NOVA reconstructs Hurricane Katrina's development and destruction
and investigates causes of the flooding in New Orleans.
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reviews a computer model of a Category 3 hurricane that was
shown to state and federal officials one year before Hurricane
Katrina struck New Orleans.
explains how hurricanes form and build in strength.
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presents how forecasters at NOAA's National Hurricane Center in
Miami determine a storm's intensity and track.
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relates how U.S. Air Force personnel fly into a hurricane to
gather information about a storm's wind direction, wind speed,
pressure, humidity, and temperature.
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tracks Hurricane Katrina from its inception as a tropical storm
to its Category 4 hurricane rating when it struck New Orleans.
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states how New Orleans—which is below sea level and
sandwiched between the Mississippi River and Lake
Pontchartrain—has traditionally relied on a system of
pumps, canals, and levees to keep water out of the city.
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shows how Louisiana's wetlands, which can help reduce the impact
of a storm surge, are being destroyed.
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interviews residents who did not evacuate and reports on what
happened when the storm hit.
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notes that of the four major breaches in the city's flood
defenses—two on the canal that flooded the Lower Ninth
Ward and two in the northern part of the city—the northern
breaches caused the most flooding.
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reviews how officials worked to repair the broken levees and to
coordinate rescue efforts amid the turmoil that followed the
storm.
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indicates that the northern breaches occurred because the flood
walls failed to do the job for which they were designed.
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reveals that while hurricane frequency is cyclical, hurricane
intensity seems to be increasing, possibly due to warmer sea
surface temperatures brought on by global warming.
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explores whether or how New Orleans should be rebuilt, and
whether residents will return to the city.
