"Helen Hill was an artist, filmmaker, community activist and subversive southern belle…Her life was an inspired art project." The Guardian

August 26, 2005
Gov. Kathleen Blanco declares State of Emergency in Louisiana.

August 27, 2005
Gov. Blanco asks Presiden Bush to declare Federal State of Emergency in Louisiana: "I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster."

August 28, 2005
Katrina is upgraded from a Category 4 storm to Category 5.

Helen, Paul, Francis Pop and their pet pig Rosie head out of town for safeety in Helen’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.  Once there, they follow TV News as Hurricane Katrina devastates the city.

August 28, 2005, 10:30 a.m. EST
Mayor Ray Nagin issues first-ever mandatory evacuation of New Orleans: We’re facing the storm most of us have feared," said Nagin. "This is going to be an unprecedented event."

Approximately 30,000 New Orleanians gathered at the Superdome with roughly 36 hours worth of food.

New Orleanians are trapped in the Superdome and various downtown public spaces.  The Louisiana National Guard requests 700 buses from FEMA for evacuations: FEMA sends only 100 buses.

August 29, 2005, 8 a.m. EST
Katrina makes landfall.

August 29, 2005, 8:30 a.m. EST
Bush White House is notified of the levee breach

August 29, 2005, 9 a.m. EST
Mayor Nagin reports that water is flowing over the levee

August 29, 2005, 11:13 a.m. EST
White House circulates internal memo about levee breach: "Flooding is significant throughout the region and a levee in New Orleans has reportedly been breached sending 6-8 feet of water throughout the 9th ward area of the city."

Heading off to South Carolina before the "Big Storm" Hurricane Katrina.

August 30, 2005, Morning
FEMA Director Mike Brown warns Bush about the potential devastation of Katrina: In a briefing, Brown warns Bush, "This is, to put it mildly, the big one, I think." He also voices concerns that the government may not have the capacity to "respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe" and that the Superdome is ill-equipped to be a refuge of last resort.

The levees break, putting 80% of the city underwater.

Although the family is displaced for the year and most of their possessions are lost due to the levee failures, they  would later return to their Mid-City home along with some 80% of the city.