Joint Task Force Gator | |
---|---|
Active | September 1, 2005 to February 28, 2009 |
Country | United States |
Branch | Louisiana National Guard |
Type | Joint Task Force |
Role | Law Enforcement Support |
Size | Task Force |
Garrison/HQ | Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown Superdome hotel, Louisiana (Headquarters) |
Mascot(s) | Alligator |
Joint Task Force Gator was a Joint Task Force of the Louisiana National Guard mobilized to provide command and control for state military assets deployed in support of New Orleans Law Enforcement for rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The Joint Task Force operated in New Orleans, Louisiana from September 1, 2005 to February 28, 2009. [1] [2]
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. [3] Following the storm, carjacking, looting, and violent crimes began. 76,000 people were moved to Red Cross shelters and the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, demanded help for the 55,000 people that did not evacuate.
On June 16, 2006, the mayor submitted a request to the Governor, Kathleen Blanco, for 300 National Guardsmen and 60 state troopers to provide additional security assistance. [4] On June 20, the first 100 soldiers arrived at the downtown headquarters while task force commander Colonel Stephen Dabadie began work on a plan to integrate 200 more soldiers. The task force reached 300 strong by June 22.
With the help of the Louisiana State Police, those initial National Guard efforts transitioned into a support mission for the New Orleans Police Department. Joint Task Force Gator helped combat the rise of looting and other crimes due to the loss of law enforcement officers in the New Orleans area.[ citation needed ] The Joint Task Force assisted the New Orleans Police Department for three and a half years before it was released from duty on February 28, 2009.
New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana. With an estimated population of 391,006 in 2018, it is the most populous city in Louisiana. Serving as a major port, New Orleans is considered an economic and commercial hub for the broader Gulf Coast region of the United States.
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was an American politician who served as the 54th Governor of Louisiana from January 2004 to January 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first and only woman elected as the state's governor.
Hurricane Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane that made landfall on Florida and Louisiana in August 2005, causing catastrophic damage, particularly in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas, and over 1,200 deaths. Subsequent flooding, caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection system known as levees around the city of New Orleans, precipitated most of the loss of lives. The storm was the third major hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States, behind only the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Michael in 2018.
As the center of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 1 range with frequent intense gusts and tidal surge. Hurricane-force winds were experienced throughout the city, although the most severe portion of Katrina missed the city, hitting nearby St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Hurricane Katrina made its final landfall in eastern St. Tammany Parish. The western eye wall passed directly over St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane at about 9:45 am Central Time, August 29, 2005. The communities of Slidell, Avery Estates, Lakeshore Estates, Oak Harbor, Eden Isles and Northshore Beach were inundated by the storm surge that extended over six miles inland. The storm surge affected all 57 miles (92 km) of St. Tammany Parish's coastline, including Lacombe, Mandeville and Madisonville. The storm surge in the area of the Rigolets Pass was estimated to be 16 feet, not including wave action, declining to 7 feet (2.1 m) at Madisonville. The surge had a second peak in eastern St. Tammany as the westerly winds from the southern eye wall pushed the surge to the east, backing up at the bottleneck of the Rigolets Pass.
The article covers the Hurricane Katrina effects by region, within the United States and Canada. The effects of Hurricane Katrina, in August 2005, were catastrophic and widespread. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, leaving at least 1,836 people dead, and a further 135 missing. The storm was large and had an effect on several different areas of North America.
Criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina consisted primarily of condemnations of mismanagement and lack of preparation in the relief effort in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Specifically, there was a delayed response to the flooding of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Russel L. Honoré is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina–affected areas across the Gulf Coast and as the 2nd Infantry Division's commander while stationed in South Korea. He served until his retirement from the Army on January 11, 2008. Honoré is sometimes known as "The Ragin' Cajun", although he is actually of Louisiana Creole descent with a West Indies background, whose family came through the port of New Orleans and settled in the Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. The Honoré family surname is still found among the Cane River Créoles.
The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina included federal government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals. Tens of thousands of volunteers and troops responded or were deployed to the disaster - most in the affected area but also throughout the U.S. at shelters set up in at least 19 states.
Canada was one of the countries to provide the most aid and relief for Hurricane Katrina. They provided ships, supplies, volunteers, search-and-rescue teams, and more. It has also accepted some evacuees to stay in Canada.
This article contains a historical timeline of the events of Hurricane Katrina on August 23-30, 2005 and its aftermath.
Joint Task Force Katrina was a joint operation between the United States Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency created on September 1, 2005 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi to organize relief efforts along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The operation was headed by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré. Joint Task Force Katrina took over operations from United States Northern Command that had some elements in place before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.
The Housing Authority of New Orleans is a housing authority in New Orleans, Louisiana, tasked with providing housing to low-income residents.
The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a modular infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Currently the brigade is part of the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard.
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts. Shaun D. Ferguson has been the Superintendent of Police since January 18, 2019. Former Superintendents have included Michael S. Harrison, Ronal W. Serpas, Eddie Compass, and Richard Pennington.
The 141st Field Artillery Regiment is a United States field artillery regiment.
The Louisiana Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. When not Federalized the National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status. Those functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full scale law enforcement of Martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The National Guard may be called into federal service in response to a call by the President or Congress.
The 225th Engineer Brigade is a combat heavy engineer brigade of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is one of the largest engineer formations in the United States Army National Guard. The 225th Engineer Brigade is headquartered at Camp Beauregard near Pineville, Louisiana in Rapides Parish. The brigade conducts missions of mobility, counter-mobility, survivability, and civil engineering support. The brigade possesses a mixture of civil and combat engineer units to accomplish these missions.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an inactive infantry brigade combat team. Based at Fort Polk, Louisiana, the brigade was active from 2005 to 2015. It was a subordinate formation of the 10th Mountain Division.
Stephen Bradberry is a community organizer in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. In 2005, he served as the lead organizer for the New Orleans chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). He was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his work on behalf of victims of Hurricane Katrina.
LaToya Cantrell is an American politician serving as the Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, a post she has held since May 7, 2018. As the first black woman to hold the post and a Democrat, Cantrell represented District B on the New Orleans City Council from 2012–2018.