Acts 1 & 2

Act 1 sets the scene; as the hurricane nears the Crescent City, some residents leave town, while others stay behind, figuring they'll just ride the storm out (Mayor Ray Nagin's "mandatory evacuation" order rings fairly hollow, as there's no public transportation provided for the many who don't own vehicles and thus couldn't get out even if they wanted to). The real problems begin after Katrina makes landfall on August 29, 2005. Displaced New Orleaneans crowd into the Superdome, soon to become a living hell for those stuck there; the incredibly poorly engineered levees break, flooding some 80 percent of the city; and people start dying by the hundreds, victims of drowning, lack of food, water, and medicine, and other causes. Act 2 finds the survivors struggling to keep it together while the federal, state, and local assistance they've been promised fails to show up.

English
  • Originally Aired August 21, 2006
  • Runtime 129 minutes
  • Network HBO
  • Created May 2, 2021 by
    aaronaloysius
  • Modified May 18, 2022 by
    NinFanBoyFTW