Katrina: Come Hell or High Water

Netflix has a documentary playing right now, Katrina, Come Hell or High Water

I watched the three episodes in one sitting. The story is told more from the side of the survivors and the victims perspective. It is the epidemy of the challenges we face in trying to serve people who do not have the resources necessary to escape the path of destruction. It is also a reminder that not everyone is tuned into the news like many of us might be.

The first two episodes are focused first on the lead-up to the storm with the second being targeted to the disaster response, or lack thereof. This second part reminds me of our current situation today. It is easy to predict where failures in a federal response might today come from. Poor leadership, inadequate resources, a lack of initiative, poor messaging before and after the storm.

I encourage you to watch the third episode. It focuses on the recovery in New Orleans, but also on the culture of the community that was taken away by the disaster and the inept response to the situation. It can be hard to watch, but I think it provides another glimpse into how governments focus more on security than helping people in destress. I gave a short presentation to a small group of friends two weeks ago. I highlighted the fact that what might look like looting to some is desperate people trying to survive. The show also looks at the systemic issues that can exist in poor communities. I’d also add that this last episode gave me a better appreciation for the culture of New Orleans and its geopolitical situation in the State of Louisiana.

While I’ve shared this several times before, here is the op-ed Destroying FEMA that I wrote and appeared in the Washington Post the day after the levees broke. I’ll add that I wrote this and submitted it in July weeks before Hurricane Katrina. Everything that happened then was predictable, just as today’s situation and FEMA’s response to a major disaster is predicable.