"Hurricane on the Bayou" Flops

Just back in Boston after ten days on the Gulf Coast, I thought I'd take some chums to see the Museum of Science's new IMAX film: Hurricane on the Bayou. Since my friends couldn't come with me while I visited UUSC partners in Mississippi, New Orleans, and rural Louisiana, I figured the next best thing would be an up-close cinematic approximation.

The film began as an adventure into the wild wetlands of Louisiana and a call to restore them as a vital buffer against hurricanes. The filmmakers even simulated what might happen if a Category 5 storm headed toward New Orleans.

And then Katrina hit. The prophetic film became a documentary of how disappearing wetlands means coastal populations, including the city of New Orleans, are woefully defenseless against storm surges.

The images in the film are spectacular, the story line is pretty tight, and the heavy funk, blues, and zydeco music is stirring. Importantly, the film's call is imperative: take a variety of measures, even drastic ones, to restore these essential wetlands that are vanishing at the astonishing rate of a football field-sized piece of land every half hour.

But, in the final analysis, the film's a flop. Here are two reasons why:

• It evades the impact of oil and natural gas. There are two big reasons why the oil and natural gas industry is a major culprit in the erosion of coast wetlands -- the countless canals it cut for the movement of people and products, and subsidence (sinking land). But oil and gas is the Gulf Coast's major industry and source of revenue -- is that why there was no mention of it in the film?
  
• It dodges racism. As Rev. Jesse Jackson said: "Katrina was a nightmare of a storm, but she hit a country suffering a nightmare of neglect." And that neglect is rooted in racism. The debate continues as to the intersections of race, class, and Katrina, but no one being truthful to him- or herself can claim that racism was not a factor in the different effects of the storm's aftermath on black and white communities. It's a hard issue for many (mostly white) Americans to grapple with -- is that why there was no mention of it in the film?
  

Nevertheless, go ahead, see the film. But balance it out a bit by watching Spike Lee's film When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. And then balance that out a bit by reminding yourself that Hurricane Katrina hit not just in New Orleans, but people all along the Gulf Coast. And then, keep on educating yourself, and join forces with organizations like UUSC that are working to make a positive difference on the Gulf Coast and around the world.