People who live in southern Louisiana used to talk about what might happen “when the big one hits,” and when it did, it was all televised in shocking horror for all to see. Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi 10 years ago. Images of people sitting on the roofs of […]
People who live in southern Louisiana used to talk about what might happen “when the big one hits,” and when it did, it was all televised in shocking horror for all to see.
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi 10 years ago.
Images of people sitting on the roofs of their flooded houses as Coast Guard helicopters lifted them to safety dominated the news in New Orleans and around the world.
I witnessed the effects of the disaster from Baton Rouge as I was helping the Nexstar TV stations cover the story from a satellite truck parked on the grounds of the Louisiana State Police headquarters.
When the levee broke, the resulting flood washed residents to Baton Rouge and further north to Shreveport like so much flotsam.
But what has happened to the area since then?
“It is not our intent to relive chapter and verse the 2005 developments of Hurricane Katrina”, said Joel Vilmenay, WDSU’s general manager.
“As we examine the effects of the storm and levee breaches 10 years later, we will simply tell the story of how the region is better, worse or the same.”
Under the banner Katrina: 10 Years Forward, WDSU, the Hearst NBC affiliate in New Orleans, is launching a full month of feature stories and special programming commemorating the 10th anniversary of the storm. The coverage will culminate with the premiere of an hour-long program, Chronicle: Children Of Katrina, on Aug. 29.
“This is not about dredging up our past; it’s about understanding our present and plotting our future,” says Jonathan Shelley, WDSU’s news director.
The station’s coverage will show how far the city has come since the storm, document the lessons learned and will look at the victories and defeats that have affected the city, southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi.
The stories are airing primarily on WDSU’s 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts. In addition, the station is producing a series of half-hour specials to air the week of Aug. 24.
WDSU.com has a special section where all the news stories will be featured, along with a timeline of events, before and after pictures, raw video from the station’s archives and extended interviews.
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