A documentary chronicling the lives of a 155-member African American family in the 18 months following Hurricane Katrina met with favorable reviews after a screening and discussion with filmmaker Kate Browne at the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop this month.
Still Waiting: Life After Katrina tells the story of Connie, Katie, and Ginny, three African American women who grew up in the New Orleans area. Viewers watch as the women and many others in the extended family—a close-knit group rich in tradition, faith, and love—evacuate to Dallas with an unwavering conviction to someday return. In spite of their interconnectedness and emotional support, though, the triumph of the family’s repatriation to their Bayou home is tempered by unexpected difficulties. Over time, hopes of reclaiming their past quality of life seem increasingly remote.
“Still Waiting draws viewers into the remarkable story of resilience, family, and attachment to place,” said Browne, an Afro-Creole specialist and anthropology professor at Colorado State University.
Browne, who along with Emmy-winning filmmaker Ginny Martin, has followed the family since October 2005, believes disaster researchers and practitioners could find Still Waiting useful as a teaching tool that raises issues of understanding the human impact of disaster in a cultural context where attachment to place is central.
To view a low-resolution version of the film in entirety, order a DVD, or learn more about the making of the film, visit the Still Waiting website.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.