Without a doubt, Ryan Coolger has become one of my favorite storytellers of the last 20 years. From Fruitvale Station to Black Panther to Creed to the recent cinematic triumph Sinners, Coogler has a knack for developing stories that always keep me entertained and glued to a screen.
That’s why I shouldn’t be surprised that his follow-up to Sinners has truly captured my attention, and it’s just as haunting, but for a completely different reason. I’m talking about Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, the new National Geographic docuseries now streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus, for which Coogler is an executive producer.
As suggested by the title, Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time takes a look back at 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, one of the most catastrophic natural disasters to hit the US, leading to 1,833 fatalities and approximately $108 billion in damage, according to the National Weather Service. Here is a synopsis of the documentary:
“Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, but the unprecedented tragedy that unfolded in her aftermath was man-made – laying bare America’s deep, structural, racial divisions. What initially seemed an ‘equal opportunities’ catastrophe that cared not for color or creed was, in reality, anything but. In the two weeks that followed Katrina’s landfall, as millions of predominantly Black lives in the Gulf Coast were ruined and ended, Katrina confirmed what every person of color already knew: America doesn’t care about Black People.”
I can recall going into my senior year in high school during the summer when Hurricane Katrina hit, and watching the destruction of the storm on news outlets. I felt nothing short of compassion and empathy for the victims then, and that sentiment returns watching the documentary; especially, with every interviewee who pops on the screen to describe their harrowing tale of survival.
Speaking of the interviewees, I was completely enthralled hearing their perspectives outside of news soundbites. Without giving away too much, it was interesting to hear from experts about how unprepared the city of New Orleans was before the storm hit, intriguing to listen to residents talk about the struggle of getting out of the city and compelling to be reminded about the true inequity of Hurricane Katrina.
On a final note, while Coogler is an executive producer on Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, Traci Curry directed the documentary. The Academy Award nominee received her nod for Attica, and she did an exceptional job with the new docuseries.
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time is now available on Hulu and Disney Plus in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
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