When The Levees Broke

Every once in a while, a nation faces a calamity which shakes its very core and that incident happened in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the US, more specifically the city of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina was a Category 5 Hurricane which is estimated to have killed over a thousand people. Although Hurricane Katrina caused destruction on many coasts of the US, however, nothing matches the destruction that happened in New Orleans, Louisiana. What makes this issue more devastating and at the same time interesting is that in the case of New Orleans, it was not only nature that caused all the destruction, man played an important role as well, and that’s when the Levee in New Orleans broke. Although many short films and documents have been made on the subject, one of the most interesting and heart wrenching documentary has been made by Spike Lee, When the Levees Broke. The documentary very comprehensively

that the director didn’t need to add the whole history about Levee being intentionally dynamited previously, however, the overall theme of the documentary and the issues raised henceforth are critical to whole discussion of Hurricane Katrina. Despite being warned on many occasions, why did the Government not take appropriate measures well in time? Why was the Levee not completed in time? The documentary also goes on to raise the question that now that it has been established that it was the fault of Army Corp of Engineers, they cannot be sued because they have immunity so what remedies are available for the victims. The film’s music gives the viewers a larger than life experience of the Hurricane. Terence Blanchard makes sure that with his music, the right emotions are brought out in people. The documentary includes people singing “Let it Shine” in the Superdome which gives a chilly effect and also indicates that even during this ordeal, people were there for each other, ready to fight for