Countdown to Katrina

The Army Corps of Engineers is evacuating most of its staff to be on standby, safe from the storm. The Mayor issues the city's first ever mandatory evacuation. But for Ivor van Heerden, armed with his prophetic knowledge, desperation is setting in. 'I knew we were going to lose a lot of people, I knew there was going to be super devastation, I knew there were would be thousands of families who would lose their livelihoods, lose their homes. I knew that we were going to see an awful amount of heartbreak'.

The night before Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans the streets are all but deserted. Those who have remained are inside, preparing for the night ahead. The small remaining contingent from the Army Corps makes hourly visits to check the height of the Mississippi. Though the hurricane has not yet made landfall, the river has risen 11 feet. The Army team is forced to retreat to their steel-reinforced bunker and watch as Katrina wreaks her fury.

Monday 29 August, the day Katrina hits

Mike Theiss Katrina makes landfall...

At 6.10 am, Katrina strikes land. The National Hurricane Center has amazingly predicted her track to within about 15 miles. She has now veered to the east of the city, avoiding the worst-case scenario. Watching events from Baton Rouge. Ivor van Heerden and his team are especially concerned about the levees on the eastern side of the city. 'We felt that the levies could be overtopped. During Hurricane Betsy that we had lost significant amounts of levies, especially on the Industrial Canal, and our fear was the same thing was going to happen again'.

The Industrial Canal and the Intercoastal Waterway, which connects to the Gulf, border the eastern sections of New Orleans. Katrina's storm surge would bulldoze up the Intercoastal Waterway toward the heart of the city. But the Army Corps of Engineers has no external monitoring equipment, so the surge may go unnoticed. While power lasts, the engineers rely on the media and calls from local observers to determine the state of the levees. Despite the confused nature of the calls, it is clear that something has gone wrong with them. At about 7am, a massive storm surge charges into eastern New Orleans

A 15-foot surge is funnelled up the Intercoastal Waterway and smashes into the Industrial Canal. The earthen levees around the canal are first overtopped and then scoured away by the force of the water. Immediately, eastern New Orleans is deluged. Residents of these poor, working class areas have been warning for years about the threat of a storm surge. The people are left to fend for themselves as the water rises. But the storm is not over yet.