Parents' Guide to Katrina: Come Hell and High Water

Co-executive produced by Spike Lee, the raw and unapologetic docuseries discusses how infrastructure failure, slow government responses, and disproportionate race and class divides worsened the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans. Survivors, some of who were children in 2005, share in Katrina: Come Hell and High Water how late evacuation orders were issued, how poorly they were carried out, and in some cases, how a lack of resources made them impossible to follow. Some share frightening stories and cell phone footage of weathering the storm in their homes, at the Hyatt Regency, and in the Louisiana Superdome, along with the serious damage those structures sustained while they were inside. They also describe the unimaginable human suffering that followed, including watching helplessly as loved ones drowned in rising floodwaters, and trying to survive without power, sanitation, relief from the heat, or even the most basic resources. Adding to this are some of the recovery failures residents dealt with after Hurricane Katrina, such as having to contend with poorly built homes constructed by the Make It Right Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by actor Brad Pitt.

Throughout these narratives are conversations about how news media perpetuated existing biases when reporting on what was happening in the city, which affected rescue efforts, and exposed the long-standing systemic racism and structural poverty in the area to the world. But despite the distressing reminders of the human failures that led to these devastating catastrophes, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water also pays tribute to New Orleans and its ability to rise above and persevere. Ultimately, the overall production is not an easy watch, especially for those who are old enough to remember what transpired. But it's an important reminder of how we, as a country, and as humans beings, need to do better.