IMAX film 'star' shares story of Hurricane Katrina

BY LAUREL MYERS

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. It was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the history of the United States.

Amanda Shaw, a 17-year-old fiddling prodigy from the disaster stricken city,  experienced the devastation and turmoil the category five hurricane left in its wake.

Shaw was in Sudbury last Wednesday to share her emotional and educational journey with an audience of high school students at a special screening of Hurricane on the Bayou, on the IMAX screen at Science North.

Featured in the film, Shaw shares her personal tale of surviving Katrina and finding hope in the restoration of Louisiana's wetlands.

"I didn't realize before (getting involved in the movie) how important the wetlands are in keeping us safe from the power of hurricanes," she said. "Now I understand that by saving the wetlands, we can also save people. You can never be 100 percent safe from storms... but a lot more of us could be protected if we start rebuilding the marshes."

Hurricane on the Bayou takes viewers on a tour of the Louisiana bayou and the city of New Orleans, where the region's wetlands are eroding into the sea, leaving the entire region more vulnerable to major hurricanes.

Original scripts for the movie were intended to show people the wonders of the wetland and warn against the potential disasters facing them. However, a few months into filming, the script took a dramatic turn as Hurricane Katrina struck the set of the film. Instead of acting as a warning, the film turned into an emotional portrayal of New Orleans before and after the most devastating natural disaster in American history.

"The hardest thing was not knowing what was going to happen immediately after the storm and not knowing how your family is or where they were," Shaw said. "Everything you knew changed overnight. Your cell phone doesn't work, your credit cards don't work and what you have on you is all you have. It's like losing your identity."

Shaw and her family were able to evacuate the city. However, her grandparents couldn't make it out. They lived in close proximity to one of the city's levees, and with all communication down, the Shaws were left speculating about their safety. It took a month to be reunited with family.

"It was hard just sitting there, not knowing and not being able to help," the young fiddler said.

With billions of dollars of damage done to the city, citizens are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"I think we are still very much in the middle of it," Shaw said. "It'll be interesting to see how people feel in five years, because right now, I think we're all just focused on getting our lives back."

She explained the process of rebuilding is a slow one with everybody requiring the same services at the same time.

"It's a year's wait just to get our electricity checked," she said.

Shaw is on a mission to spread the word about the importance of  reducing and repairing damage to the wetlands.

"There's a lot of different work being done," she said. "A lot of people are traveling out to see if there's different kinds of levees we can build that will help put the soil back where it needs to go so it can naturally rebuild the wetlands."

She applauded Sudbury for the work they have done in regreening the community.

"I think you guys have done a whole lot of work in helping to rebuild the environment around here. I think that's awesome and it's what New Orleans needs to do now."

When asked what can be done from Northern Ontario to help New Orleans, Shaw extended an invitation to the students to come to her hometown and witness the devastation first hand.

"The best thing you can do if you want to help out is come down to New Orleans and see what's been done, all the problems that we still have, go shop at local shops and eat at local restaurants and you're putting money back into the people's hands," she said.  "The first step to getting involved is understanding what the problem is."

Hurricane on the Bayou is now playing in the Science North IMAX theatre daily at 2 pm, with additional showings at 8 pm, Thursday through Sunday.

For more information or to donate to the organizations offering relief to the Katrina victims, go online at www.hurricaneonthebayou.com