In the hours following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, flooding drove tens of thousands of evacuees away from their homes. Exhausted and desperate, more than 18,000 evacuees left with little more than the clothes on their backs and headed to Lafayette toward the Cajundome Arena. This is the story of what happened next. Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) premieres the independent documentary, CAJUNDOME CITY, Wednesday, August 23 at 7:00pm. Viewers can also stream the program live at www.lpb.org/livetvor on mobile devices with the LPB App.
Cajundome City Trailer from Vidox on Vimeo.
This documentary tells the remarkable story of how a community transformed an event venue, designed to host basketball games and concerts, into the country’s first mega-shelter following Hurricane Katrina. Over the course of 58 days, countless volunteers showed their compassion and resourcefulness as they converted the Cajundome into a home for those who were temporarily homeless.
The documentary features interviews with key figures involved in the sheltering operation as well as hurricane survivors that became Cajundome residents. It explores the struggles facing the Cajundome staff, volunteers, and Lafayette leaders as they attempted to provide hurricane evacuees much more than the basics required for survival, according to LPB.
“It is an extraordinary and inspiring example of human kindness toward one's neighbors in need,” says Trent Angers, journalist and publisher of the book The Day of the Cajundome Mega-Shelter. “Thousands of volunteers gave of their time to help New Orleans area evacuees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This story should not be allowed to fade into obscurity but should be preserved for all to see--a proud chapter in the history of Louisiana citizenship.”
Angers is one of the executive producers of the film. The other is Dr. Paul Azar, who served as Medical Director of the Cajundome Mega-Shelter and was supervisor of the on-premises clinic that accommodated some 5,000 doctor visits for Katrina evacuees.
Outside of Acadiana, the larger story of Katrina’s devastation largely eclipsed this astonishing tale of success. Cajundome City, co-directed by Chris Allain with his son Christopher, is a tale they thought important to tell. “Our goal from the beginning of this project was to shine a light on the incredible effort of the Cajundome staff and volunteers. We believe the Cajundome City story will be of great interest to those who’ve built their lives in Louisiana. Our goal is to have this story viewed as widely as possible in Louisiana and beyond, and we’re delighted that public media has provided us that opportunity,” Allain says.
Along with the premiere, LPB will encore CAJUNDOME CITY, on Wednesday, August 23 at 10:00pm and again on Saturday, August 26 at 8:30pm. After the premiere, the program will be available for on-demand streaming with LPB PASSPORT – an extended member benefit. More details at www.lpb.org/programs/cajundome-city.
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