https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KH8rhkIoY8&t=6s (Links to an external site.)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/writer-jesmyn-ward-reflects-survival-since-katrina
Why is New Orleans so vulnerable to flooding? Discuss how the city developed, what innovations allowed it to expand, the role of wetlands, etc.
Discuss the preparations and planning that scientists and city officials collaborated on prior to the Katrina disaster. What was the main scientist’s perception of how the predictions were perceived by city officials? Discuss the ‘close call’ that New Orleans had in 2004, with one particular hurricane.
When Katrina came ashore near New Orleans, what happened when storm surge hit the canals and levees? Provide details (which levees, which canals, why engineers think they failed, etc.). Which neighborhoods were hit the hardest?
Briefly describe the human scenario in the days after Katrina hit the New Orleans area. Was there clarity from Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco regarding ‘martial law?’ What kind of clarity was there with respect to the use of deadly force? What kind of ‘culture’ was said to exist in the New Orleans Police Department?
Describe the two incidents in the days after Katrina in which it was discovered that New Orleans police officers lied. What were the legal outcomes of the police officers involved in these incidents? Note: Since the ‘Law and Disorder’ show, some sentences have been reduced, and some retrials have been declared, so you might have to do searches for the latest information.
What should be done to ensure that a better physical and social infrastructure be in place before the next big hurricane strikes a major U.S. city?
Sixteen years later, after watching some of the PBS 10th anniversary Katrina videos, and reading some of the articles, what have you learned about the recovery of New Orleans, with respect to some of these issues: Infrastructure improvements to prevent flooding, housing, medical care, income inequity, personal trauma, etc.
watch videos than reflect