Early in morning of Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the Louisiana / Mississippi state line and the eyewall passed over the cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland as a Category 3 hurricane. A 27 foot storm surge with sustained winds of 120 mph made for a devastating one-two punch that rocked even the most storm-hardened shelters and wiped away 90% of all structures within six miles of the beach.

Joining us for the interview today we have Dr. David Holt, Associate Professor of Geography in the School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences and coordinator of the Sustainability Sciences BS program at USM, and Dr. Deanne Stephens, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of the Gulf South at USM.

To their expertise, we add the raw accounts of city officials, firemen, nurses, and everyday people who share their stories of survival and tragedy during those harrowing hours when life and death hung in the balance.

Hosted by Bill Ellison

Produced by Ross Walton

Executive Producer Dr. Kevin Greene.

Written by Ross Walton, Isabel Loya, Jerra Runnels, Andrew Leib, and Holli Parker.

Additional interviews were conducted by Isabel Loya, Jerra Runnels and Andrew Leib.

Special thanks to the Center for the Study of the National Guard and the Mississippi Humanities Council.