1 00:00:02,306 --> 00:00:03,438 - This is the hurricane 2 00:00:03,525 --> 00:00:04,700 New Orleans has feared for decades. 3 00:00:04,743 --> 00:00:05,831 - During Hurricane Katrina, 4 00:00:05,918 --> 00:00:07,833 FBI headquarters wanted a presence 5 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,532 to remain in the office. 6 00:00:10,619 --> 00:00:13,187 - There's communications gear and certain sensitive items 7 00:00:13,274 --> 00:00:15,058 that can't be unattended. 8 00:00:15,145 --> 00:00:17,191 - And then the rain bands started coming. 9 00:00:17,278 --> 00:00:20,368 [wind howling] 10 00:00:20,455 --> 00:00:22,587 - The roof literally peeled off like a sardine can. 11 00:00:22,674 --> 00:00:24,502 - Unbelievable. 12 00:00:24,589 --> 00:00:26,591 - Wind is coming straight down in the building. 13 00:00:26,722 --> 00:00:28,767 - Water's pouring down the walls. 14 00:00:28,854 --> 00:00:30,160 The telephone poles were snapping, 15 00:00:30,291 --> 00:00:32,771 and it's like we're going to die in this building. 16 00:00:32,858 --> 00:00:34,469 [dramatic music] 17 00:00:34,556 --> 00:00:37,341 - I've flown 130 combat hours in Somalia, 18 00:00:37,428 --> 00:00:39,039 but flying in New Orleans 19 00:00:39,126 --> 00:00:41,389 was one of the most dangerous environments 20 00:00:41,519 --> 00:00:42,694 I've ever flown in. 21 00:00:42,781 --> 00:00:44,392 Helicopters were getting shot at 22 00:00:44,522 --> 00:00:46,220 from lots of criminal elements. 23 00:00:46,307 --> 00:00:49,136 - We were afraid that people would try to break in. 24 00:00:49,266 --> 00:00:51,529 We have drugs in our evidence room. 25 00:00:51,616 --> 00:00:54,010 We have an entire vault of guns. 26 00:00:54,097 --> 00:00:55,751 A white van pulled up, 27 00:00:55,838 --> 00:00:58,406 and the guy that stepped out had a shotgun in his left hand. 28 00:00:58,536 --> 00:00:59,581 - Did they say anything? Did they talk to you? 29 00:00:59,668 --> 00:01:01,322 - No, no. 30 00:01:01,409 --> 00:01:03,150 I could tell that they were looking for not food, 31 00:01:03,237 --> 00:01:04,846 not water, not help. 32 00:01:04,934 --> 00:01:05,543 They were looking for trouble. 33 00:01:05,630 --> 00:01:08,851 [tense music] 34 00:01:09,765 --> 00:01:11,288 [dramatic music] 35 00:01:11,375 --> 00:01:14,422 - In the FBI, we make a lot of headlines. 36 00:01:14,551 --> 00:01:17,512 ♪ ♪ 37 00:01:17,642 --> 00:01:19,122 Drug busts, 38 00:01:19,209 --> 00:01:21,820 mob stings, 39 00:01:21,951 --> 00:01:23,735 terrorist takedowns. 40 00:01:23,822 --> 00:01:25,607 - Get down! Get down! 41 00:01:25,650 --> 00:01:28,131 - We understand why people want to tell stories about us. 42 00:01:28,175 --> 00:01:29,132 - Mark it. 43 00:01:29,176 --> 00:01:30,655 - Freeze! - FBI. 44 00:01:30,742 --> 00:01:32,265 - FBI! - Action! 45 00:01:32,396 --> 00:01:34,311 - But they don't know the half of it. 46 00:01:34,398 --> 00:01:35,920 [indistinct radio chatter] 47 00:01:36,008 --> 00:01:37,923 What really goes down, 48 00:01:37,967 --> 00:01:40,317 we save that for each other 49 00:01:40,404 --> 00:01:42,014 when we're talking agent-to-agent. 50 00:01:42,145 --> 00:01:45,366 ♪ ♪ 51 00:01:45,453 --> 00:01:47,628 This is "FBI True." 52 00:01:56,027 --> 00:01:58,640 [suspenseful music] 53 00:01:58,727 --> 00:02:01,208 - I'm glad you guys came in today to talk to me 54 00:02:01,338 --> 00:02:04,080 because I can't believe it's going to be 20 years 55 00:02:04,167 --> 00:02:06,300 for Hurricane Katrina. 56 00:02:06,387 --> 00:02:09,738 - Cindy Coppola is a 23-year veteran of the FBI. 57 00:02:09,781 --> 00:02:13,437 She worked Organized Crime, Terrorism, Drug Trafficking, 58 00:02:13,524 --> 00:02:15,874 and Money Laundering. 59 00:02:15,961 --> 00:02:19,139 - So this is your story of survival during Katrina. 60 00:02:19,226 --> 00:02:21,793 Take me back to when it happened. 61 00:02:21,924 --> 00:02:24,361 - Friday night, watching the news, 62 00:02:24,448 --> 00:02:28,322 hurricane coming across Miami, barely paid attention to it. 63 00:02:28,409 --> 00:02:30,889 It's supposed to what, go up into the panhandle of Florida? 64 00:02:30,976 --> 00:02:32,456 Go to bed. No big deal. 65 00:02:36,417 --> 00:02:37,940 I get up, I'm headed out to get some groceries. 66 00:02:39,028 --> 00:02:40,638 And the phone rings 67 00:02:40,725 --> 00:02:42,379 and it's the supervisor from the field office. 68 00:02:42,466 --> 00:02:44,338 And he says, hey, do you want to come in tomorrow 69 00:02:44,468 --> 00:02:46,122 for the actual hurricane? 70 00:02:46,209 --> 00:02:48,341 And I'm like, what hurricane? 71 00:02:48,429 --> 00:02:49,952 - Todd Heflin was a police officer 72 00:02:49,995 --> 00:02:54,216 and an attorney before he joined the FBI in 2003. 73 00:02:54,304 --> 00:02:56,654 He retired as chief of the FBI's 74 00:02:56,741 --> 00:03:00,876 Critical Incident Response Group's legal unit in 2025. 75 00:03:00,963 --> 00:03:03,008 - I called him back and said I'll come in tonight. 76 00:03:03,052 --> 00:03:04,445 Volunteering for the hurricane was 77 00:03:04,532 --> 00:03:06,229 just something I like to do. 78 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,797 - And Saturday, the posture of everything changed. 79 00:03:08,927 --> 00:03:12,975 Katrina at that time was a 3 barreling towards New Orleans. 80 00:03:13,018 --> 00:03:15,934 And they predicted it was going to get to a Category 5. 81 00:03:16,021 --> 00:03:19,373 - What can you tell us about the latest of Katrina, Bill? 82 00:03:19,460 --> 00:03:22,376 - Well, it's not good news. More bad news keeps coming in. 83 00:03:22,506 --> 00:03:25,857 - We're stressing that anybody that can leave, 84 00:03:25,944 --> 00:03:28,033 please do so now. 85 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:29,513 - As I'm driving down the road, 86 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,385 I look and I notice gas stations are full. 87 00:03:31,515 --> 00:03:33,430 People are backed out on Vets Boulevard 88 00:03:33,517 --> 00:03:34,605 trying to get in. 89 00:03:34,736 --> 00:03:35,692 - We've got oil, 90 00:03:35,780 --> 00:03:38,043 we've got water, we've got food. 91 00:03:38,174 --> 00:03:40,916 Pray for us. Pray for all of New Orleans. 92 00:03:41,003 --> 00:03:42,744 [tense music] 93 00:03:42,831 --> 00:03:46,835 - I drove against traffic to the FBI field office. 94 00:03:46,965 --> 00:03:49,141 The field office sat up on the lakefront, 95 00:03:49,228 --> 00:03:51,405 probably six, seven miles from downtown. 96 00:03:52,275 --> 00:03:54,234 And it was kind of on this big, flat plain 97 00:03:54,321 --> 00:03:58,412 just inside the levee from Lake Pontchartrain. 98 00:03:58,499 --> 00:04:00,196 - During a natural disaster event, 99 00:04:00,283 --> 00:04:03,286 FBI field offices mostly evacuate, 100 00:04:03,417 --> 00:04:07,247 but someone has to remain in the building at all times. 101 00:04:07,290 --> 00:04:09,292 - There's a SCIF in every FBI field office, 102 00:04:09,379 --> 00:04:11,555 and it's got certain communications gear 103 00:04:11,642 --> 00:04:14,906 and certain sensitive items that can't be unattended. 104 00:04:15,037 --> 00:04:16,603 Foreign nation state actors 105 00:04:16,690 --> 00:04:18,822 would love to get their hands on some of this equipment. 106 00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:21,216 So I helped secure the building on Saturday night. 107 00:04:21,303 --> 00:04:22,523 It was all quiet. 108 00:04:29,094 --> 00:04:31,401 - I had volunteered for prior hurricanes as well 109 00:04:31,445 --> 00:04:33,447 and got a call from our ASAC, 110 00:04:33,534 --> 00:04:35,144 can you come in Sunday morning really early 111 00:04:35,231 --> 00:04:36,624 and relieve the switchboard operator 112 00:04:36,711 --> 00:04:38,800 so they can evacuate with their families? 113 00:04:38,887 --> 00:04:41,455 And I said, absolutely, so long as I could bring my two dogs. 114 00:04:41,542 --> 00:04:44,240 I had two German shepherds at that time. 115 00:04:44,371 --> 00:04:46,460 ASAC said, absolutely, bring the dogs. 116 00:04:46,547 --> 00:04:48,375 You know, you're welcome. 117 00:04:48,505 --> 00:04:51,987 - LisaMarie Freitas joined the FBI in 2002, 118 00:04:52,074 --> 00:04:55,207 where she worked Terrorism and Crimes Against Children. 119 00:04:55,295 --> 00:04:59,473 She left the FBI to become a federal prosecutor in 2006, 120 00:04:59,603 --> 00:05:01,953 and is currently an investigative counsel 121 00:05:02,084 --> 00:05:03,477 for the Department of Justice, 122 00:05:03,564 --> 00:05:06,001 Office of the Inspector General. 123 00:05:06,088 --> 00:05:08,177 - Our office was a relatively new building, 124 00:05:08,264 --> 00:05:09,439 and it was sturdy. 125 00:05:09,483 --> 00:05:11,572 And I thought, you know, we'll be OK. 126 00:05:11,659 --> 00:05:14,096 I went in to relieve the switchboard operator, 127 00:05:14,139 --> 00:05:16,490 and then everything shut down at noon. 128 00:05:16,577 --> 00:05:19,536 And at that time, we knew that it was 129 00:05:19,667 --> 00:05:21,016 a very dangerous hurricane. 130 00:05:21,103 --> 00:05:22,452 - This is the hurricane 131 00:05:22,539 --> 00:05:24,628 New Orleans has feared for decades. 132 00:05:24,715 --> 00:05:26,717 Hotels are packed for hundreds of miles, 133 00:05:26,848 --> 00:05:28,763 many people squeezed into shelters, 134 00:05:28,893 --> 00:05:32,114 wondering what they will have to go home to. 135 00:05:32,157 --> 00:05:35,596 - Our SAC Bernazzani said, look, the engineer called us 136 00:05:35,726 --> 00:05:38,207 that had, you know, built the building 137 00:05:38,338 --> 00:05:40,514 and said we need to evacuate. 138 00:05:40,601 --> 00:05:41,732 That the building was not 139 00:05:41,863 --> 00:05:43,908 built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. 140 00:05:43,952 --> 00:05:45,345 - That's not good to hear. - Yeah. 141 00:05:45,475 --> 00:05:46,737 It didn't make us feel good. - No. 142 00:05:46,824 --> 00:05:49,174 - And then he received a call from FBI headquarters 143 00:05:49,261 --> 00:05:50,915 from the deputy director, who said that they wanted 144 00:05:50,959 --> 00:05:53,396 a presence to remain in the office 145 00:05:53,483 --> 00:05:56,486 regardless of the nature of the storm. 146 00:05:56,530 --> 00:05:59,968 We couldn't leave the SCIF unguarded. 147 00:06:00,055 --> 00:06:02,231 It was eight of us that made the decision to stay, 148 00:06:02,318 --> 00:06:05,103 including Todd and myself and two task force officers 149 00:06:05,190 --> 00:06:06,801 from New Orleans Police Department. 150 00:06:06,888 --> 00:06:08,672 And at that point, our purpose was 151 00:06:08,759 --> 00:06:12,154 to occupy the office and get it ready for the storm. 152 00:06:12,241 --> 00:06:14,809 [tense music] 153 00:06:14,896 --> 00:06:16,463 ♪ ♪ 154 00:06:16,550 --> 00:06:19,204 - Scott, you're back in Virginia at Quantico. 155 00:06:19,335 --> 00:06:20,728 Are you watching this on the news? 156 00:06:20,815 --> 00:06:23,948 - I'm following it like the rest of the country on TV. 157 00:06:23,992 --> 00:06:28,388 And as the date gets closer to landfall day on the 29th 158 00:06:28,518 --> 00:06:32,435 between headquarters and CIRG, 159 00:06:32,566 --> 00:06:36,613 they started making decisions that the New Orleans office 160 00:06:36,657 --> 00:06:40,312 is going to need logistics support and medevac support. 161 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,054 - Scott Johnson was a decorated military 162 00:06:43,141 --> 00:06:46,101 combat pilot before joining the FBI's Miami SWAT team 163 00:06:46,188 --> 00:06:48,799 as a sniper in 1999. 164 00:06:48,930 --> 00:06:50,845 He was a supervisory special agent 165 00:06:50,888 --> 00:06:55,284 on the hostage rescue team before retiring in 2021. 166 00:06:55,371 --> 00:06:58,679 - We had two Bell 412 helicopters. 167 00:06:58,722 --> 00:07:01,029 We were told, gear up and launch down 168 00:07:01,072 --> 00:07:02,204 when the storm's out of the way 169 00:07:02,247 --> 00:07:03,423 and we can get the helicopters down there. 170 00:07:10,995 --> 00:07:12,823 - At that point, the gravity of what's going to happen 171 00:07:12,910 --> 00:07:13,824 has sunk in. 172 00:07:13,955 --> 00:07:15,086 Like, this isn't going to be one 173 00:07:15,173 --> 00:07:17,045 that skirts us or goes around us. 174 00:07:17,175 --> 00:07:19,047 This is a Cat 5 coming across the Gulf 175 00:07:19,177 --> 00:07:21,571 that's going to hit us head on. 176 00:07:21,615 --> 00:07:24,835 And Sunday evening, we just-- 177 00:07:24,966 --> 00:07:27,055 we ate some dinner and just kind of waited. 178 00:07:27,185 --> 00:07:29,057 That was a really strange feeling. 179 00:07:29,187 --> 00:07:31,059 - With Katrina's worst on its way, 180 00:07:31,146 --> 00:07:33,582 the last wave of people fled New Orleans overnight, 181 00:07:33,670 --> 00:07:35,977 thousands of them looking for any place safe. 182 00:07:36,064 --> 00:07:37,674 In the city itself, 183 00:07:37,761 --> 00:07:39,937 deserted streets are just one more sign of the worry. 184 00:07:40,024 --> 00:07:42,244 - And then the rain bands started coming. 185 00:07:42,374 --> 00:07:46,727 ♪ ♪ 186 00:07:46,814 --> 00:07:48,076 Power went out quick. 187 00:07:48,119 --> 00:07:49,991 Power went out before the storm came. 188 00:07:50,078 --> 00:07:54,256 ♪ ♪ 189 00:07:54,299 --> 00:07:55,823 And I remember going to sleep. 190 00:07:55,909 --> 00:07:57,607 And then at some point, 191 00:07:57,694 --> 00:07:59,870 must have been 4:00, 4:30 in the morning, 192 00:07:59,957 --> 00:08:01,524 there was banging on the door and they said, LisaMarie, 193 00:08:01,611 --> 00:08:02,612 get up, get up, get up. 194 00:08:02,656 --> 00:08:05,223 The roof, the roof. 195 00:08:05,310 --> 00:08:09,445 So we get up, come out, and there's pieces of the roof... 196 00:08:09,576 --> 00:08:10,490 in front of the building. 197 00:08:10,620 --> 00:08:13,057 ♪ ♪ 198 00:08:13,144 --> 00:08:15,843 - The roof literally peeled off like a sardine can. 199 00:08:15,930 --> 00:08:17,279 - Like a tin can? 200 00:08:17,322 --> 00:08:18,846 - And just rolled up and fell in the front parking lot. 201 00:08:18,976 --> 00:08:21,283 ♪ ♪ 202 00:08:21,370 --> 00:08:22,632 - I remember Todd and I 203 00:08:22,719 --> 00:08:24,112 standing at the window on the third floor 204 00:08:24,199 --> 00:08:25,461 and you're watching--- 205 00:08:25,592 --> 00:08:27,071 the telephone poles were snapping. 206 00:08:27,202 --> 00:08:31,902 ♪ ♪ 207 00:08:31,989 --> 00:08:34,514 And then there's like, air conditioning pieces 208 00:08:34,557 --> 00:08:35,905 flying around in the wind. 209 00:08:35,993 --> 00:08:39,082 ♪ ♪ 210 00:08:39,126 --> 00:08:41,129 Water is pouring down the walls in the halls, 211 00:08:41,259 --> 00:08:43,610 just coming down the side walls. 212 00:08:43,697 --> 00:08:46,395 ♪ ♪ 213 00:08:46,526 --> 00:08:47,701 We were just told, don't go upstairs, 214 00:08:47,788 --> 00:08:48,963 don't go on the fourth floor. 215 00:08:49,050 --> 00:08:51,095 But at some point, tiles started collapsing. 216 00:08:51,226 --> 00:08:53,837 ♪ ♪ 217 00:08:53,924 --> 00:08:55,273 And it's like, you know, 218 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,101 is this building going to make it? 219 00:08:57,188 --> 00:08:58,929 Like, we really thought the building was going to collapse. 220 00:08:59,016 --> 00:09:02,324 ♪ ♪ 221 00:09:02,411 --> 00:09:03,978 - We lose the elevator cap, 222 00:09:04,108 --> 00:09:06,284 so the wind is coming straight down the building. 223 00:09:06,415 --> 00:09:08,156 And I'm not an engineer, 224 00:09:08,243 --> 00:09:09,984 but at some point, I'd seen a show where they talk about 225 00:09:10,027 --> 00:09:11,986 how wind in hurricanes knock buildings down. 226 00:09:12,116 --> 00:09:14,945 It's not from the outside. Like, you don't blow them over. 227 00:09:15,032 --> 00:09:18,906 Wind gets in the inside and it kind of pushes them apart. 228 00:09:18,993 --> 00:09:20,734 And I just remember having that thought 229 00:09:20,821 --> 00:09:23,084 as I'm, like, passing one of the elevator shafts 230 00:09:23,214 --> 00:09:26,043 listening to the cables banging against the elevator door. 231 00:09:26,130 --> 00:09:29,830 And at that moment you're like, we've got no place to go. 232 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,398 If the building comes apart and we don't die in the collapse, 233 00:09:33,485 --> 00:09:34,748 what are you going to do? 234 00:09:34,835 --> 00:09:36,532 Because looking outside, I can't imagine 235 00:09:36,663 --> 00:09:38,969 being outside with those kind of winds. 236 00:09:39,100 --> 00:09:40,667 - And I remember saying to Todd, 237 00:09:40,754 --> 00:09:41,972 we're going to die in this building. 238 00:09:42,103 --> 00:09:44,584 [wind howling] 239 00:09:44,714 --> 00:09:46,368 ♪ ♪ 240 00:09:46,455 --> 00:09:49,632 - There's this period of time at the height of the storm, 241 00:09:49,719 --> 00:09:53,593 you think, I just don't have any control. 242 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:56,465 And in law enforcement, it's all about control. 243 00:09:56,552 --> 00:09:57,684 You can work with people. 244 00:09:57,814 --> 00:09:59,816 You can arrest people. You can predict them. 245 00:09:59,947 --> 00:10:01,688 There's nothing you're going to be able to do-- 246 00:10:01,818 --> 00:10:03,298 - Mother Nature. - No, Mother Nature. 247 00:10:03,385 --> 00:10:05,213 I can't control this 248 00:10:05,300 --> 00:10:07,084 and it's just going to happen one way or the other. 249 00:10:07,171 --> 00:10:10,784 ♪ ♪ 250 00:10:10,827 --> 00:10:12,176 - We found a corner of the office 251 00:10:12,220 --> 00:10:13,830 and we all sat on the floor. 252 00:10:13,874 --> 00:10:18,835 And at that point, the two NOPD officers had their radios on, 253 00:10:18,922 --> 00:10:22,056 and you could hear 254 00:10:22,143 --> 00:10:24,885 people calling in dispatch for help. 255 00:10:31,631 --> 00:10:32,675 - Like, we're in the attic. 256 00:10:32,806 --> 00:10:33,720 I'm in the attic with my children. 257 00:10:33,807 --> 00:10:35,069 Help us. Help us. 258 00:10:38,899 --> 00:10:40,161 - The dispatchers were just like, 259 00:10:40,248 --> 00:10:41,815 there's no help coming for you. 260 00:10:48,517 --> 00:10:49,300 - You could hear their children crying... 261 00:10:49,387 --> 00:10:50,650 - Ugh, it's horrible. 262 00:10:50,693 --> 00:10:51,912 - And screaming in the background. 263 00:10:51,955 --> 00:10:53,522 And, you know, just listening to that for-- 264 00:10:53,609 --> 00:10:55,045 it felt like, hours. 265 00:10:55,089 --> 00:10:57,831 - And then we just all kind of, you know, hold fast 266 00:10:57,961 --> 00:10:59,093 until the storm passes, 267 00:10:59,223 --> 00:11:02,183 which is 9:30, 10:00 in the morning. 268 00:11:06,317 --> 00:11:08,885 So Monday afternoon, we kind of thought things are good. 269 00:11:08,972 --> 00:11:10,757 - I think most people thought the worst was over 270 00:11:10,844 --> 00:11:11,932 because the storm was gone. 271 00:11:12,019 --> 00:11:13,063 - Absolutely. 272 00:11:13,194 --> 00:11:14,238 And everybody's focusing on the destruction 273 00:11:14,282 --> 00:11:15,805 in the Mississippi coastline. 274 00:11:15,892 --> 00:11:18,025 [somber music] 275 00:11:18,068 --> 00:11:19,461 Those poor folks, 276 00:11:19,548 --> 00:11:21,419 everything just got wiped out and washed out. 277 00:11:21,506 --> 00:11:23,639 - What you're seeing are simply the pilings. 278 00:11:23,683 --> 00:11:24,988 - Pilings. 279 00:11:25,075 --> 00:11:30,167 - The entire bridge is gone. 280 00:11:30,254 --> 00:11:32,343 - The country's like, New Orleanians are fine. 281 00:11:32,474 --> 00:11:33,562 Right? They just had a storm that went over. 282 00:11:33,649 --> 00:11:34,694 It's gone. 283 00:11:34,824 --> 00:11:37,653 But the levees breach during the storm, 284 00:11:37,740 --> 00:11:39,263 nobody really notices that 285 00:11:39,350 --> 00:11:42,527 because New Orleans is a big city... 286 00:11:42,658 --> 00:11:44,486 and it fills up like a bathtub. 287 00:11:44,616 --> 00:11:49,534 ♪ ♪ 288 00:11:49,621 --> 00:11:51,885 By late Monday evening, 289 00:11:51,972 --> 00:11:55,105 we're dry because we're on a high point. 290 00:11:55,192 --> 00:11:57,281 But the whole neighborhood across, it was just-- 291 00:11:57,368 --> 00:11:58,152 yeah, filled up. 292 00:11:58,239 --> 00:11:59,762 ♪ ♪ 293 00:11:59,849 --> 00:12:01,242 - The team guarding the field office 294 00:12:01,329 --> 00:12:03,810 doesn't have access to boats or helicopters, 295 00:12:03,897 --> 00:12:05,855 so they're unable to help, 296 00:12:05,942 --> 00:12:08,510 even if theycould leave their post. 297 00:12:08,597 --> 00:12:10,599 - And then nighttime came, 298 00:12:10,686 --> 00:12:14,298 there's no light anywhere and you could hear gunshots. 299 00:12:14,429 --> 00:12:16,823 [distant rapid gunshots] 300 00:12:16,953 --> 00:12:18,650 - Did you know what that was? Why? 301 00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:21,653 - Through our radio, we learned that the NOPD, 302 00:12:21,741 --> 00:12:23,307 they were engaged in active gunfire 303 00:12:23,351 --> 00:12:24,308 with people all over the city. 304 00:12:24,395 --> 00:12:25,266 - Looters. - Looters. 305 00:12:25,353 --> 00:12:26,484 - I think looters. - Yeah. 306 00:12:26,571 --> 00:12:30,401 So that's really kicking off on Monday night. 307 00:12:30,488 --> 00:12:33,143 - Well, we were afraid that people would try to break in. 308 00:12:33,274 --> 00:12:35,755 We don't just have what's in the SCIF. 309 00:12:35,885 --> 00:12:38,235 We have drugs in our evidence room. 310 00:12:38,322 --> 00:12:39,846 We have an entire vault of guns. 311 00:12:39,933 --> 00:12:42,239 [tense music] 312 00:12:42,370 --> 00:12:46,200 And thousands and thousands of rounds of ammo. 313 00:12:46,287 --> 00:12:48,202 And the power's out, so the locks aren't working. 314 00:12:48,289 --> 00:12:49,725 - Do you have food at this point? 315 00:12:49,812 --> 00:12:52,380 - We did not have as good a hurricane plan 316 00:12:52,423 --> 00:12:54,251 as field offices do now. 317 00:12:54,338 --> 00:12:56,165 ♪ ♪ 318 00:12:56,253 --> 00:12:59,517 - There was definitely not adequate supply of the things 319 00:12:59,604 --> 00:13:02,433 that we could have used, mainly food. 320 00:13:02,564 --> 00:13:05,654 It was a very long, long night. 321 00:13:05,741 --> 00:13:08,265 ♪ ♪ 322 00:13:08,396 --> 00:13:12,879 On Tuesday, the city was still completely flooded. 323 00:13:12,966 --> 00:13:15,229 Bernazzani called a meeting 324 00:13:15,316 --> 00:13:17,274 and he said, listen, I want everybody geared up. 325 00:13:17,361 --> 00:13:18,798 I want your weapons on. 326 00:13:18,841 --> 00:13:22,323 We're going to take turns patrolling the property. 327 00:13:22,410 --> 00:13:26,109 Todd and I were sort of patrolling the property. 328 00:13:26,196 --> 00:13:30,157 And we were walking towards the front gate 329 00:13:30,244 --> 00:13:32,246 and a white van pulled up. 330 00:13:32,376 --> 00:13:35,466 ♪ ♪ 331 00:13:35,597 --> 00:13:38,252 And the door slid open slowly, 332 00:13:38,382 --> 00:13:39,644 and one guy got out, 333 00:13:39,731 --> 00:13:41,821 but you could see that there were others behind him 334 00:13:41,951 --> 00:13:43,692 in the van, probably seven to eight. 335 00:13:43,823 --> 00:13:44,606 - Did they say anything? Did they talk to you? 336 00:13:44,736 --> 00:13:46,042 - No, no. 337 00:13:46,129 --> 00:13:50,046 And the guy that stepped out had a shotgun. 338 00:13:50,177 --> 00:13:52,005 I could tell that they were looking for 339 00:13:52,092 --> 00:13:53,833 not food, not water, not help. 340 00:13:53,963 --> 00:13:55,182 They were looking for trouble. 341 00:13:55,269 --> 00:13:56,400 They were looking to come into the building. 342 00:13:56,531 --> 00:13:59,099 ♪ ♪ 343 00:14:03,233 --> 00:14:04,800 - So they stood there 344 00:14:04,931 --> 00:14:06,933 and they were contemplating what they were going to do, 345 00:14:07,063 --> 00:14:09,239 because there's probably a good seven to eight 346 00:14:09,370 --> 00:14:11,589 of them in the van and it's just the two of us. 347 00:14:11,676 --> 00:14:16,681 I was absolutely terrified that they were going to overrun us. 348 00:14:16,768 --> 00:14:19,423 - Todd and I raised our weapons and looked at them 349 00:14:19,510 --> 00:14:21,164 and put my finger on the trigger. 350 00:14:21,251 --> 00:14:22,513 And, you know, in law enforcement, 351 00:14:22,557 --> 00:14:24,167 in the Bureau, you know, we're taught 352 00:14:24,298 --> 00:14:25,255 you put your finger on the trigger, 353 00:14:25,342 --> 00:14:26,256 that means you're willing to pull it. 354 00:14:26,387 --> 00:14:27,997 - Right. 355 00:14:28,041 --> 00:14:29,651 - The guy looked at us and he looked back and forth. 356 00:14:29,738 --> 00:14:31,131 And my dogs are barking. 357 00:14:31,218 --> 00:14:33,133 And my dogs are both German shepherds. 358 00:14:33,220 --> 00:14:34,569 So to a stranger, 359 00:14:34,656 --> 00:14:37,528 they might have thought they were police dogs. 360 00:14:37,615 --> 00:14:39,966 And after what felt like forever, 361 00:14:40,053 --> 00:14:41,358 they got in the van and they drove off. 362 00:14:41,445 --> 00:14:44,144 ♪ ♪ 363 00:14:44,274 --> 00:14:46,015 And I thought, they're going to come back tonight. 364 00:14:46,102 --> 00:14:47,930 They're going to come back when we can't see. 365 00:14:48,017 --> 00:14:49,540 They're going to break in here. 366 00:14:49,584 --> 00:14:51,803 We're going to get attacked or worse. 367 00:14:51,891 --> 00:14:54,589 [tense music] 368 00:14:54,676 --> 00:14:56,112 ♪ ♪ 369 00:14:56,199 --> 00:14:59,942 - As the city's sort of devolving into chaos, 370 00:15:00,029 --> 00:15:02,292 I remember listening to a newscast 371 00:15:02,379 --> 00:15:04,381 and people had commandeered boats 372 00:15:04,512 --> 00:15:06,296 and were loitering around through the neighborhoods 373 00:15:06,383 --> 00:15:08,733 with boats looting, fully armed. 374 00:15:08,820 --> 00:15:12,259 NOPD is getting crushed. They're losing officers. 375 00:15:12,302 --> 00:15:13,956 ♪ 376 00:15:14,087 --> 00:15:15,305 And I'm listening to that thinking, 377 00:15:15,392 --> 00:15:16,828 it's just a matter of time. 378 00:15:16,916 --> 00:15:18,526 They're going to come here, right? 379 00:15:18,613 --> 00:15:21,007 It's just a matter of time. 380 00:15:21,094 --> 00:15:23,357 - I was able to get a call through to an FBI agent 381 00:15:23,444 --> 00:15:25,533 and said, we need reinforcements. 382 00:15:25,620 --> 00:15:28,231 Like, there's not enough of us here to protect the building. 383 00:15:28,318 --> 00:15:29,885 And she said, we're trying, we're trying. 384 00:15:30,016 --> 00:15:31,365 And then the call was cut out. 385 00:15:34,411 --> 00:15:36,674 - Scott, what are you doing during this time? 386 00:15:36,805 --> 00:15:38,198 - We sent two helicopters down. 387 00:15:38,285 --> 00:15:41,201 ♪ ♪ 388 00:15:41,288 --> 00:15:45,422 So we kind of flew in behind the storm track. 389 00:15:45,509 --> 00:15:48,991 And it was a 8-hour flight down to Baton Rouge. 390 00:15:49,078 --> 00:15:51,211 We see New Orleans for the first time. 391 00:15:51,298 --> 00:15:52,429 - I mean, what did you think when you saw it? 392 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,910 - It was catastrophic. 393 00:15:54,997 --> 00:15:56,172 It looked like 394 00:15:56,259 --> 00:15:58,392 you were looking at something on a movie. 395 00:15:58,479 --> 00:16:01,482 [somber music] 396 00:16:01,569 --> 00:16:03,266 You're looking at bodies. 397 00:16:03,353 --> 00:16:05,834 Lots of bodies just floating in the water. 398 00:16:05,965 --> 00:16:07,879 ♪ ♪ 399 00:16:08,010 --> 00:16:10,447 Um, it's--uh, it was-- it was tragic. 400 00:16:10,534 --> 00:16:12,188 Very tragic to see. 401 00:16:12,275 --> 00:16:14,364 - When you pull back for a wide shot, 402 00:16:14,451 --> 00:16:17,019 the scene is nothing short of apocalyptic. 403 00:16:17,106 --> 00:16:19,456 If ever the cavalry was needed, 404 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:22,198 it is now and it is in New Orleans. 405 00:16:22,285 --> 00:16:24,592 [tense music] 406 00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:27,725 - I've flown 130 combat hours in Somalia, 407 00:16:27,856 --> 00:16:30,206 but flying in New Orleans was one of the most 408 00:16:30,250 --> 00:16:32,556 dangerous environments I've ever flown in. 409 00:16:32,643 --> 00:16:34,341 Because even in war, 410 00:16:34,428 --> 00:16:35,951 you've got good communications. 411 00:16:36,038 --> 00:16:38,736 In New Orleans, there's no comms, 412 00:16:38,867 --> 00:16:41,043 there's no air traffic control. 413 00:16:41,174 --> 00:16:43,437 It's a non-radar environment. 414 00:16:43,524 --> 00:16:46,092 There's hundreds and hundreds of helicopters 415 00:16:46,179 --> 00:16:49,312 just circling the city looking for people to help. 416 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:51,619 ♪ ♪ 417 00:16:51,706 --> 00:16:54,317 It was controlled chaos at best. 418 00:16:54,448 --> 00:17:00,149 ♪ ♪ 419 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,282 - There's tens of thousands of people 420 00:17:02,325 --> 00:17:03,326 fighting for their lives. 421 00:17:03,413 --> 00:17:05,328 ♪ ♪ 422 00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:08,201 I think the two parishes had 900,000 total. 423 00:17:08,330 --> 00:17:10,071 - With no infrastructure. - No, none. 424 00:17:10,116 --> 00:17:11,900 - No electric, no water. 425 00:17:11,943 --> 00:17:15,730 Police department is cut down significantly. 426 00:17:15,859 --> 00:17:18,559 We realized that we were going to need 427 00:17:18,646 --> 00:17:21,953 a lot more logistical support with law enforcement. 428 00:17:22,084 --> 00:17:23,825 There were a lot of rescue missions still going, 429 00:17:23,867 --> 00:17:25,957 but for us at HRT, 430 00:17:26,045 --> 00:17:29,744 the rescue missions turned into criminal relief missions 431 00:17:29,874 --> 00:17:33,008 to support the PD to stop the looting, 432 00:17:33,095 --> 00:17:34,053 to stop the violence. 433 00:17:34,096 --> 00:17:35,489 ♪ 434 00:17:35,532 --> 00:17:38,100 We called back to the HRT commander, 435 00:17:38,187 --> 00:17:40,276 let them know, hey, we need the whole team down here. 436 00:17:40,407 --> 00:17:42,844 ♪ ♪ 437 00:17:42,931 --> 00:17:45,847 We started pairing up with a New Orleans officer 438 00:17:45,934 --> 00:17:48,893 with different SWAT teams from the Bureau 439 00:17:48,980 --> 00:17:52,201 and inserting them into hotspots. 440 00:17:52,288 --> 00:17:53,898 I could hear gunfire. 441 00:17:54,029 --> 00:17:56,162 [distant rapid gunfire] 442 00:17:56,249 --> 00:17:57,859 The helicopters were getting shot at 443 00:17:57,946 --> 00:18:00,470 from lots of criminal elements. 444 00:18:00,557 --> 00:18:03,952 Which blew my mind in a peacetime environment. 445 00:18:04,083 --> 00:18:07,260 ♪ ♪ 446 00:18:07,347 --> 00:18:08,696 - At this point, 447 00:18:08,783 --> 00:18:12,482 we hadn't eaten or slept properly in three days. 448 00:18:12,569 --> 00:18:14,789 The most terrifying part was just sitting up all night. 449 00:18:14,876 --> 00:18:16,356 I didn't turn the radio on 450 00:18:16,443 --> 00:18:19,359 because I wanted to hear everything and anything. 451 00:18:19,489 --> 00:18:20,577 Any footstep. 452 00:18:20,708 --> 00:18:21,926 I wanted to hear the dogs barking. 453 00:18:22,013 --> 00:18:23,754 I wanted them to be able to hear, 454 00:18:23,841 --> 00:18:27,628 and just was afraid of getting attacked. 455 00:18:27,758 --> 00:18:31,284 Thankfully, that van of armed men 456 00:18:31,414 --> 00:18:34,156 never returned to the field office. 457 00:18:34,243 --> 00:18:37,246 - I remember talking to my girlfriend, my wife now, 458 00:18:37,333 --> 00:18:39,248 and she had seen this thing on the news 459 00:18:39,335 --> 00:18:42,164 where the retaining wall that kind of held my neighborhood, 460 00:18:42,295 --> 00:18:45,298 noise wall, I guess, had broken. 461 00:18:45,385 --> 00:18:47,996 And she tells me, she says, you've lost your house. 462 00:18:48,083 --> 00:18:50,520 [somber music] 463 00:18:50,607 --> 00:18:52,000 And I think that was the moment where it dawned on me 464 00:18:52,131 --> 00:18:54,829 like, that's everything I own. 465 00:18:54,916 --> 00:18:57,005 That's--that's everything. 466 00:18:57,092 --> 00:18:58,398 And you're not going to get it back. 467 00:18:58,485 --> 00:19:01,966 ♪ ♪ 468 00:19:02,053 --> 00:19:05,013 And I remember that was a tough pill to swallow 469 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:06,754 to realize everything you've got's gone. 470 00:19:08,582 --> 00:19:11,976 - So when did you two finally get out of the office? 471 00:19:12,107 --> 00:19:13,978 - So Wednesday morning, you know, 472 00:19:14,065 --> 00:19:15,545 we came out in the daylight 473 00:19:15,676 --> 00:19:19,332 and a helicopter landed in the field next to the office. 474 00:19:19,419 --> 00:19:21,116 They unloaded SWAT, 475 00:19:21,247 --> 00:19:23,684 took a first load of passengers, and left. 476 00:19:23,814 --> 00:19:25,425 - Three or four hours go by, and we're thinking 477 00:19:25,512 --> 00:19:26,426 we're not getting out today. - We're not getting out. 478 00:19:26,469 --> 00:19:27,992 Yeah. - Ugh. 479 00:19:28,079 --> 00:19:29,907 - And the desperation, I'm like, I got to get out of here. 480 00:19:29,994 --> 00:19:31,866 - Yeah. Yeah, we need to sleep. 481 00:19:31,953 --> 00:19:33,346 We need to eat. 482 00:19:33,433 --> 00:19:35,783 A couple of hours later, we see a helicopter 483 00:19:35,913 --> 00:19:38,786 coming in our direction. 484 00:19:38,873 --> 00:19:40,831 Chopper landed and said, you two coming? 485 00:19:40,918 --> 00:19:42,790 - And I said, OK. You know, we had the dogs. 486 00:19:42,877 --> 00:19:46,968 And he said, I'm not taking your dogs. 487 00:19:47,055 --> 00:19:49,144 And I said, well, then I'll stay. 488 00:19:49,231 --> 00:19:51,190 The SSA said something to him. 489 00:19:51,277 --> 00:19:52,278 I don't know what he said. 490 00:19:52,408 --> 00:19:53,801 To this day, I'm forever grateful, 491 00:19:53,888 --> 00:19:56,978 but they ended up taking us out. 492 00:19:57,065 --> 00:19:59,154 Todd and I lived in the same neighborhood. 493 00:19:59,241 --> 00:20:01,287 And I remember elbowing you. 494 00:20:01,330 --> 00:20:03,419 You were sitting on my left and looking down, 495 00:20:03,463 --> 00:20:05,247 I'm like, that's the roof of my house. 496 00:20:05,334 --> 00:20:06,553 That's all I can see. 497 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,381 - That's horrible. 498 00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:10,861 [somber music] 499 00:20:10,948 --> 00:20:12,907 - And I just looked at him and I'm like, 500 00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:14,038 what am I going to do? 501 00:20:14,125 --> 00:20:15,126 Like, I have nothing. 502 00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:17,694 Like, everything I have is here. 503 00:20:17,825 --> 00:20:20,436 I have two dogs and a bag of some things. 504 00:20:20,523 --> 00:20:21,742 That's it. That's all I have. 505 00:20:21,829 --> 00:20:27,182 ♪ ♪ 506 00:20:27,313 --> 00:20:28,444 And they took us to the Baton Rouge office, 507 00:20:28,531 --> 00:20:31,404 and the agents there took really good care of us. 508 00:20:31,534 --> 00:20:32,535 - By the time we got to Baton Rouge, 509 00:20:32,666 --> 00:20:34,015 then we got all the flood of news. 510 00:20:34,102 --> 00:20:35,756 - Right. 511 00:20:35,799 --> 00:20:36,713 - You know, what was going on in the convention center, 512 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,934 the Superdome. 513 00:20:39,977 --> 00:20:42,458 - The horror show at the Superdome. 514 00:20:42,545 --> 00:20:46,854 Close to 25,000 people were trapped there for days 515 00:20:46,984 --> 00:20:49,378 in the heat and stink. 516 00:20:49,422 --> 00:20:52,033 Thousands more baked on overpasses 517 00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:53,643 along the interstate. 518 00:20:53,730 --> 00:20:55,341 - This man jumped to his death 519 00:20:55,471 --> 00:20:56,907 because he just couldn't take it no more. 520 00:20:57,038 --> 00:21:01,434 ♪ ♪ 521 00:21:01,521 --> 00:21:03,610 - United States Attorney General Gonzales, 522 00:21:03,697 --> 00:21:05,655 he wanted to survey the damage. 523 00:21:05,742 --> 00:21:07,135 We're flying around New Orleans, 524 00:21:07,222 --> 00:21:08,876 and he gets over the radio and says, hey, 525 00:21:08,963 --> 00:21:10,094 can you show me the breach site? 526 00:21:10,225 --> 00:21:13,228 [helicopter whirring] 527 00:21:13,315 --> 00:21:16,840 I'm at about 50 feet above the water, low and slow, 528 00:21:16,927 --> 00:21:20,191 which is not good for a helicopter, 529 00:21:20,322 --> 00:21:22,933 and I can hear something vibrating 530 00:21:22,977 --> 00:21:24,805 louder and harder than our aircraft. 531 00:21:24,892 --> 00:21:28,635 [tense music] 532 00:21:28,722 --> 00:21:30,245 And it's big. 533 00:21:30,376 --> 00:21:33,030 And I just have enough time to look over my left shoulder. 534 00:21:33,117 --> 00:21:35,772 An Army Chinook flew within 535 00:21:35,859 --> 00:21:38,384 probably 30 to 40 feet of us up above us. 536 00:21:38,471 --> 00:21:39,341 - Wow. - That's close. 537 00:21:42,649 --> 00:21:45,129 - I knew we were getting ready to get a lot of turbulence 538 00:21:45,260 --> 00:21:46,261 from this aircraft. 539 00:21:46,348 --> 00:21:48,698 I pushed the nose over at the same time 540 00:21:48,785 --> 00:21:50,700 to try to start building forward airspeed 541 00:21:50,787 --> 00:21:52,223 to get out of it. 542 00:21:52,354 --> 00:21:54,617 And then my co-pilot starts reading my altimeter, 543 00:21:54,704 --> 00:21:56,358 how high we are off the ground. 544 00:21:56,445 --> 00:21:58,491 And we started at 50 feet 545 00:21:58,621 --> 00:22:03,757 and all I can hear him say is 40 feet, 30 feet, 546 00:22:03,844 --> 00:22:04,714 - Ugh. 547 00:22:04,801 --> 00:22:08,457 - 22 feet, 15 feet, 13 feet, 548 00:22:08,544 --> 00:22:11,460 15 feet, 18 feet, 20 feet. 549 00:22:11,547 --> 00:22:12,722 - Ugh. 550 00:22:12,809 --> 00:22:15,377 - So we got down to about 13 feet above the water. 551 00:22:15,464 --> 00:22:17,945 - Lucky number 13. [laughter] 552 00:22:18,032 --> 00:22:19,599 When we started pulling out of it, 553 00:22:19,686 --> 00:22:22,123 I looked at my co-pilot and I said, 554 00:22:22,210 --> 00:22:23,385 you realize we just about 555 00:22:23,516 --> 00:22:25,822 killed the United States Attorney General? 556 00:22:25,909 --> 00:22:27,824 One of my friends corrected me a couple years ago. 557 00:22:27,911 --> 00:22:29,522 He said, Scott, 558 00:22:29,652 --> 00:22:31,437 you didn't just about kill the attorney general. 559 00:22:31,524 --> 00:22:34,788 The Chinook did. You actually saved his life. 560 00:22:34,831 --> 00:22:37,704 So, Attorney General Gonzales, now you know. 561 00:22:37,791 --> 00:22:39,793 [somber music] 562 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,056 - Nearly 1,400 lost their lives 563 00:22:42,099 --> 00:22:44,841 as a result of Hurricane Katrina. 564 00:22:44,928 --> 00:22:48,497 1 1/2 million people were displaced. 565 00:22:48,584 --> 00:22:53,328 Around 40% of the evacuees weren't able to return home. 566 00:22:53,415 --> 00:22:56,592 With over $200 billion in damage, 567 00:22:56,679 --> 00:22:59,813 Katrina remains the most costly natural disaster 568 00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:02,293 in U.S. history. 569 00:23:02,337 --> 00:23:05,471 It took eight months for the New Orleans FBI office 570 00:23:05,601 --> 00:23:06,776 to reopen. 571 00:23:06,863 --> 00:23:08,430 ♪ ♪ 572 00:23:08,517 --> 00:23:11,215 - So sitting here today, how do you reflect 573 00:23:11,302 --> 00:23:15,481 on your Hurricane Katrina experience 20 years later? 574 00:23:15,568 --> 00:23:17,265 - I think that was a life-changing event 575 00:23:17,308 --> 00:23:19,702 that focused me on the things that mattered. 576 00:23:19,789 --> 00:23:20,921 When you lose everything and you look around, 577 00:23:21,008 --> 00:23:24,838 you realize that's not really as important as family. 578 00:23:24,925 --> 00:23:27,275 And I think it led me down the path now. 579 00:23:27,362 --> 00:23:29,451 I've been married for 18 years, 580 00:23:29,495 --> 00:23:31,540 have a 16-year-old daughter. 581 00:23:31,671 --> 00:23:35,065 - It amazed me coming back on flights, 582 00:23:35,152 --> 00:23:37,024 whether it was midnight or 1:00 in the morning 583 00:23:37,111 --> 00:23:39,330 or 2:00 in the afternoon, 584 00:23:39,374 --> 00:23:41,681 members of the community had a big buffet table 585 00:23:41,768 --> 00:23:43,247 lined up with hot food. 586 00:23:43,334 --> 00:23:46,860 And it was every single day. 587 00:23:46,947 --> 00:23:48,339 Not because they had to, 588 00:23:48,383 --> 00:23:51,212 it was just, we're here to take care of you 589 00:23:51,299 --> 00:23:53,083 and you guys are taking care of us. 590 00:23:53,170 --> 00:23:55,390 It was amazing. 591 00:23:55,477 --> 00:23:56,696 - I mean, for me, 592 00:23:56,739 --> 00:24:01,570 it just made me see amongst the devastation 593 00:24:01,657 --> 00:24:03,572 the kindness and the goodness of so many people. 594 00:24:03,703 --> 00:24:10,492 ♪ ♪ 595 00:24:10,579 --> 00:24:13,539 It also made me realize that, you know, life is short 596 00:24:13,669 --> 00:24:15,802 and you have to take, you know, 597 00:24:15,889 --> 00:24:20,459 value in stock of what you're doing and enjoy what's left. 598 00:24:20,589 --> 00:24:22,983 Because for us, that could have been it.