WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS {PART 1 OF 4} (TV)

Summary

The first installment in this four-part documentary series focuses on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and surrounding areas in August 2005. The first act begins with a montage of images of the history of New Orleans, both before and after the storm, set to “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” by native Louis Armstrong. Footage of a congressional hearing and interviews with FEMA representatives are then shown, and several residents and others comment on the days just before the storm in which they heard warnings from the National Hurricane Center and other sources. Many residents discuss 1965’s Hurricane Betsy, which killed several dozen people and caused excessive damage, and Mayor Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco comment on the decision to order an unprecedented mandatory evacuation for Katrina. Many left the city, but others, including some in the Ninth Ward, were uncertain about the evacuation; some chose to weather the storm as they had done Betsy. Many residents began lining up outside the Louisiana Superdome, the strongly-fortified sports arena, in order to seek shelter there. The storm hit on Monday, August 29, and many residents describe their memories of its destruction, particular the tremendous sound of the wind. The roof of the Superdome soon began to leak and break apart as a result of the wind, and those inside were forced to move.

Several people describe having heard an “explosion” when the nearby levees broke, and some describe it as sounding like a bomb and speculate that it may actually have been deliberately destroyed. It is theorized that some levees were dynamited during Betsy to divert the waters from more expensive properties, which naturally led to further deaths and destruction in poorer areas, although this has never been proven or investigated. Comparisons are also drawn to the 1927 Mississippi flood, the most destructive in US history, and one man guesses that it was about money more than race. Prior to Katrina, FEMA did a study involving the theoretical “Hurricane Pam” to discover what would happen to the New Orleans area in the event of a Category 5 storm, and though the results were quite troublesome, they received little attention from the government. One man quotes President Calvin Coolidge and says that engineering is one career where one’s mistakes are impossible to blame on another; the lack of structural integrity of the levees could only be the fault of their constructors. Furthermore, it is pointed out that New Orleans did not even receive the full force of Katrina, as it blew out to sea, and that the levees were still insufficient.

Once the storm ended, the water level in the streets continued to rise, and residents describe being trapped in upper levels of their homes or on roofs with no way of escaping. Help came slowly or not at all for those who had chosen to stay despite the evacuation order, and 80% of the city was said to be underwater. New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis sings “St. James Infirmary” over images of the stranded residents fighting their way through the floods. A couple who was vacationing in Italy during the storm describes the irony of exploring the ruins of Pompeii when they heard about the events in their hometown. Residents explain how they signaled to helicopters from their roofs and were sometimes left behind, although Mayor Nagin praises the tireless and immediate hard work of the Coast Guard in rescuing people. The situation was exacerbated by the extreme summer heat, and many people improvised with refrigerators and air mattresses as “boats” as they helped one another to safety. Actor Sean Penn arrived to help as well, and he briefly discusses his attempts helping a pastor save people in his neighborhood. Many people were directed to the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, but this soon became extremely overcrowded, and the lack of food, water and medication led to further suffering; one man describes the death of his elderly mother and his inability to dispose of her body with dignity. A news team is shown helping to rescue five children whose mother lies dead in a back room, and several people comment angrily on “the administration’s” ineffectiveness and how FEMA “passed the buck” on getting basic provisions to the survivors. Harry Belafonte discusses his meetings with leaders of other countries, including Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and their interest in helping. Soon people began taking what they needed from nearby abandoned stores, breaking into “two classes of looters”: those who took necessities and those who stole trivial items for “felonious” purposes. The situation at the Convention Center soon became dire as the running water and the plumbing stopped, creating unhygienic living conditions. Some attempted to find solace in faith, but little help appeared to be coming. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: August 21, 2006 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:04:49
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:90772
• GENRE: Documentary
• SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Natural disasters; New Orleans, Louisiana; African-American Collection - News/Talk
• SERIES RUN: HBO - TV series, 2006
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
• Jacqueline Glover … Supervising Producer
• Sam Pollard … Producer
• Spike Lee … Producer, Director
• Tyra Hanshaw … Graphics Producer
• Butch Robinson … Line Producer
• Terence Blanchard … Music by
• Louis Armstrong
• Harry Belafonte
• Kathleen Blanco
• Hugo Chavez
• Calvin Coolidge
• Wynton Marsalis
• Ray Nagin
• Sean Penn