In late August 2005, National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Ricks in Slidell, Louisiana,

was monitoring the progress of a hurricane as it approached the Louisiana coast.

You know, we saw another storm thinking, you know, here we go again.

But it was going to be more of the ordinary routine drill that we've been through several times before.

Ricks expected Hurricane Katrina to be big, perhaps a more of the ordinary routine drill that we've been through several times before.

Ricks expected Hurricane Katrina to be big, perhaps a category three or four at landfill.

But when that eye exposed itself as large as it was on a satellite imagery and knew that it was a five,

then it took on a whole new perspective. At 10 a.m. on the morning of August 28th, Ricks issued an urgent weather message more dire than any he had ever issued before,

describing a, quote, most powerful hurricane with unprecedented strength.

I am this morning declaring that we will be doing a mandatory evacuation, and I'm going to read the evacuation. That following news, that there's possibly a breach on the levee at Lake Pontchatrain that's pouring more water still into a city that's already flooded.

With Conch of New Orleans now underwater, authorities are focused on search and rescue before it's too late.

Hurricane Katrina would leave more than 1,300 people dead, an estimated 80% of New Orleans underwater,

and would become the most expensive hurricane in history, with overall economic losses estimated at $125 billion.

Katrina was a harbinger of what would happen to hurricanes over the next two decades.

Climate change would make them an increasingly powerful and regular threat.

Now, in millions of Americans from New England to Virginia are bracing for a potential

super storm.

Hurricane Sandy is serious.

It has already killed 21 people.

...down as Hurricane Harvey picks up strength.

The storm is now a category three with more than 110 mile per hour winds.

It could bring three feet...

...