Forgotten Coast
A film by
Jamie Christensen Johnston
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Background
Hurricane Katrina...one of the largest disasters in U.S. history hit on August 29, 2005. Two years later, people still believe the storm hit New Orleans, but it didn't. What happened in New Orleans was a horrible man-made disaster, but what happened along the Coast of Mississippi and Alabama was truly a horrific natural disaster.
I am from the Coast, and I have been involved in the film industry for years. My parents were hit by Katrina, and luckily were able to fix their house by Christmas of 2005. I flew back to see them, and I was struck by the devastation that I saw flying into the Gulfport airport. There were FEMA tarps everywhere, the water park pool was completely buried by sand, and the most startling of all, as we flew over the beach, there was nothing to be seen for blocks inland.
The landmarks I knew so well, the trees I loved so much, the restaurants, houses, and people were all gone. I had heard how bad it was from my mother, but nothing could prepare me for the devastation that I saw four months after the storm. I had not seen these pictures on the news, and very rarely did I ever hear a media outlet talk about the Mississippi or Alabama coast. While I love New Orleans and wish only the best for them, I was somewhat outraged that no one was really talking about the hundreds of dead and the 65,000 homes destroyed in coastal Mississippi. Both stories were important and should have been covered, but unfortunately for the Coast, New Orleans received all of the attention.
It was at that point that I knew that I had to make a documentary about this subject. I wanted to tell what had happened to the Coast during the storm, but more importantly, I wanted to study what the effects would be of this storm on the area. I had a feeling that the outcome would be different than the outcome in New Orleans, but I also knew that while people would be looking at New Orleans, they would be largely ignoring the changes along the Coast. Would the economic benefits of all the new investment money and construction outweigh the benefits of giving the people of the area their lives back? What would happen to the culture of the area as big business and casinos started taking over areas where residents formerly lived? Would this still be "the Riviera of the South"?
This is my documentary about what Katrina has done to the Coast, and how things have changed. I am very thankful to my parents and friends along the Coast who have helped keep me informed and introduced me to people who could tell their stories. This film is truly for the people of coastal Mississippi and Alabama, but hopefully it will be enjoyed by all who can learn about the wonderful region that is, or was, the Coast.
I am from the Coast, and I have been involved in the film industry for years. My parents were hit by Katrina, and luckily were able to fix their house by Christmas of 2005. I flew back to see them, and I was struck by the devastation that I saw flying into the Gulfport airport. There were FEMA tarps everywhere, the water park pool was completely buried by sand, and the most startling of all, as we flew over the beach, there was nothing to be seen for blocks inland.
The landmarks I knew so well, the trees I loved so much, the restaurants, houses, and people were all gone. I had heard how bad it was from my mother, but nothing could prepare me for the devastation that I saw four months after the storm. I had not seen these pictures on the news, and very rarely did I ever hear a media outlet talk about the Mississippi or Alabama coast. While I love New Orleans and wish only the best for them, I was somewhat outraged that no one was really talking about the hundreds of dead and the 65,000 homes destroyed in coastal Mississippi. Both stories were important and should have been covered, but unfortunately for the Coast, New Orleans received all of the attention.
It was at that point that I knew that I had to make a documentary about this subject. I wanted to tell what had happened to the Coast during the storm, but more importantly, I wanted to study what the effects would be of this storm on the area. I had a feeling that the outcome would be different than the outcome in New Orleans, but I also knew that while people would be looking at New Orleans, they would be largely ignoring the changes along the Coast. Would the economic benefits of all the new investment money and construction outweigh the benefits of giving the people of the area their lives back? What would happen to the culture of the area as big business and casinos started taking over areas where residents formerly lived? Would this still be "the Riviera of the South"?
This is my documentary about what Katrina has done to the Coast, and how things have changed. I am very thankful to my parents and friends along the Coast who have helped keep me informed and introduced me to people who could tell their stories. This film is truly for the people of coastal Mississippi and Alabama, but hopefully it will be enjoyed by all who can learn about the wonderful region that is, or was, the Coast.
