New Orleans: The Crescent and the Shadow

Harry Shearer lives in New Orleans. In this Archive on Four he looks back at what has happened in the city during the ten years since the devastating floods of 2010. Harry reveals evidence which shows that the levees broke due to poor engineering and should have been able to withstand the rising waters caused by Hurricane Katrina. Rather than being solely a natural disaster, he looks at how man-made errors created a situation which quickly spiralled out of control.

Harry also reveals what happened once the floodwaters had subsided. Did people come back to the city? Was the housing adequate for their needs? And have lessons been learned?

Harry Shearer in the city of New Orleans, whose spirit and culture have successfully withstood almost three centuries of disasters.