Surviving Katrina: A Personal Struggle

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“The Old Man and the Storm”, was a documentary that forces the viewer into seeing the reality of the situation and the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought. June Cross and June Elliot, shown by the company Frontline, produced the video. When Hurricane Katrina and its follow up storm Rita went through Louisiana and specifically New Orleans, it gave a devastating and lasting impact on the residents. Cross went to New Orleans and met the man that inspired the now documentary. Upon visiting the town Cross-meets Herbert Gettridge, a man adamant on staying in New Orleans and repairing his house no matter at what cost. The story tells the tale of the residents trying to salvage what they had left after the storm. They found that insurance companies
The primary purpose of the video is to inform the viewers about the hardships that the citizens of New Orleans faced after Hurricane Katrina. They tie in the overall difficulty the community faced by primarily focusing on Herbert Gettridge and thus giving the audience to form a connection with him. The main viewership is directed to adults interested in not only Hurricane Katrina but also the follow up storm Rita and the damage done by the two storms. This goes into a more personal account of the Hurricane as told through people that have lived in New Orleans. The video shows the difficulties the citizens faced with rebuilding –not only their homes, but also their lives. Both reflective and informative are descriptions that could be used to describe the tone. The story shows the emotional trauma the citizens go through with the memories they share of the event. Various people throughout the biopic share their personal struggles of dealing with the ruins Katrina left behind, this appeals to the viewers emotions and makes it pathos. Though, watching the families struggle to financially reconstruct their homes and have to deal with faulty insurance companies is logos. The aftermath Hurricane Katrina left behind was still being fixed years
“The Old Man and the Storm” was a biopic that focused on Herbert Gettridge and his financial and emotional struggles caused by Hurricane Katrina. Though their were other citizens sharing their stories that all tied in together. Despite knowing about Katrina from previous information, I knew very little of the aftermath of the situation. The only information I had prior to watching the video was having knowing that Katrina was a bad storm that was hard on the citizens living where it was. Seeing just how bad the situation the citizens of New Orleans were dealing with was completely new information that no one ever talks about. Whenever people mention Katrina they talk about how bad the storm was but they do not ever quite realize the affects it had on the residents of that town, nor do they know about the Hurricane Rita. The average citizen probably does not realize that the victims of those storms are still reconstructing to this day, ten years later. I am glad that there is a story made on the people of New Orleans and gives them a voice to be heard. It is good that “The Old Man and the Storm” gives a documented account retailing the hardships of having to rebuild your entire life when it gets destroyed in just moments. The only issue I had when watching the “The Old Man and the Storm” was how much they jumped around with the mini-stories and thus not giving enough

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