Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, and was made worse by the delayed response from aid organizations. There are hundreds of stories of disaster and subsequent neglect as people struggled to survive in the days following the storm.
One particularly horrifying story involves the prisoners of Orleans Parish Prison. Human Rights Watch reported that inmates at Templeman III, one of the buildings at the prison, was abandoned by prison officials when the hurricane struck. Over 600 prisoners were left locked in their cells to fend for themselves.
Some of these prisoners were in ground floor cells and could do nothing as the water rose to chest level. They were left with no food or water and were not evacuated for four days. The generators died as well so the prisoners were left with no lights and no air flow as they water continued to rise. Human Rights Watch called on the US Justice Department to investigate the Orlean's Sheriff Department.