Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans on August 29, 2005 will forever serve as a reminder of the costs of government bureaucracy, which left the city tragically unprepared to deal with the crisis, despite the fact that numerous experts had made accurate predictions well in advance of the storm's landfall, including the potential failure of New Orleans' levees and the flooding (possibilities that, despite protestations to the contrary, President Bush was well aware of). In the end, over 1,400 people would die, with another 800,000 left homeless. Combining eyewitness testimony, haunting storm footage, and expert hurricane analysis by engineers, climatologists, and emergency officials, this episode of the PBS-aired NOVA series makes it painfully clear that much of Katrina's devastating impact could have been avoided, beginning with simulations that identified the high-damage threat of Katrina a full year before the storm struck. Viewers will learn about hurricane forecast procedures, computer modeling, Air Force hurricane hunters (who gain data by flying directly into the center of hurricanes), and how a super-storm like Katrina evolves. The program also outlines a brief history of New Orleans, pointing to the city's physical location in a "bowl" of land that actually sits below sea level. NOVA supports its comprehensive look with vivid graphics and animation to further illustrate the storm's impact, and—most dramatically—ends with a final word from Louisiana State University hurricane expert Ivor van Heerden, who had been the first to sound the alert to Katrina's potential damage. "I knew it was coming," van Heerden says, choking back tears, but his warnings went unheeded. DVD extras include printable materials for educators. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Shannon)
Hurricane Katrina: The Storm That Drowned a City
(2005) 56 min. VHS or DVD: $19.95. WGBH Boston Video. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-59375-319-5 (dvd). Volume 21, Issue 3
Hurricane Katrina: The Storm That Drowned a City
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: