by Jackie Nunnery
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, much of the country was already riveted by the constant television coverage of the large storm and even more so in its horrific aftermath.
But for Reedville resident Ivor van Heerden, it was even more intense. As then co-founder and deputy director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Hurricane Center and the Hurricane Public Health Center, van Heerden was on everyone’s TV screen, talking about the science of the hurricane, the devastating flooding and its impacts to the health of residents.
Now 20 years later, van Heerden recounts his perspective in two documentaries. The first, “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time”, is a five-part series now streaming on National Geographic. It is a very human story, told through archival footage and eyewitness testimony from survivors, first responders and officials.
It also discusses the tragic nature of the storm due to unheeded warnings. And that is where van Heerden’s involvement is included.
Van Heerden’s warnings began years before….
