Ten years after historic flooding devastated multiple parishes, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) revisits the stories of survival, resilience, and community support. The special also explores the changes made over the past decade that could help reduce the impact of future flooding. THE GREAT FLOOD OF 2016: 10 YEARS LATER premieres Friday, August 7, at 7:00 PM on LPB's statewide network and WLAE-TV in New Orleans, and at 7:30 PM on WYES-TV, the PBS station serving New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
On August 11, 2016, a stationary storm system dumped torrential rainfall over 21 Louisiana parishes, with rainfall rates as high as two to three inches an hour. Over the next days, rivers continued to rise, many reaching record flood levels. The National Weather Service called it a 1,000-year flood.
In this special episode of Louisiana: The State We're In, viewers hear from survivors who watched the floodwaters rise and inundate their homes, towns, and neighborhoods, displacing thousands of residents and forever changing their communities. The program also highlights the actions of first responders and volunteers who rallied to support those affected by the disaster. Meteorologists explain the unusual weather patterns that produced the historic flooding and why flooding continued days later as river levels hit historic marks. Finally, the program examines what has changed over the past decade, from major drainage and flood mitigation projects to advances in scientific modeling that could provide earlier warnings in the future.
LPB's Christina Jensen and Johnny Atkinson host. The program will be available for streaming the night of the broadcast premiere at lpb.org/lswi and on the LPB YouTube channel.
The Great Flood of 2016: 10 Years Later, a special report from Louisiana: The State We're In, is underwritten through the generous support of Entergy, the Fred B. and Ruth B. Zigler Foundation, and Visit Baton Rouge, with additional funding from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.
