Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on 29 August 2005 as a Category 5 storm and caused catastrophic flooding after inadequate floodwalls and drainage canals failed. Evacuation orders arrived late and many low-income residents lacked means to leave, leaving 1,392 dead and thousands effectively displaced within their own city. Local authorities were unprepared and federal response under George W. Bush was slow, reflecting systemic indifference and racialized neglect that amplified suffering. Two major documentary series produced by prominent filmmakers revisit the catastrophe; one recent series overlaps substantially with an earlier film, reusing many clips and interviewees despite the essential power of the story.
It's no surprise, then, that more than one major documentary series has been made to mark 20 years since wind, water and a whole lot of racism devastated New Orleans, or that leading cinematic auteurs of two consecutive generations, Spike Lee and Ryan Coogler, have each executive-produced their own. But watching Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, you do wish Lee and Coogler had got on the phone to check they weren't doubling up too much.
Katrina, a Category 5 hurricane on a scale that goes up to 5, hit New Orleans on 29 August 2005. An order to evacuate the city came late, and many residents with limited economic means didn't have a way of getting out anyway. New Orleans is a bowl, with much of it below sea level; floodwalls and drainage canals had been built to protect against storm surges, but they were inadequate and, after the hurricane struck, entire neighbourhoods flooded.
Collection
[
|
...
]