On 29 August 2005, the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history, with respect to personnel dislocation and property damage, struck the Gulf Coast States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. While the Galveston storm of 1900 was far deadlier, this storm caused disruption, physical destruction, and national dissatisfaction with all levels of government on a far greater scale. The estimated loss of life is 1,836 with property damage in excess of $81 billion. Much of the devastation resulted when the levee system in New Orleans failed. A large portion of the city was flooded by up to nine feet of water filled with sewage, chemical products from flooded plants and refineries, and occasional drowning victims. This lake of refuse remained for days, leaving homes and businesses beyond repair, requiring many blocks of the city to be torn down and removed. This task continues as of this writing and will do so indefinitely. Over 120,000 people lost their homes within hours. Relief efforts by the local, state and national governments were at first frustratingly unresponsive, then late, uncoordinated, and finally inadequate. Horror stories of violence and crime, later determined as exaggerated, emitted from the Superdome and symbolized the chaos. People were driven to escape from New Orleans by whatever means possible, including an unlicensed youth who stole a school bus, drove several people to Houston, and became a short-lived national hero.
It was in the actions of Houston and Houstonians that the nation found a significant measure of redemption. An ad hoc committee of businessmen, religious leaders, social agency directors and others headed by Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels worked tirelessly for weeks to coordinate a massive relief effort staffed by hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life. Harris County Domed Stadium, the Astrodome, on the south side of Houston’s downtown, became a massive dormitory without walls for the survivors as thousands of cots were set up on the main floor. Later, the George R. Brown Convention Center was put into service. As the 150,000 hurricane survivors arrived, security personnel checked identifications, weeding out those who might be a threat. Medical personnel diagnosed health problems, treated injuries, and administered vaccinations. Clothing contributed by area residents was distributed. People were fed. For the first time in days, survivors had access to sanitation facilities, clothing, food, medical attention, security from human predators, and even a small library, courtesy of the Houston Public Library. Efforts were made to reunite families and loved ones who had been scattered over thirty states from Arizona to Massachusetts without knowing who had survived much less where they were. There was little privacy and people had lost control of their lives but only gratitude was expressed.
By the middle of September, the convention and sports venues were vacant as survivors were moved into hotels, apartments and vacant homes, usually paid for by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Relocation was expedited as another major hurricane, Rita, bore down on Texas and southwest Louisiana, making landfall on September 24, 2005, causing considerable property damage in east Texas and western Louisiana. The overall disruption caused by the two powerful storms will require extensive recovery efforts.
As of the processing of this collection, survivors continue to need assistance as many are without employment and thus cannot afford rent or other basics of life. FEMA continues to struggle with the housing situation and its own internal difficulties. The welcome mat in Houston has been worn thin by the demands of people upon social systems that were inadequate to meet the needs of Houston before Katrina. The answers remain over the horizon.
From the guide to the Katrina Relief Effort in Houston MSS 1441., 2005-2007, 2005, (Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library)
