hurricane katrina: superdome documentary

A decade later . By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. Watch it: For a powerful story of resilience and determination in the face of tragedy. With a death toll of more than 1,800, Katrina was the third-deadliest hurricane in US history after Galveston in 1900 (which killed 8,000 to . At least 1,800 lives were lost in Hurricane Katrina, often considered one of the worst hurricanes in US history. President Bush flies over the area on his way back to Washington. For my part, I am still going out into the streets every day to talk to people about their experiencesI call it getting phyllisophical. Other people call me the Dr. Phil of the streets. By. ' Gettridge told FRONTLINE. Producer Martin Smith: So, although you said that, you didn't feel that way at that time? Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Evacuating hospitals is a top priority: Patients and staff are stranded and supplies and power are dwindling. ", In Washington, President Bush publicly acknowledges the inadequacy of the federal government's response: "Many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orlenas. Gov. They didn't have ammunition. And that this could potentially be the big one that we had planned for in Hurricane Pam.". Newly rescued people are still being brought to the Superdome. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. In all, more than 1,500 died either duringthe storm or inthe famouslybungled aftermath which saw local, state, and federal officials uncoordinated and overwhelmed. Driving in from the popular suburb of Metairie, it's the first building you pass. Television reporters, live on the scene at the Convention Center, report on the growing crisis. The numbers are not dramatic, but they are significant when seen in light of the official number of post-Katrina rapes and attempted rapes: four. Nobody cared.". And we need to get these people out of the Superdome because it's a shelter of last resort, and they only have a limited amount of resources.". Looting breaks out in parts of the city. The Coast Guard mobilizes to respond after the storm hits. Locals adopt it in their idea of the city. "I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. The interviews done as part of this project reflect the disaster's painful, chaotic, and murky aftermath. At daybreak, rescuers set out on boats to help others still stranded. ", Mayor Ray Nagin: We have got to start getting people out.' We all did. "To cries of 'Thank you, Jesus!' Residents are bringing their belongings and lining up to get into the Superdome which has been opened as a hurricane shelter in advance of hurricane Katrina. Officials said the complete evacuation of New Orleans two days earlier was necessary, citing the prospect of diseases caused by rotting bodies and polluted waters as well as other risks caused by Hurricane Katrina. I've got to know. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual assault in the lawless days after the storm. But Mayor Nagin goes on radio and castigates state and federal officials for their inaction and demands they "fix the biggest god-damn crisis in the history of this country." And he said: 'Mr. In his speech, he calls on all federal, state and local agencies to review their performance. FRONTLINE home+WGBH+PBS, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. It has been nearly six years since Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf of Mexico cutting a swathe of devastation and shock through the psyche of the American people. His death came nearly two years to the day after his wifes passing. "What you had was a situation where you've got a tremendous number of vulnerable people, and then some predatory people who had all of the reasons to take their anger out on someone else," Benitez says. He escaped the ch. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans poet Shelton Alexander to evacuate his home, he took his truck and video camera to the Superdome. Another group, Witness Justice, a Maryland-based non-profit that assists victims of violent crimes, claims to have received 156 reports of post-Katrina violent crimes; about a third of those involved sexual assaults. And, in 2004, FEMA sponsored a disaster planning exercise in which the scenario was a major hurricane striking New Orleans. That's the attitude I would take if I was operating in the dark too. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet. It was called "Hurricane Pam" and the exercise was conducted with state and local emergency managers. On August 28, 2005, at 6 am, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the Superdome would be used as a public shelter. One of the victims is Ms. Lewis, a 46-year-old home health-care worker from New Orleans East, who asked that her first name not be used. The following year, during an interview with Tom Brokaw at Columbia Journalism School, Williams said, "We watched, all of us watched . Ten years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast and generated a huge disaster. But the problem was that because of the fear that resulted from the civil unrest, the bus drivers said, 'We're not going in there to pick these people up unless you put a law enforcement official on every one of the buses, because we're afraid. Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Phyllis Montana-LeBlancthe breakout star of Spike Lees When the Levees Broke documentary and author of Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Katrina (and a consultant on David Simons new post-Katrina HBO drama)writes below about why viewers should still care about New Orleans four years later, and why Trouble the Water just may be the wakeup call we need. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina, Edward Buckles Jr. asks what happened to the generation of kids who grew up with that trauma in the documentary "Katrina Babies" on HBO Max. Several thousand National Guard troops start reaching the thousands of evacuees at the Convention Center and elsewhere. Henry Glover was last seen alive in the backseat of a white Chevy Malibu on Sept. 2, 2005, days after Katrina hit. We talked about it. The price tag has not yet been determined. With all due respect, Mr. President, if you and the governor don't get on the same page, this event is going to continue to spiral down, and it's going to be a black eye on everybody -- federal, state and local.' But problems persist. I just sent President Obama 10 letters the other day ( I remember Oprah saying persistence pays off) saying that since Katrina, we still only have two medical trailers in this part of town, and they arent equipped to handle emergencies or even basic lab work. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the . producer's chat+tapes & transcript+press reaction+credits+privacy policy As of Nov. 22, 2005, more than 900 people are known to have died in New Orleans. Ten years ago this Saturday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. "They didn't have no food. About 2,000 medical evacuees remain at Louis Armstrong Airport, which has become a staging area for responders and injured refugees. President Bush arrives in New Orleans and holds a meeting on Air Force One with federal and local officials. Thousands of troops poured into the city September. By the end of the day, the projected storm surge is 18 to 22 feet, locally as high as 28 feet. Five officers were ultimately indicted: one for the shooting, and four additional officers on charges related to burning Glovers body and obstructing a federal investigation. At 1:30 in the morning, Denise Thornton walked with her group up to the helipad, out in the open air, and there it was. ', We immediately did turn to the military and mission-assigned them to start doing airlifts, start bringing things in. I began to believe that no buses had been ordered. The Louisiana National Guard's Jackson Barracks flood. President Bush's Sept. 15th address to the nation. [Governor Blanco] probably should have asked sooner. Michael Brown, FEMA director: And when I saw it then, and watching it again now, I think that Trouble the Water is an amazing accomplishment, and something everyone should see about the people who had to live through what we all went through here in New Orleans. And that is unacceptable. An Unfiltered View: Producers of Police on Trial on What the Documentary Reveals 2 Years After the Murder of George Floyd, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". And I think thats whats going to help us rebuild the mosttalking about what happened and how we can move onand why documentaries like Trouble the Water are still so relevant. A hurricane warning is issued for north central Gulf Coast including New Orleans. ", Richard Falkenrath, Homeland Security Adviser (2001-2004): Some parts of the city already showed slipping floodwaters as the repair neared completion, with the low-lying Ninth Ward dropping more than a foot. Its efforts fail. People can say that writing a check doesnt mean anything, but honey, it does. And he passes, literally, hundreds of school buses lined up to come and get these folks. According to the New Orleans Data Center, racial disparities in income and employment are more pronounced in the city than they are nationally; the poverty rate is 11 points higher than the national average; and the incarceration rate is approximately three times the national average. "A week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans state officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say once the canal level is drawn down two feet, Pumping Station 6 can begin pumping water out of the bowl-shaped city. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. You have responded to my calls." Neville says she was sexually assaulted early the morning of Aug. 31st, while she was sleeping on the roof of Drew Elementary School in the Bywater Neighborhood, where she and others had taken refuge. The line to get in was already a quarter-mile long. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. HBO. Thousands more were unable to evacuate, including the nearly 25,000 who sheltered in the Superdome. WGBH educational foundation, "A close eye will be kept this system could strengthen ", "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity", "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding as numerous levees failed around New Orleans. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. "Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. " After Katrina passed, we thought we're pretty much out of the woods. And the impression given in those four days is basically indelible. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. TV-PG. More women are coming forward with stories of sexual . They were finally able to leave the city on Saturday. Gov. "I'm not gonna go on television and publicly say that I think that the mayor and the governor are not doing their job, and that they don't have the sense of urgency. Because of the ensuing . We knew we were gonna have to shelter people. Do You Have News to Share? Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and . special video+discussion+teacher's guide+readings & links He came right back and he said, I dont know why, but theres probably a foot of water on Claiborne Street, Landreneau said. They didn't have communication. Blanco is there. And Michael Brown tells FRONTLINE that in order to quell panic, he misled the public in saying that everything was going fine at the local level. We began search-and-rescue missions using local state resources, waiting for the federal cavalry to arrive and believing that it would be here in 48 to 60 hours. Rescue efforts are delayed because of the inability of rescuers to communicate with each other. It is 45 miles northwest of Florida Keys. ". Flew into the city. " Troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. I've never seen a hurricane like this in my 33-year career. This escapism was part of the gift the Saints gave the city following Hurricane Katrina. (Weather forecasters classify hurricane strength on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.) She says as she watched New Orleans descend into chaos after Katrina, she knew what would happen. "Media reports attribute Katrina with four fatalities [in Florida], more than a million customers were without electricity". A suicide did occur inside the Superdome, . I mentally moved on from the storm after I wrote the last page of my book, but this documentary has opened some old wounds and moves me to action, and I can only hope it does the same for others. He Says He Paid a Price. Phone service and electricity to some 770,000 people in the area is cut off. Mississippi and Louisiana governors declare states of emergency. The police department -- reeling from desertions, flooding and the immensity of the disaster -- was in a survival mode itself. Military planners are considering setting up a permanent rapid reaction unit designed to respond to domestic disasters. "I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc is a Hurricane Katrina survivor. Katrina becomes a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph maximum sustained winds. There are still gangs of armed criminals roaming the city; police and National Guard, now numbered at 16,000, have a better handle on the situation than earlier in the week. So I can assume what the criminals were thinking, and that's exactly what happened.". Concerned over unreported and underreported rapes, her organization, together with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center -- which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- created a national database to track sexual assaults that happened after Katrina. [He] came on site, I think it was Monday after the event. "Katrina will regenerate on Friday over Gulf of Mexico, head west-northwest then turn northward. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies . and catcalls of 'What took you so long?,' a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled through axle-deep floodwaters Friday into what remained of New Orleans and descended into a maelstrom of fires and floating corpses. Before Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans residents gathered to ride out the storm in what seemed like a pretty safe place, the Superdome, the city's football stadium . These defenses held for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, in August 2021. National surveys show that half of all sexual assaults are never reported. And he basically asked me, 'Mr. FEMA National Situation Update: Hurricane Katrina Superdome. "I admit that rapes are underreported," Benelli says. It doesn't make any sense.". By Chris Edwards. . " Having largely emptied the cavernous Superdome, which had become a squalid pit of misery and violence, officials turned their attention to the Convention Center, where people waited to be evacuated as corpses rotted in the streets. Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager: During Hurricane Katrina, around 20,000 people took refuge in the Superdome. So I went to the premiere, knowing Danny Glover was hosting it, and I couldnt get into the screeningso I texted Spike Lee, who directed When the Levees Broke, the documentary I was in, and asked him to pull some strings, but he didnt have Dannys number. Expressed my concerns, my frustration He needed to really get us resources to save people. All I can tell you is that in the city of New Orleans we had maybe 250 guardsmen that we could account for. FEMA National Situation Update: When Hurricane Katrina ripped the Superdome's rubber seal off, tore open the steel roof paneling and penetrated the stadium, it shed light on the conjoined problems of concentrated poverty, socialized and environmental racism, and America's ability to ignore the suffering of its own citizens. About 16,000 people . "At that stage, we had mission-assigned the Department of Defense to start giving us everything they could in terms of air-lift capability. FEMA organizes 475 buses to be sent in to transport many of the estimated 23,000 people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. "I remember reading [that New Orleans had dodged a bullet]. Listen 7:57. There's this lunch. And Mayor Nagin expressed his concerns. I talk to her every other day, and thats her main question How long is it going to be? And he was the first guy that told us about the amount of devastation and the levee breaches. Several parishes and the city of New Orleans announce emergency responders will stop venturing out once the wind exceeds 45 mph. Experts say it was the perfect environment to commit a crime, and the worst environment to report a crime. hurricane katrina anniversary: 40 powerful photos of New Orleans after the storm. Around 8 a.m. the storm's eye passes eastern New Orleans. ", Leo Bosner, FEMA watch officer: We'll put a couple of medical teams on standby. "As I have said, I think that one of the biggest mistakes that I made as the FEMA director during Katrina was not immediately turning to the military and saying: 'We have been overwhelmed. The choice was either run the risk of becoming stranded or take a detour to wait the storm out for a day or two in the Superdome. By the evening of August 25, when it made . Over 1,800 people lost their lives in the hurricane and an estimated 1 million people were displaced from their homes. There is a documentary about . And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Abandoned cars remain on Interstate 10 in front of the heavily damaged Superdome September 14, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina fill the streets near downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug. 30, 2005. Within five hours I start to get reports from my staff members, who are out doing assessments, the water's rising. And then he was gone after a while.". Around this time 17 years ago, Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, and permanently changed life for thousands of people across the country. 49 But it was the subsequent flooding of New Orleans that imposed catastrophic public health conditions on the people of southern . She describes . By midday, water levels between the city and Lake Ponchartrain have equalized. Meanwhile, Lewis, the 46-year-old home health-care worker, has still not reported her assault to the police, and she has no plans to. Throughout the day, emergency responders and public officials complain that communication links are very poor. The film features 15 minutes of live hurricane video shot by Kimberly Roberts, an aspiring rapper whose family was too poor to leave New Orleans, and follows Kim's family and others through the . And it was a very good meeting, I thought. The Army Corps of Engineers renews work to fix the breach in the 17th St. Canal. Get It Published. Orders volun-tary evacuation where residents in low-lying areas encouraged to evacuate Sunday, August 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina becomes a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds Superdome opens as a shelter of last resort Acadian personnel are deployed to the Superdome to help triage special needs patients and staff the rst aid station Nagin . I laid that out for him. She says she tried to report the assault at the time, but authorities weren't listening. A final, official tally of those killed in the disaster is still not in. So I finally just walked up to Danny and said, Mr. We have so much intelligence down here in New Orleans, and yet, even four years after the hurricane, we cant rely on the school system. The hurricane caused billions of dollars of damage to the city, and killed thousands. At 7 pm it makes landfall north of Miami. Explore FRONTLINEs collected and ongoing reporting on Russia's war on Ukraine. After her rape, Lewis says, there were no clinics open, so she washed herself with bleach. Looting becomes more widespread; hotels begin turning out guests. When we didn't get any assistance from the state or from FEMA in the time period that we thought was appropriate, I got someone in an automobile and said, 'Go to Baton Rouge, go find out. Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage. Already, these preliminary cases show a high number of gang rapes and rapes by strangers, both unusual characteristics. I don't think that's the proper thing to do. Patrice Taddonio. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Lewis and others had taken refuge in the Redemption Elderly Apartments, in the Irish Channel section of New Orleans. And [FEMA Director] Michael Brown was with me at that time. And nothing happened. Mayor, we had a good meeting. Issues of race, class, government response and responsibility, and political rivalries interweave with personal stories of challenges faced and decisions made. Half of telephone service is back. Dave Cohen was one of the few reporters to stay in New Orleans as Katrina bore down on the city, and continued broadcasting as the . home+introduction+watch online+interviews+analysis+14 days Years later, much of the money committed to New Orleans residents had yet to reach them. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, as seen in the new documentary Katrina Babies. Around 9:30 a.m. Mayor Ray Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation. Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome September 2, 2005 in New Orleans. Recalling her attack, she sobs, "They just left us to die. And they hadn't. " from my view sitting inside a windowless room at FEMA headquarters during my nightshift we are working to coordinate with our federal partners, to get water out. Required fields are marked *. Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina. hurricane katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, claiming 1,800 lives. And I knew it wasn't true, because 8:00 or 10:00 that morning, I received a report from one of my staffers that either a levee had been topped or had actually broken. And New Orleans itself has worked to rebuild. [Congressman] Bobby Jindal is there, the senators Landrieu and [David] Vitter, and Congressman [William] Jefferson. He says his team only saw a fraction of the desperate people who sought assistance. That she could turn this 15 minutes of footage into an Oscar-nominated documentaryIm amazed by it. During Hurricane Katrina, then known as the Louisiana Superdome, the arena was used as . (48) 7.4 1 h 13 min 2010 13+. Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph. Buses have started evacuating people at the Superdome, but at the Convention Center thousands are still waiting and conditions continue to deteriorate there. Surviving the Superdome. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. And then somebody came and called me and said, 'The president would like to see you.' When presented with the additional cases collected by victims' advocates groups, Benelli acknowledges that the police simply doesn't know the extent of sex crimes after the storm. At 10 a.m., the Thorntons headed together to the Superdome. More than a million people were displaced in the days leading up to and following . Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.Get More National Geographic:Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSiteFacebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeoTwitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitterInstagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInstaHurricane Katrina Day by Day | National Geographichttps://youtu.be/HbJaMWw4-2QNational Geographichttps://www.youtube.com/natgeo And the mayor began to tell us some of the things that he needed. . The death toll in the city is not known, but the dying continues as people succumb to illness, exhaustion and days without food and water. The death toll in the city is not known, but the dying continues as people succumb to illness, exhaustion and days without food and water. Hurricane Katrina, tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. Then we kind of figure out ways that we could coordinate. [Secretary of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff is there. Katrina Babies is an assertion of presence, a proclamation that the devastating hurricane is not simply a past story, but a present one too. Follow a day-by-day account of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, from its birth in the Atlantic Ocean to its catastrophic effects: flooded streets, flattened homes, and horrific loss of life. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe#NationalGeographic #HurricaneKatrina #StormsAbout National Geographic:National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. FEMA Situation Update: In television interviews, Michael Brown, FEMA director, states that he only just heard about the suffering at the Convention Center, when in fact, he tells FRONTLINE, he misspoke; he was told the previous day about the situation. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warning: But they're designed for short hauls.". Exploring the experiences of a black member of the New Orleans Police Department and assorted other New Orleans residents during their stay in the Louisiana Superdome during and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. "I'm telling you the number of reported rapes we had.". Where is food? Since many New Orleans streets are still filled with stagnant, fetid waters smelling of garbage and raw sewage, the military was considering using planes to spray for mosquitoes.". Thats whats going to help us rebuild the mosttalking about what happened and how we can move onand why documentaries like Trouble the Water are still so relevant. The Department of Defense's "Joint Task Force Katrina" -- 4,600 active-duty military headed by Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honor -- sets up at Camp Shelby, Miss. Conditions are deteriorating with bathrooms overflowing, no power for air conditioning and little food and water. The Times-Picayune reports that Jefferson Parish residents are allowed to return to the area to inspect the damage to their homes.The breach in the 17th Street Canal is finally repaired, and engineers continue to work on other levee breaks. It hit land as a Category 3 storm with winds reaching speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. But a growing body of evidence suggests there were more storm-related sexual assaults than previously known. [Note: The information in this timeline is drawn from the news and government agencies' reports, as published daily during the crisis, and from FRONTLINE's research and reporting.]. Copyright All rights reserved. ", At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. The Superdome is an intrinsic part of the city of New Orleans. A spokesperson with the Resource Center said the number is steadily growing. We were moving school buses in. "I went into New Orleans and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. Lewis says that later in the week, national guardsmen forced evacuees out of the building at gunpoint. Rapid Transit Authority buses pick up citizens and bring them to the Superdome, where the Louisiana National Guard has stocked enough MREs to feed 15,000 people for three days. FEMA Situation Update: In a documentary aired in October 2005 on the Sundance Channel, "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina," Williams said, . Blanco tours the area Tuesday evening and announces that the Superdome should be evacuated. Widespread looting continues. His goal: To make it possible for his wife of 65 years, Lydia who had gone to live with one of their nine children in Wisconsin after Katrina to return home. We can only deal with what we know.". The account of her rape was verified by a trained forensic nurse at Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, where Lewis sought treatment. Katrina Cop in the Superdome. Female victims, now displaced from New Orleans, are slowly coming forward with a different story than the official one. Tonight, the Oscar-nominated Trouble the Watera documentary by filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, premieres on HBO. What happened next was more than just a natural disaster especially in New Orleans, where the failure of the cityslevees unleashed flooding that left roughly80 percent of the city underwater. And Michael Brown tells Louisiana officials, "What I've seen here today is a team that is very tight knit, working closely together, being very professional and making the right calls.".