Keep pulling the thread on Hurricane Katrina.
By the time New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation order at 11am on the day before Hurricane Katrina's landfall, an estimated 70,000 people remained in the city.
The New Orleans Emergency Operations Center (EOC), located in City Hall, was rendered inoperable after floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina destroyed its emergency generator.
The New Orleans city command center was unable to make or receive phone calls or emails until three days after Hurricane Katrina's landfall.
FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) vehicles, including the 'Red October' command vehicle, were unable to reach the core of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina due to high floodwaters.
On the morning of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, parts of the Superdome's roof tore open, compromising the facility's power and water infrastructure.
FEMA did not officially assign the US Department of Transportation the task of mobilizing buses for the Superdome evacuation until early Wednesday morning, two days after Hurricane Katrina's landfall.
At their peak, US Coast Guard teams were rescuing 750 people per hour by boat and 100 people per hour by air in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The rebuilding of New Orleans in the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina has cost well over 100 billion dollars.
Approximately 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina's landfall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiated level 1 disaster operations at its headquarters and two regional offices.
In preparation for Hurricane Katrina, FEMA staged nearly 550,000 liters of water, 700,000 pounds of ice, and 330,000 meals ready to eat at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.
FEMA's Region 6 office mobilized a Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) unit, one of five in the agency, to Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, two days before Hurricane Katrina's landfall.
FEMA head Michael Brown disagreed with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on using the Superdome as a shelter, citing engineering reports that the structure might not withstand a category 3 hurricane.