The devastation of Hurricane Katrina reached across the state of Louisiana, across the nation and across the world.
Even here, 1,500 miles away from where the hurricane hit, it has touched the hearts of some Arizonans.
That's why the Flood Control District of Maricopa County sponsored the 2006 release of "Hurricane on the Bayou," a documentary concerning the causes and the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina and what it could possibly mean to future generations.
Directed by MacGillivray Freeman, the film follows four musicians through their attempts to get the word out about the rapidly decreasing wetlands.
However, once Katrina hit, the documentary took a turn in showing how the musicians and their families fared during and after the massive storm that tore through New Orleans. The film is narrated by Meryl Streep and stars the four musicians as themselves, Allen Toussant, Tab Bernoit, Chubby Carrier and Amanda Shaw, with occasion appearances by Marva Wright.
The documentary does a good job of portraying the concept around which it was formed: that the rapid decrease of the surrounding wetlands may have been a contribution to the forming of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused. Various ideas and explanations are offered for how the hurricane formed and how the wetlands were a contribution.
However, the real heart of the story is not in the hurricane itself, but the people who survived and the heartbreak they experienced in the aftermath.
In the beginning of the film, Bernoit laments the loss of the wetlands as he says one thing that sticks with viewers through the entire 40 minutes of film, "I believe that my highest calling is to be the steward of the land I love."
The film is currently showing at Arizona Mills in Imax theaters until Sept. 15.
Reach the reporter at: allison.gatlin@asu.edu.
