Voices from the Storm, Compiled by Lola Vollen and Chris Ying
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on 29 August 2005, devastating New Orleans. The Bush administration's woefully inadequate response and the chaos that ensued revealed a hidden America – one of poverty and injustice. Lola Vollen and Chris Ying report that when Katrina hit New Orleans, 67 per cent of its population were African-American and 22 per cent were living below the poverty line.
Five years on, Voices from the Storm uses oral history to let those who survived the hurricane tell their (sometimes surprising) stories, of before, during and after the storm. Clinical nursing assistant Renee Martin, for example, who was rescued by boat as 80 per cent of the city languished underwater, has managed to build a new life in Houston. Despite its horrors, the hurricane gave her a way out. "I can say," she concludes, "thank God for Katrina."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments