Kimora Lee & Star Jones - From Documentary Katrina 911 (2)

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Hurricane Katrina

The images are scorched into our collective memory. There were survivors carrying what belongings they could salvage, trekking through waist-high sewage in search of high ground; there were images of mothers carrying children and sons pushing fathers in wheelchairs; there were survivors on rooftops with signs held overhead pleading for supplies as helicopters flew past; and there was anguish at the Superdome. There was also the report of survivors, largely black in number, turned back by police at gunpoint on the Gretna Bridge as they sought dry land. There was the talk of being a "refugee" in your own country and the looting of abandoned shops and stores—all caught on camera.

And there was the constant question of "How could this happen here?"

Today marks the second anniversary of the Katrina disaster, and life amid the protracted rebuilding efforts remains a struggle for many hurricane survivors. But if one factor has been exacerbated by the devastation that nearly leveled New Orleans two years ago, it's the stark racial divide in the city that by many accounts is harsher today than ever.

Charges of political corruption, complaints from those still awaiting federal assistance, a sky-high crime rate and some devastated, mostly black areas that are still untouched by efforts to rebuild have left tensions in the city at an alarming high.

Produced by Lydia Idem of BlackTree Media

Co-Produced by Nancy Redd

Personality: Nancy Redd

Editor: Tyler Hatton

Keywords: BlackTree, Fab, Hurricane, Jay-z, Jones, Katrina, Kimora, Lee, Life, Media, Reynolds, SOS, Star, The, TV