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911 dispatchers remember agonizing Hurricane Katrina calls

For the dispatchers it’s the sound of fear turning into panic that has been impossible to forget

By Mark Strassmann
CBS

NEW ORLEANS — This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of Katrina. For many who survived the ordeal, the visuals of that day are etched in their memory. But for the operators who fielded 911 calls, it’s the sound of fear turning into panic that has been impossible to forget.

CBS News has obtained never-before-heard calls made after the levees failed. One call from 2544 Dubreuil Street came from a 37-year-old woman trapped in her attic.

Operator Paula Massey answered the call, only to inform the caller that police couldn’t reach her because winds and water were too dangerous to send emergency crews.

Read full story: 10 years after Katrina, operators remember agonizing 911 calls

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