Oct 2022

Peace of Mind

After severe storms struck Lake Charles, many homeowners expected to rebuild quickly. They had been paying home insurance premiums for years for just this moment. But instead of receiving prompt payouts, their claims were delayed and denied. In this episode, we learn how the insu ... Show More

33m 2s

Oct 2022

Moving On

Toward the end of our team’s time in Lake Charles, the city made one last push to clean up debris that was still left over from back-to-back hurricanes. No one could have predicted what happened next. In our final episode, we learn how residents are trying to move forward after a ... Show More

20m 54s

Sep 2023

Hurricane Katrina | We Were Here | 4

At long last, the government’s rescue effort kicks into high gear and buses arrive to evacuate people from New Orleans. But it’s too late for many residents, who died in their homes waiting to be rescued. Thousands of people’s lives are shattered, and the damage to the city is ex ... Show More

43m 31s

Oct 2022

Why Disaster Relief Underserves Those Who Need It Most

When a disaster like Hurricane Ian destroys a house, the clock starts ticking. It gets harder for sick people to take their medications, medical devices may stop working without electricity, excessive temperatures, mold, or other factors may threaten someone's health. Every day w ... Show More

13m 18s

Aug 2023

Hurricane Katrina | Stranded | 2

Officials learn that the storm surge from Katrina has breached New Orleans’s levees, allowing water to pour into the city. Soon, 80 percent of New Orleans is underwater. Many residents become trapped in their homes, and are forced to climb into their attics and onto rooftops, as ... Show More

44m 28s

Aug 2023

Hurricane Katrina | Beyond Critical | 3

Days after Hurricane Katrina floods their city, residents of New Orleans become increasingly desperate, as the government bungles the rescue effort. Using doors and other items to make improvised rafts, people make their way from their flooded homes to the Superdome and the Conve ... Show More

42m 41s

Sep 2024

Not Built For This #5: The Little Levee That Could

<p>Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme weather that is coming their way. But this story is about a place that managed to get the kind of infrastructure that will actually help it survive climate change. How after more th ... Show More

48m 48s

Oct 2024

Love Thy Neighbor

As communities across the Southern United States set about recovering from one of the most devastating hurricane seasons ever, we're doing what Mr. Rogers always told us to do when the news is scary: we're looking for the helpers. In this episode, two stories about people who hav ... Show More

17m 23s

Dec 2024

There Will Be Flood

Windell Curole spent decades working to protect his community in southern Louisiana from the destructive flooding caused by hurricanes. His local office in South Lafourche partnered with the federal government's Army Corps of Engineers to build a massive ring of earthen mounds – ... Show More

31m 17s

Aug 2024

Not Built For This #4: Unbuilding the Terrace

<p>All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding, rebu ... Show More

48m 20s

Jul 2021

FEMA Has An Equity Problem

When a disaster like a hurricane or wildfire destroys a house, the clock starts ticking. It gets harder for sick people to take their medications, medical devices may stop working without electricity, excessive temperatures, mold, or other factors may threaten someone's health. E ... Show More

12m 47s

Aug 2025

Voices From the Storm: Remembering Hurricane Katrina

20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. StoryCorps was there in the aftermath, recording interviews with survivors in the cities where they fled. The stories in this episode— many captured only weeks after the storm— bear witness to one of the worst natural disasters ... Show More

24m 1s

The Cavalry