WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS {PART 2 OF 4} (TV)

Summary

The second 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 act begins as residents explain that by Wednesday, August 31, it became clear that the flood waters would not soon dissipate. Rescues continued of people trapped in their homes, but they were then taken to the Superdome, the Convention Center and other overcrowded places with no provisions. Various “pickup points” were established on the interstate highways, but survivors often had to wait several days for transport. When some tried to escape New Orleans over the Crescent City Connection, also called the Gretna Bridge, they were stopped and forced to turn around by armed guards and not permitted to “cross parish lines.” Wild rumors began circulating in the press of hostage situations and jailbreaks, and many of the news reports were inaccurate and racially motivated. The “camps” of residents on the highways and below underpasses grew violent and dangerous, and one man vividly describes being shot by a random bystander, while another describes seeing fires and general destruction. Governor Blanco, however, states that there is “no evidence” that the city was “out of control” during the days after the hurricane. Police Chief Eddie Compass is seen emotionally describing his efforts and frustration at his lack of resources and inability to help many of his fellow citizens.

President George W. Bush arrived in the city on September 2, which many felt was rather too late, and various interviewees comment that he was “not curious” about the situation, despite being clearly warned by the National Hurricane Center about the dangers of the inadequate levees. Harry Belafonte speculates that the “arrogance of power” and the social and racial “unimportance” of those affected caused Bush to focus on the war in Iraq rather than on the hurricane, leading to his infamous commendation of FEMA director Michael Brown. Comparisons are drawn to President Lyndon Johnson, who made an immediate trip to New Orleans in 1965 after Hurricane Betsy, and several people point out the contrast between the speedy response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the response to Katrina. CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien recounts her interview with a FEMA representative and her incredulity at their lack of information and delayed action. It is suggested that Brown was a “scapegoat,” blamed for the mistakes of Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff’s mistakes, and the disinterest of other high-ranking Washington officials during the time of the storm is highlighted, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s blasé behavior. Others discuss the ineffectiveness of the mandatory evacuation on those who had no means of leaving the city safely, and it is noted that Mayor Ray Nagin chose to first meet with the city’s business owners when he was warned of the storm. He is compared to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his well-received handling of the 9/11 catastrophe; change only came when Nagin gave an impromptu and bluntly-worded interview on the radio, asking for troops and buses to be sent to the city. He was then asked to meet with President Bush and Governor Blanco on Air Force One, and recounts that Blanco allegedly asked for “time” to debate her actions, explaining that it was unclear who was truly in power.

Reverend Al Sharpton comments on his experiences meeting directly with survivors and criticizes Bush’s preference at the time for focusing on the Iraq War. It is explained that Army Lt. General Russel Honore showed up and brought swift order to the situation and evacuated the Superdome, although there was little organization amongst the people as they finally escaped the “horrific conditions” within the structure. A man describes having to leave his mother’s dead body behind as he and thousands of others were sheparded to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where many waited in the terminal for up to fifteen hours before being randomly placed on planes and buses and sent to various locations, often having no idea where they were headed until they arrived. Parallels are drawn to the slave trade, in which families were similarly forcibly separated with little choice or information. O’Brien reports from the abandoned Convention Center and describes the strong smell there, expressing her shock at the number of dead bodies lying unclaimed and unburied all over the city for days on end. The act closes as poet Shelton “Shakespear” Alexander delivers a spoken-word piece on the death and destruction in the city after the storm. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: August 21, 2006 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:02:06
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:90773
• 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
• Shelton "Shakespear" Alexander
• Harry Belafonte
• Kathleen Blanco
• Michael Brown
• George W. Bush
• Michael Chertoff
• Eddie Compass
• Rudy Giuliani
• Russel Honore
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Ray Nagin
• Soledad O'Brien
• Condoleezza Rice
• Al Sharpton