parish Sheriff, refers to Hurricane Betsy, a category two hurricane that struck Louisiana in 1965: "After Betsy these levees were designed for a category three... These levees will not hold the water back."
Monday, August 29
Hurricane Katrina weakens slightly to category four and comes ashore early in the morning, 15 miles to the east of where forecasters said it would strike. A 6am weather report warns of storm surges of 28ft and says:
"Extremely dangerous category four Hurricane Katrina preparing to move onshore near southern Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana... Some levees in the Greater New Orleans area could be overtopped."
Carlos Gutierrez, the Commerce Secretary, calls to congratulate the National Hurricane Centre on its accurate forecasting. "If that is not a superb forecast, I don’t know what is," says Mayfield, the centre's director.
Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), reminds fire and rescue services outside Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama not to send in emergency workers unless they are specifically requested. During the hurricane, the level of Lake Pontchartrain rises 4ft.
Tuesday, August 30
New Orleans wakes up to find millions of tonnes of water crashing through a 500-yard gap in its flood defences along the 17th Street Canal. A second, smaller breach occurs in the London Avenue canal and by nightfall, 80 per cent of city is submerged, with some sections flooded to a depth of 20ft.
Wednesday, August 31
Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), says the storm caused the kind of damage the agency was expecting and that plans were in place: "That category four hurricane caused the same kind of damage that we anticipated. So we planned for it two years ago. Last year, we exercised it. And unfortunately this year, we're implementing it."
Thursday, September 1
President Bush tells American television that the force of the storm and the breaching of the levees caught planners by surprise: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will."
Saturday, September 3
Michael Chertoff, the head of the Department for Homeland Security, which oversees Fema, says: "There has been, over the last few years, some specific planning for the possibility of a significant hurricane in New Orleans with a lot of rainfall, with water rising in the levees and water overflowing the levees."
Monday, September 5
Mr Chertoff tells journalists that Hurricane Katrina was a "breathtaking surprise" and says it was "that perfect storm of a combination of catastrophes [that] exceeded the foresight of the planners, and maybe anybody's foresight."
Mr Chertoff said that planners were prepared for an "overflow from the levee, maybe a small break in the levee" but "the collapse of a significant portion of the levee leading to the very fast flooding of the city was not envisioned."
Tuesday, September 6
Mr Mayfield disputes the comments of Mr Chertoff and Mr Brown: "They knew that this one was different. I don't think Mike Brown or anyone else in Fema could have any reason to have any problem with our calls... They were told... We said the levees could be topped."
