When the Levees Broke Summary

Act I

As we were introduced to this award winning documentary, we were introduced to the thread that Hurricane Katrina presented upon New Orleans and many other cities of Louisiana. Many people chose to ignore the constant warning. People had a duty to evacuate despite their love for their communities. One of the interfiewees introduced was a lady named Phylis who said that "people wouldn't help". Many had different views on people's participation. Sean Penn, famous actor, obviously did not need to go out of his way to go to the site, but came over and helped in anyway he could saving people. The government lagged on help. They did have an obligation to open up the superdome for people to take shelter. It took too much time for people to be fed by red cross and the government would not bring food, water, or needed medical services.

Act II

During the second part of the documentary, we were introduced to the extent of life after the impact of the hurricane. People were swimming for their lives, being rescued by helicopters, children were being raped, and the chaos in the community was immense. Stress from the destruction had caused riots and white vs. black shootings with no guard or police help to stop it. Many citizen's priorities were on different things such as vandalism and theft of shops that had been abandoned. Many united and made a concious effort to survive, help, and stay calm. Many were effected emotionally including police and believed there was a duty to help the people in need. You can either chose try to cause more damage and panic, rather than get through and help. The mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin did as much as he could to help his peoplee but still people were being left on interstates. The government was clearly not ready for the situation with the president Bush not responsive. The people saw that they did not mean much to him since on day four, the people still did not have the help of the federal government. Many also felt Bush was racially motivated not to help.

Act III

The attitudes of the people had changed. They hated the government and rapper Kanye West said on television that the president does not like black people. He did not care about his career or what effect his words would have on record sales but more about the good of the people. People were also shocked by the insensitivity of President Bush's mother, former fist lady, comment on how the victims were better of now in the superdome than where they were before. Many still had no help from FEMA. Many were going to hotels and staying but money was scarse. People were angry about the rest of the country calling the victims "refugees" when they were american citizens. Rev. Al Sharpten was one of the major activists. Many communities from different states all over welcomed people with open arms, offering food and shelter to the survivors of Katrina. Many had lost hope and contemplated suicide wantig to disapear from having nightmares. Many survived based on the very thought of their culture rooted back at home. The music was a way of escaping and living.

Act IV

The aftermath of Katrina still effects people today. Thousands are burried with no landmarks giving identity. Their goal was to heal and keep the faith, unite, and go back to New Orleans. The celebration Mardi Grasswas in the middle of the rubble, but it didnt matter because everyone was together. The reasoning for the break of the levees were further explored and many agreed that the engineers who designed it should have been put in jail. Many blame the hurricane on global warnings with 8-10 hurricanes like that one and the temperature of the earth slowly rising. Many were against FEMA still waiting for their trailors and waiting for insurance. Florence Jackson was one of the many who was still waiting for her trailor . . . 6 months after the hurricane hit.