Podcast Summary: All Of It – Marking the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Host: Alison Stewart (A), WNYC
Guest: Elisa Payne (B), producer and showrunner of the Netflix docuseries Katrina Come Hell and High Water
Air Date: August 28, 2025

Overview

This episode commemorates 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Alison Stewart is joined by Elisa Payne, the creative lead for the new Netflix documentary Katrina Come Hell and High Water, to examine the storm’s immediate impact, long-term consequences, and the way storytelling and documentary filmmaking are shaping public memory. The conversation includes personal stories from listeners, a reflection on media coverage, government failures, ongoing effects on Black communities, and healing through testimony.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Connections and Initial Responses

[02:51]

• Elisa Payne shares her personal connection: while working at WBLS in New York, her sister, a Tulane law student, narrowly escaped Katrina due to family insistence. Payne discusses organizing a radio-thon and notes the sharp contrast between firsthand survivor accounts and news coverage.
  • “The difference between what the people who were calling us from the Superdome were saying and what we were seeing on the 24-hour news cycle… the neglect that we now have the perspective of 20 years later to really dive into.” (B, 03:32)

[04:08]

• Alison Stewart recalls her newsroom experience during Katrina, being one of the few Black reporters at MSNBC, feeling the weight of sharing stories from the Superdome:
  • “They just wanted you to talk to people who were at the Superdome… The more you heard, the worse and worse it got.” (A, 04:12)

2. The Evolution of Language and Understanding

[05:50]

• Payne reflects on how the public conversation around Katrina is transformed by new language—from “systemic racism” to “social justice” and Black Lives Matter. The documentary focuses on how survivors felt about government response and systemic neglect.
  • “Twenty years later, we have a lot of language that we didn’t have before… It was really important for us this go around to make sure we were talking about the things we now have the vocabulary for—systemic racism, systemic neglect…” (B, 05:50)

3. Listener Stories & National Response

[07:02]

• A caller, Elizabeth from Yonkers, recounts volunteering with the Red Cross in the immediate aftermath, collaborating across political divides, and witnessing a peer’s realization about ongoing racism:
  • “It is the last time I remember people working with people from different political backgrounds… for the common good. …She learned, and it brought her to tears, and that was really something to witness.” (D, 07:00)

[08:35]

• Jonathan from Brooklyn, who was living abroad during Katrina, describes international shock and feeling unable to defend the US response:
  • “They had this image forever of America as this strong country… they were aghast it was happening there. I felt ashamed.” (E, 08:35)

[10:04]

• Payne elaborates: bureaucratic delays and shifting responsibility led to hundreds of thousands being exposed to harm. The federal, state, and local governments failed to cooperate effectively, and the consequences persist into the present.
  • “You realize how much bureaucracy affects people… At the end of the day, there is a social contract and the government is supposed to work for her people.” (B, 10:04)

4. Pre-Katrina Warnings Ignored

[12:40]

• The “Hurricane Pam” simulation, conducted a year before Katrina, predicted catastrophic levee failure; the recommendations were ignored, and necessary upgrades were not made.

  • “They said the levees were only able to withstand a hurricane that was a category three… Knowing all this, they still did not make upgrades… It was a man-made disaster.” (B, 12:40)

• Past hurricanes (Betsy in 1965, Ivan in 2004) influenced locals’ willingness to evacuate, but systemic failures made timely mass evacuations nearly impossible.

5. Focus on Survivor Testimonies—Especially Children

[17:25]

• The documentary foregrounds the often-overlooked experiences of children and young survivors:
  • “The young people were holding in so much and seeing these adults really stressed out and not wanting to add to it… Leanne Williams, who was 13 at the time, says… ‘This has healed me because I get to tell my story.’” (B, 17:25)
  • The project invited crew member Toni Landry and her family to share their story, adding unique generational perspectives.

6. Media Coverage Critique—Interview with Soledad O’Brien

[20:14]

• Soledad O’Brien, then a CNN anchor, candidly critiques the media’s initial framing of survivors as looters, and her own role within a biased coverage environment:
  • “She talks about the fact that the media was really biased and she did it too… She covered the ‘looting’ at first, then realized—‘Wait, no, this is not correct.’” (B, 20:29)
  • O’Brien exposed the hypocrisy in coverage—Black survivors ‘looting’ versus white people ‘finding food.’

7. Rebuilding, Recovery, and Persistent Inequality

[24:06]

• The third episode, led by Spike Lee, scrutinizes rebuilding efforts and asks whether Black residents were truly meant to return:

  • “Episodes one and two… setting up the intentional neglect, the failures, the man-made catastrophe. By the time we get to episode three, you understand why Spike is so incensed… That episode is the wake-up episode.” (B, 24:06 & 25:07)

  • Spike Lee wanted to focus on how, for many, conditions have not improved:

    • “He said, elisa, I need to do that, because things have not changed for them for the better… There’s not been a lot of positive change for black and brown people and poor people in these areas.” (B, 25:07)

8. The Power of Poetry & Closure

[26:58]

• The documentary closes with a poem by survivor Phyllis, offering catharsis and artistic tribute:
  • “New Orleans is such a beautiful and in so many ways poetic place… Phyllis… expressing loss and grief 20 years later. She said… seeing this work gave her her healing that she needed.” (B, 26:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the necessity of bearing witness:
  “You realize… it’s so important that we tell these stories and bear witness and elevate these people and what they’ve been through, especially at a time like this.” (B, 05:23)

• On government responsibility:
  “At the end of the day, there is a social contract and the government is supposed to work for her people. And when that fails… we are all disadvantaged.” (B, 10:17)

• Spike Lee’s wake-up call:
  “That episode is the wake up episode, as I call it… He is literally and figuratively yelling at you… because things have not changed for [residents] for the better.” (B, 25:05–25:13)

• On healing through testimony:
  “She came and said, I had been holding it in for 20 years, and this has been part of my healing. This has healed me because I get to tell my story.” (B, 17:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:51] Elisa Payne’s personal story and early media response
• [05:50] Adopting new language to frame Katrina’s legacy
• [07:02] Red Cross responder and listener call-in on unity and racism
• [10:04] Dissecting government failure and responsibility
• [12:40] The “Hurricane Pam” simulation and neglected warnings
• [17:25] Testimonies of children/young survivors
• [20:29] Soledad O’Brien’s critique of media coverage
• [24:06] Spike Lee’s “wake-up” reconstruction episode
• [26:58] Ending with survivor poetry and the meaning for New Orleans

Conclusion

The episode offers a deep, multi-layered look at Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, emphasizing the value of listening to survivors and holding systems accountable. Elisa Payne and Alison Stewart provide both personal and societal perspectives, highlighting how far we’ve come in naming the problems—but also how little has changed for the most vulnerable. With Katrina Come Hell and High Water, survivors’ voices are reclaimed, stories are centered on humanity and justice, and the ongoing struggle toward repair and healing is honored.

For deeper context, watch the full docuseries “Katrina Come Hell and High Water” on Netflix.