What to read, watch to better understand Hurricane Katrina
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A US Army loadmaster sits at the open back of a search and rescue helicopter while flying over a flooded New Orleans. Photo: David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images
As we approach the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, dozens of media outlets, bloggers and content creators have debuted documentaries, podcasts and shows to explore stories from that historical moment and its recovery.
Why it matters: For people who were directly impacted, a lot of it can just be painful — or even impossible — to relive.
A quick confession: I never finished "Treme," the landmark HBO series created by David Simon that many agree captured what the city actually felt like in its post-Katrina years.
- For me, eventually, before wrapping the first run of its four seasons, I had to step away and take a breath for myself.
- But the show is a powerful testament to how important it is to see your experience represented in mainstream media, to know that someone who wasn't here and isn't from here actually stands a chance at understanding what you've been through.
Zoom in: I was 15 when Hurricane Katrina made landfall, but only in recent years have I started to carefully seek storytelling from people I trust to help grow my understanding of what happened when it did.
- Not everything is easy to learn, but I've been happy to fill in the gaps of what I thought I knew at the time, and what we've learned about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans' recovery since.
Here are the books, podcast and documentary I've appreciated most:
- 🎥 "Katrina Babies" by E. Buckles, a documentary that catches up with Black New Orleanians who were children when the storm hit. It's streaming on HBO, Prime and Hulu, among others. Trailer.
- 📖 "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015" by Andy Horowitz, which examines the socioeconomic, demographic and geographic circumstances that explain why who was living where when the levees broke, and the disparities that resulted in the recovery. About the book.
- 🎧 Floodlines, a podcast from The Atlantic, featuring well-known local voices and reporters who explore the day-of and the aftermath through people who were here for it. Details.
- 💛 "The Yellow House" by Sarah M. Broom is a memoir from a woman who grew up in New Orleans East. Katrina centers strongly, but it's more of a sweeping portrait of a family making its way in one of the city's most overlooked neighborhoods. About the book.
The big picture: Far more books, movies, TV shows and stories examine Hurricane Katrina than those just listed here.
- That's as it should be — we may never have a full picture of that storm and the recovery it required — and many new ones have arrived in time for its 20th anniversary.
Here's a quick look at some of the newest documentaries about Hurricane Katrina:
- "The Big Uneasy" by New Orleans resident and filmmaker Harry Shearer, was originally released a decade ago, but updated for the anniversary and streaming in full on YouTube.
- "Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time" from National Geographic. Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Trailer.
- "Above the Tide - 20 Years After Katrina" from ESPN. Streaming on ESPN+. Details.
- "20 Summers: Rebuilding the Rhythm of New Orleans" from BET. Watch the short documentary on YouTube.
- "Hope in High Water: A People's Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina," from former Times-Picayune reporter Trymaine Lee. Premieres on Peacock on Aug. 22. Trailer.
- "Hurricane HQ: Katrina's Wrath 20 Years Later" is a four-part documentary to air on FOX Weather beginning Aug. 25. Details.
- "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water" by Spike Lee debuts on Netflix on Aug. 27. Trailer.
- "Together in the Eye: 20 Years Later" from New Orleans native Yasmeen Blake. Premieres Aug. 28 at the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place. Tickets.
- "Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After The Storm with Robin Roberts" airs on ABC on Aug. 29. To stream on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Aug. 30. Trailer.