on our broadcast tonight from new orleans, five years later. after katrina, the state of this city and the entire gulf coast, the state of the oil spill and the rhythm of everyday life after the storm. the rhythm of everyday life after the storm. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: hurricane katrina, five years later. this is a special edition of nbc "nightly news" with brian williams. reporting tonight from new orleans. good evening from the french quarter in new orleans where five years ago tonight it was still a few days off. we could see it out there. we knew katrina was a big one, but we had no idea what it would do to this city and this region.

back then when the storm hit, it covered an area of 90,000 square miles. 80% of this great, historic city was underwater. 1.5 million people were affected in that storm's aftermath and, worst of all, of course, more than 1,800 deaths at the hands of katrina. things these days here are getting much better, in part thanks to a fortune, a potential pool of $16.7 billion in federal funds includes almost $2 billion for schools here. and 90% of the new orleans neighborhoods -- and there are over 70 different neighborhoods in this city -- are back, meaning they have at least half the population having returned. we begin with how things have changed, new people, new places, some old problems and some new ones. [ cheers and applause ] here in the very place that

came to symbolize the failure of the katrina response, the city's beloved saints brought it home this year. >> we played for our city. we played for the entire gulf coast region. >> reporter: that same weekend, two-thirds of the city with the majority of black support, voted in then lieutenant governor mitch landrieu as their new mayor, ushering in what many hope will be lastinging change. landrieu has taken on a lot. new orleans remains the murder capital of the u.s. its police force, so riddled with corruption the new mayor asked the federal justice department to step in. >> there is no trust in the city for the police department. >> reporter: is the danziger bridge going to go down as the low point imagery for the nopd? >> yeah, it will. and i would have to say that it's not katrina that caused

nopd to be like it was. it just manifested the dysfunction. >> reporter: still, most of the city's residents came back after katrina. it is believed about 75% of its close to half million former residents have returned. but the struggle to rebuild has been monumental and, for some, coming home was never an option. >> lower ninth feels so much the same today, five years later, as it did a month later, a year later. the debris has mostly gone, but it is not a place where you feel a vibrant sense of return. >> reporter: every visit i make back here, i'm always stunned to see water marks still and roofs missing. that must drive you crazy. >> it does. those of us that have been here know that it is a very, very long process to rebuild a very intricate network and fabric of our lives.

>> reporter: dr. irwin redlander of columbia university has been following a thousand families affected by katrina. >> we are seeing for the most vulnerable children down there, many are still not living in stable communities, in safe communities, in appropriate homes with appropriate access to health care. so i think the report card is not good. >> let's look at page one. >> reporter: one of the post-katrina bright spots is education. in a way the storm allowed the city to rebuild a bad system. charter schools are taking over a lot of failed public schools and test scores are going up. >> i have never been more optimistic and hopeful about the future of the city than i am today. >> reporter: two-thirds of students are now enrolled in charter schools here. that's the highest rate in the country. >> i have no doubt. if it weren't for katrina we would not be seeing the progress we are today. >> reporter: tourists came back to the city as well. susan spicer, chef of the renowned french quarter restaurant bayona stuck it out in new orleans and was rewarded

for it. when her business went up, she even opened a new place in her new orleans neighborhood of lakeview. >> just decided the time was right. it felt right. >> reporter: then on april 20th came the explosion of the "deepwater horizon." >> i felt like five years after katrina we were really on a roll. and then the oil spill has really -- it's been kind of a smackdown. >> reporter: what do you want to see from bp? >> this is what would help me trust bp. for bp to say, listen, we did something wrong, we were negligent. we shouldn't have done it. we admit what our mistake was, and begin to move to resurrection and redemption. >> reporter: through the highs and lows of the last five years, the lingering, the looming question for this city remains "what if, what if another katrina comes along"? ivor van hearden warned the city

that the levees were faulty long before katrina and he's warning them again now. >> this wall could easily be over top. if we had another hurricane katrina, it would be over top. >> reporter: after hurricane katrina, congress authorized the army corps of engineers to redesign and rebuild the levee system to be able to withstand another 100-year storm, the rough equivalent of a category three hurricane. >> all things are possible, given the mission and the financial backing to do it. >> reporter: that $14 billion hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system is on track to be completed by next june. no one would blame new orleanians for not trusting the levees or the government or anything about tomorrow. it may be why they live for today. of course hurricane katrina didn't just hit new orleans. it hit the entire gulf coast.

among other places, it clobbered mississippi to the east of us here. then rita came along a month later. there, like here, things are better in some ways, not as good as others. we all made many trips there to cover the damage. our own ron mott spent a lot of time in mississippi following the storm and in the year since, he is with us from there tonight in a community that became special to many of us. ron, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. as you mentioned, mississippi got clobbered by hurricane katrina, especially here in waveland. even though they were quick to pick up the pieces after the storm, five years later the coast is still far from whole. in many ways, mississippi took the knockout punch from katrina. a devastating one-two combination of wind and storm surge that essentially levelled the coastline. >> i wasn't scared. were you scared? i think you were scared. >> reporter: louis and jane shared their town's loss and hope with us in '05. >> but if there is no here here

what do you do? >> we can rebuild. everybody's going to rebuild. >> reporter: they have turned their once-flooded house back into a home, but it hasn't been easy. >> it was difficult times. we hung in there and the family got stronger. our friends got stronger. the community's getting stronger. and this is home. >> reporter: in all, 238 people died in mississippi. more than 28,000 homes were damaged or destroyed here, leaving some 5,000 families still without permanent housing even today. despite spending roughly $4 billion in federal funds, many empty lots and challenges remain so the governor praises the rebuilding effort. >> the spirit and character of the people of mississippi is what carried us through. they weren't looking for anybody to blame. they weren't whining or moping. mississippians did what they had to do. >> reporter: take the police

department of pass christian whose officers had to shoot the glass out of library doors when flood waters threatened to trap them inside. >> how much do you think of that day? >> not that much. but every now and then, >> not much. just riding around town and seeing what's not here now, it gets depressing. >> reporter: yet every day it seems there is something new to celebrate. for the police like many others, homecoming is finally reality. ♪ >> reporter: a reality five long years in the making. from ruin to recovery, a resounding, if not exhausting, test of faith and meddle taken one day at a time. >> where do you go when it's gone? >> getting through the crisis is just trying to do one thing each day and then take a look back at the end of the week. that worked. that really worked. >> reporter: in addition to the property losses here, they lost a lot of jobs. a recent study shows they have

yet to fully recover on that front as well. brian? >> ron mott in waveland, mississippi. ron, thanks. our best to our friends in that town. now, while big storms and avoiding them is always top of mind here along the gulf coast, we have been tracking first one, then two. now three storm systems out in the atlantic. really stretching all the way to the african coast. who better to ask about all of this than weather channel meteorologist jim cantore, here with us in new orleans. so you have to deliver good news now, you realize that. >> i have some so far. we are seeing storms named so far east it's almost unavoidable. katrina wasn't named until it got to thet ahamas. wat d's alehoifferent story. you can see them lined up.le danielle will bl pr robay ou first major hurricane. it's 110 miles per hour now. ea is a5es h miler pour storm. and whne ier ns xt,ot named yet

cfionstjuoming off the african costt now. nuormstione th cst titoull to the west. ul l t tong as g are nay this far to the es t stit imoal mo unavoidable that we'll see the steering take them to the north. that doesn't mean we won't have impacts. as danielle moves by bermuda, we think it will past to the east. it will push waves to the eastern seaboard. that means we're going to see those waves arrive over the weekend -- a beautiful weekend at that. they will be from florida up to the outer banks of north carolina. eventually into new england. five to ten feet. they will increase the rip current risk as well. earl, we can't say it won't impact bermuda, but it looks like danielle, for now, will miss bermuda off to the east. >> no erosion along the jersey shore. >> i'll do what i can. >> jim cantore here with us in new orleans. we got some news tonight on the economy beginning with the topic of jobs, the number of people filing first-time unemployment claims came in at 473,000, down 31,000 from last week's shockingly high number. on the housing front, mortgage

delinquencies ticked down just a bit, but they are still very high. 14.4% of homeowners with a mortgage have either missed a payment or are in foreclosure now. on wall street, the dow finished down more than 74 points. closing below the 10,000 mark for the first time since early in the month of july. rough landing today for a jetblue flight in sacramento, california, left four passengers with minor injuries. the aircraft, an airbus a-320 arriving from long beach reportedly had trouble with its brakes and blew its tires. all 86 passengers had to exit the plane by the emergency slides and were taken to the terminal in buses. we'll have much more of the day's news and much more from here along the gulf coast when our broadcast continues, including the latest on the ongoing crisis the people here have had to deal with on the bp oil disaster. and later, the places here in new orleans that are beyond surviving. they are now thriving.

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so many stories, so little time. you really should drive one. ♪ back from new orleans tonight. think about these twin tragedies the folks of this region have been asked to endure. first, hurricane katrina, then lesser storms like rita. then along comes the bp oil spill, the explosion which dumped millions of gallons of oil into the gulf of mexico. our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has been down here covering this story for months from the very beginning. she's with us tonight once again, about 60 miles from where we are in venice, louisiana, down in plaquemines parish.

looks like on the bow of captain james' fishing boat. anne, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the resilient people of the gulf know how to survive a hurricane. they prepare, clean up and rebuild. four months later they are still struggling with this oil spill. through the prism of the oil spill, so much along the gulf coast remains uncertain. in louisiana's bay jimmy, there is still oil to clean up. workers use giant vacuum cleaners to get it out of the marsh and pull in boom soiled with crude and algae. this boat is filled with oil boom instead of oysters, up to 1,000 bags a day. he's filled with apprehension. >> i don't think the water's clean enough for us to get the oysters out of here. >> reporter: boom is being removed from mobile bay, alabama, a sign of progress. but that progress could also mean the end of paychecks for brian swindle from bp's vessels

of opportunity program. he still doesn't know when he can resume making his living off the gulf. >> that's the big question. what's going to happen next year, next season? am i going to be able to fish or not. >> when is clean clean? >> reporter: coast guard admiral paul zukunft. at its height there were 45,000 people. today there are 30,000 and no end in sight. >> you're running a marathon, but you don't know if it's 26 miles, 52 or where the finish point is in this. >> a lot of them just collect data. >> reporter: sam walker is the lead scientist looking for oil beneath the surface. teams tested the water at 28,000 different spots in the gulf, collecting nearly 150,000 samples. >> nobody has a full and complete answer right now. we are continuing to work very, very hard to establish whether or not there is any remaining oil and what its fate was.

>> reporter: walker reminds us that good science takes time and each study, each piece of information that comes along is like a clue to solve the mystery of where all the oil is. brian? >> anne thompson to our south in ve vis harbor. she's been relentless covering the relentless flow of oil in the waters to our south. anne, thanks. up next from here, some of the other news including important news for those who have had hip replacements. and we'll have more on what back to normal looks like in the city of new orleans. have more on what back to normal looks like in the city of new orleans. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] giving up cigarettes can take more than willpower alone. but today's a new day.

talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options and support. and this time, make it your time. toi switched to a complete0, multivitamin with more. about prescription treatment options and support. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has gingko for memory and concentration plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's. to bring art to the people. without my health i wouldn't be able to do anything. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, keep your heart healthy. cheerios can help. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. it's simple; love your heart so you can do what you love. we've been best friends since we were two. we've always been alike. [ lindy ] we even both have osteoporosis. but we're active. especially when we vacation, so when i heard about reclast, the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment, i called joni. my doctor said reclast helps restrengthen our bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve whole months.

[ lindy ] and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places: hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. nothing strengthens you like an old friendship. but when it comes to our bones, we both look to reclast. you've gotta ask your doctor once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. i'm the puppy that ate your backseat. i'm a random windstorm. [ grunts ] ♪ i'm a hot babe out jogging. ♪ call me mayhem. [ tires screech ] i'm every reason to have the right insurance. [ tires screech ] but a lot of you are cutting your coverage and leaving yourselves unprotected. so get allstate. you could save money

and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] mayhem is everywhere. protect yourself. are you in good hands? [ engine humming ] do you hear that sound? if you own a hybrid or you have been around one, you know that they don't make much noise. in fact, the engine pretty much shuts off at red lights and while parked. that sound is what toyota is experimenting with in japan. adding some sort of artificial space age, in this case engine noise, not just for those who like having a car that makes a sound when it goes. it is also a safety issue to let passing pedestrians know that a

nearby car is, in fact, running. another item from toyota tonight, another recall. more than one million corolla and matrix hatchbacks model years 2005 to 2008, this time a problem can cause the engine to stall. faulty engine control module will be replaced on all affected vehicles, they say, at no charge. we have a health alert of interest to millions of americans who have had hip replacements that allow them, of course, to go on living healthier and active lives. tonight there is word of a recall in this area by johnson & johnson. this one affects 93,000 people around the world. while most patients will not require another new hip or to go through that ordeal, they say it is best to check with your doctor. there is more information on our website about this. nightly.msnbc.com. we have an update tonight on those miners. 33 of them in that

2,000-foot-deep copper mine in chile. they were all discovered alive and mostly well after 17 days. now, while it's true they may not be rescued until after kripgs because boring a big enough hole is a gingerly business and while it's all about keeping them healthy and sane until then, we learned today they cannot get out if they are any bigger around than a 35-inch waistline. sadly, it shouldn't be a problem as already of them have already lost a lot of pounds. hearing this, we were reminded today the average american waistline is almost 40 inches for men, 37 inches for american women. no two people -- it's kind of axiomatic -- will ever totally agree on music or the best songs of all time. and when it's beatles songs, that's when actual fights break out. "rolling stone" magazine has entered the fray with what they say is the definitive list of the best beatles songs of all time.

their top five -- "in my life," "yesterday," "i wanna hold your hand," and number one, "a day in the life," about a guy who read the news today. why not some british music to play us into the break in new orleans where we'll return with a look at what's come back here even better? ♪ ber and whole grain... making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! didn't know i had in me. frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks,

but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has tak for the clean up in the gulf atand th i lud sdekeeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we've committed $20 billion to ainendes pemstndaicl fund ai to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we nd it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. [ slap! ]

we're back with a final note from the famous french quarter tonight. if you have lived here, if you have just been here, then you know the place runs on food. some liquids in moderate amounts, but food is key. they are proud here to point to a big statistic. more restaurants in new orleans today than there were before katrina. we went out to two of them today -- a bit of research -- including the wonderfully named parkway bakery and tavern. after all, what's a bakery without a tavern? they got it pretty bad from katrina, as you can see. you would never know it from the size of the po' boys they were serving to a waiting crowd. same with mandina's.

it's about a half mile away from there. it's been a new orleans fixture since the 1930s. katrina knocked them down hard but they got back up, mostly on the raw strength of the onion rings and the fried eggplant sticks and the sheer power of food to keep this city up and running. as we head out for much more research in that area, a reminder. we'll be broadcasting from here in new orleans tomorrow evening as well. our special friday "making a difference" segment will feature the work being done here by the actor brad pitt. then tomorrow night, our documentary on msnbc on what we saw those first awful days of the storm and the aftermath. on sunday i will host "meet the press" from new orleans and on sunday night's news, our exclusive interview with president obama. we'll have much more including all of our stories from our coverage over these past five years. we have put it on our website. nightly.msnbc.com.

so for us, for now, that is our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you, as always, for being here with us. i'm brian williams reporting tonight from the french quarter in new orleans. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com all of a sudden, boom, we started jiggling, saying oh, my god. >> the tires blew, the plane came to a grinding stop, and the emergency chutes were deployed in a landing passengers will never forget. good evening, everyone. >> i'm jessica aguirre. here's what we know. the jetblue flight from long beach to sacramento was coming in for a normal landing, then suddenly the tires blew on touchdown. next the passengers say they didn't even know there was an emergency until