Title:KRIV
Duration: 21:52 minutes
KRIVFilm Transcript
[Bakcground music]
Slow piano music.
[Video footage]
News broadcast. Female newsreader seated in front of a satellite weather diagram, showing movement of large red areas indicating a hurricane. Small screen in top-right corner shows an image of hurricane damage – trees bent and fallen.
[Newsreader]
“Katrina tonight is now a Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds...”
[Text displays]
KATRINA
[Video footage]
A road lined with trees bent over from the wind. Headlights of a few cars just visible through the heavy rain. Loud rain with thunder rumbling in background.
[Unidentified woman]
“I really didn’t think it was any more than a typical hurricane.”
[Video footage]
Wave of water flooding over a grass verge. Debris can be seen floating in the water, trees bending over in background.
[Weathergirl]
“We’ve always talked about that nightmare scenario, what could happen if this hits New Orleans.”
[Video footage]
Weathergirl in front of map labelled, “Tropics”. Summary of Hurricane Katrina in the top-right corner with speed and direction of winds. Arrows show path of the storm as it heads inland from the sea, with possible times that it would hit land.
[Leslie]
“We evacuated everybody that we needed to take with us and went to Houston.”
[Video footage]
Large motorway at night. Lots of cars seen going in one direction, presumably heading out of the city. Other side of road leading into the city almost deserted.
Another busy road at night.
[Newsreader]
“Now we’re going to take you to I-10, and you can see the gridlock right there as people make their way…” [fades out].
[Video footage]
CNN Newsreader. Headline reads, “Developing story. Hurricane Katrina.”
News footage. Aerial shot of gridlocked motorway at night.
[Fred]
“I remember hearing a news report on the radio as we were stuck in gridlocked traffic and they were calling for volunteers who had experience dealing with cadavers and I just remember thinking, oh wow, this is different.”
[Video footage]
Another gridlocked road at night. Cars moving slowly. Another shot of a road gridlocked in one direction, other direction almost empty.
[Narrator]
“Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history. Taking more than 1,800 lives and devastating huge swathes of the Gulf Coast – Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana – all in Katrina’s crosshairs. But long before this monstrous storm makes landfall on the Mississippi-Louisiana border, her swirling winds and powerful punch take aim at people and assets in the Gulf of Mexico – deepwater oil platforms, hundreds of miles offshore.”
[Video footage]
A tree getting battered by wind. Traffic lights and a person can just be seen in background, through the rain.
Floodwater, lots of debris floating.
Heavy rain and wind.
Newspaper front page. Headline, “Katrina takes aim.”
Map of the Gulf Coast of USA. Sped-up footage of cloud formations. Swirling winds can be seen coming in from Gulf and hitting southern USA.
Oil rig at sea. Shots from various angles.
[Text displays]
After the Storm
Deepwater’s Journey
[Graphic]
Silhouette of an oil rig, water flooding beneath.
[Graphic]
Calendar showing August 29, 2005. Dates flick backwards and stops at 22.
Interview with Frank Glaviano
[Frank]
“Let me take you back about a week before Katrina because that’s when our planning for the hurricane really began.”
[Narrator]
“At the time, Frank Glaviano is Shell’s vice-president of production for the Americas. He gathers his team to begin the process of getting more than 1,500 employees and contractors to safety, executing the evacuation plan the company has been practising for ten years.”
[Video footage]
Photo of Frank in an office.
On an oil rig at sea, walking on balcony that runs along the edge of the rig. The ocean can be seen to the right. People in overalls walking in front.
People in hardhats having a discussion, pointing at things, looking up.
Man with harness on being hoisted up part of the rig.
People pointing at a large pipe, discussing something.
Aerial shot of rig.
[Graphic]
Calendar. Date flips forward to August 25, 2005.
[Narrator]
“Thursday, August 25th 2005. Katrina gathers strength and changes course.”
[Video footage]
Female newsreader seated in front of a weather pattern diagram, showing movement of large red areas indicating a hurricane. Small screen in top-right corner shows an image of hurricane damage – trees bent and fallen – with the caption, “Katrina’s wrath.”
[Newsreader]
“This killer storm is strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico tonight…”
[Narrator]
“Over the next two days heightened alert all along the Gulf Coast as Katrina explodes into a category 5 hurricane.”
[Video footage]
Heavy rain and wind, signposts falling down, debris in road.
Signpost being blown about in wind.
Heavy wind and rain – debris flying through air. Signs from shopfronts being ripped off.
[Graphic]
Calendar showing August 25 2005, flicks forward to August 27.
Interview with Tom Broom
[Tom Broom]
[Unclear]
[Tom]
“I received a call on Saturday from our incident commander stating that he had made the decision from One Shell Square in New Orleans out to Robert.”
[Narrator]
“Tom Broom’s team is at Shell Robert Training Centre, more than 50 miles north-west of New Orleans. That’s where those on the front lines of oil and gas operations receive their training. Meanwhile, Shell and fellow oil companies continue offshore evacuations in a race against time.”
[Video footage]
Outside Robert Training Centre. Small building in countryside area.
Helicopter simulator next to water.
People undertaking training in swimming pool. Two people strapped into seats in a cage as it plunges underwater and spins.
Satellite picture showing very large swirl of clouds.
[Frank]
“By two o’clock on Saturday afternoon before Katrina I had confirmation that all of our employees and contractors had been evacuated from the platforms, all of the wells were secure, it was in a safe manner and now it’s time to wait and see where does the storm strike exactly and what, if any, will be the damage.”
[Background music]
Ticking clock.
Music gets faster. More dramatic.
[Narrator]
“Shell employee Leslie Bouie and her family are hunkered down in Houston. That’s where Cathy and Marc McRae and their children take refuge as well. And Fred Palmer takes a shorter evacuation route to neighbouring Baton Rouge. At Robert, about 30 people, ages two to 92, are huddled together. Members of the incident command team and their families dig in for a long night.”
[Video footage]
Leslie at her desk, doing paperwork. Outside of a large house. Two people standing on balcony. Fred walking down stairs. Fred in his office, working at a computer.
Outside shot of the Robert Training Centre, sun going down in background.
[Graphic]
Calendar showing August 27 2005. Flicks forward to 29.
Interview with Fred Palmer
[Fred Palmer]
[Unclear]
[Fred]
On August 29th we woke up in Baton Rouge and for the most part New Orleans had dodged another bullet.
[Narrator]
“Many believed that, and then reality begins to sink in.”
[Video footage]
Two cars submerged in flood water up to the window level. Water flows quickly around them.
Firemen in small speedboat trying to turn boat around against the strong current. Trees bent over from the wind in the foreground.
Interview with Ken Jones
[Ken]
“As we got to Canal Street we started noticing water coming up.”
[Narrator]
“Ken Jones, former WDSU TV reporter.”
[Video footage]
Ken walking down steps of Mercedes-Benz Superdrome.
[Ken]
“We didn’t know where it was coming from.”
[Narrator]
“It is coming from breached levees and flood walls. Some 50 catastrophic failures.”
[Video footage]
Aerial shot of breach, water flooding in through large hole.
[Ken]
“We saw children on the side of the road actually carrying a lot of their belongings in sheets and they were banging on the truck, Mister, take me with you, and of course we couldn’t because there were so many people.”
[Video footage]
Children waving for help from the porches of their houses.
People wading through water up to their knees, carrying large bin bags.
Petrol station with floodwater all around. Large truck drives through water in front of camera. Cars submerged in water.
[Narrator]
“80% of New Orleans is soon under water.”
[Ken]
“At that point it’s a story of survival. The Convention Centre, the Superdome, places along the I-10, you’re stranded out here without water, without food and at that point it becomes a dire situation. People start dying.”
[Video footage]
People wading through water, pushing a person in a plastic box.
Lots of people running across a road towards a large building.
People carrying bags.
Person stranded on top of a car submerged in floodwater.
Another stranded person sitting on a roof.
Man trying to rescue another man from the window of a car. Floodwater surging around them.
Child being hoisted up in a rescue basket, presumably by a helicopter that is out of shot.
[Narrator]
“In the wake of Katrina, Frank Glaviano’s weekly newsletter to Shell employees is unlike any he’s ever written.”
[Frank – reading from the letter]
“I’ve experienced many hurricanes in my life and know how to deal with them, or so I thought. The death toll may never really be known but most estimates put it in the thousands. Human suffering is everywhere.”
[Video footage]
Panning over a stack of letters. Camera focuses on various passages as Frank reads.
[Narrator]
“Heartbreak and uncertainty are the themes in every Katrina story, and the search for a silver lining.”
[Frank]
“For me, all I can do is think about the positive aspects and to once again be reminded what my knees are for. We are Shell. One company. One family in crisis. We are people with great resolve and tremendous determination. We are people with beating hearts and have and will continue to reach out and help others.”
[Video footage]
Frank gets emotional as he reads letter.
[Frank]
“Well, you know, it was such a unique time for all of us to experience this. To be in the middle of the disaster that you’re having to deal with and fix is what made it so different.”
[Narrator]
And so very challenging, first on a human level, then taking care of business.
Interview with Leslie Bouie
[Leslie Bouie]
[Unclear]
[Leslie]
“They sent out an email and all that email said is, we want to know where you are, we want to know that you’re safe, dial in to this number.”
[Tom]
“Sitting there, taking the time to call in, yes, we’re okay, and just being touched by this voice on the other end that just, how can we help you?”
[Narrator]
“Despite the staggering death toll, Shell accounts for all its personnel and their families. One Shell Square weathers the storm relatively well but downtown New Orleans is uninhabitable and no one knows for how long. That reality transforms Robert Training Centre into Camp Robert, temporary home to some 400 displaced Shell employees and their families.”
[Video footage]
Aerial shot of flooded streets.
Signpost just visible above the floodwater.
Lorries driving down flooded streets.
People wading through water in city street.
The remains of a shopfront, floodwater still very high.
A person handing out supplies.
Aerial shot of Robert Training Centre. A few low rise buildings with a small car park, surrounded by trees and lawn.
Photo of Camp Robert. Crowd of a few hundred people standing outside of a warehouse, American flag on flagpole in background. Camera zooms in on the photo.
[Tom]
“We had Shell employees arrive without food, without water, without ice, without clean clothes.”
[Narrator]
“Shell provides these necessities and more, purchasing homes and apartments for employees to rent and offering no-interest loans.”
[Video footage]
Row of houses with cars parked in front. Suburban houses, row of garages.
[Leslie]
“They took care of transportation, they took care of salaries, they took care of medical expenses.”
[Narrator]
“And they offer a shoulder and an ear.”
[Tom]
“My most important role during those first few weeks when people were checking in to Robert was to listen.”
[Video footage]
People talking on phones, working at computers while on phone.
[Narrator]
“As the healing begins so does the work of getting back to business. at the top of the list, making a critical decision about Shell’s future.”
[Video footage]
Looking up at a skyscraper.
[Fred]
“Leave it all in New Orleans. Split the baby - some stay in New Orleans, some come to Houston. Or take it all to Houston.”
[Frank]
“We ultimately decided as a team that New Orleans was our partner and you don’t abandon a partner after 50 years.”
[Narrator]
“The coming home campaign is born. As many around the nation wonder out loud why any person much less a corporation would want to stay in the storm ravaged city.”
[Video footage]
Shot of the coming home campaign billboard.
Storm damage. Debris and rubble outside houses. Aerial shot of devastated neighbourhoods.
Interview with Cathy McRae
[Cathy McRae]
[Unclear]
[Cathy]
“Our corporate words were, we support the communities in which we live and work, and coming back to New Orleans was living those values.”
[Frank]
“We weren’t bragging but we were definitely trying to help the city use us an example, look, if Shell can come back so can you.”
[Video footage]
Schoolchildren running along pavement.
Person mowing his front lawn.
Panning down from a large building to a crowd of people dressed in yellow.
[Unidentified Male Speaker]
“I’d like to welcome everyone back and say to the city of New Orleans that Shell is home.”
[Narrator]
“January 30th 2006, a day etched in the memories of those who were there.”
[Video footage]
Crowd of people in Shell t-shirts. Men in suits cutting the ribbon on One Shell Square building. Crowd claps.
[Fred]
“It was a party. In New Orleans you have a party. We had the flag that had been on One Shell and it actually was up during the storm so it was tattered and we retrieved it and we brought it out to Robert and it flew at Robert the whole time we were there. And so one of the visible signs of us returning was to raise the flag of One Shell again. And Irvin Mayfield, who’s a world renowned jazz trumpeter, came and he played the national anthem on his trumpet.”
[Video footage]
Folded up flag being handed down a line of Shell employees. Trumpeter plays USA national anthem as flag is raised slowly. Shot looking up at trumpeter and flag. Crowd cheers.
[Fred]
“Then we had a second line to the park.”
[Narrator]
“The second line, the quintessential Louisiana tradition of following the band in joyous dance. After a second devastating hurricane just three weeks after Katrina and months of despair, finally a glimmer of hope and a reason to celebrate.”
[Video footage]
Shell employees walking in crowd, decorated umbrellas being waved. Brass band with drums. People dancing in a line. Camera pans up at large building.
[Leslie]
“Celebration is a tradition in New Orleans. We celebrate things. And Mardi Gras is one of our biggest celebratory seasons, you know, we love Mardi Gras.”
[Video footage]
Big brass band in a parade. Lots of floats with people in costumes. Crowds waving.
[Cathy]
“Mardi Gras is on St Charles Avenue and having families together and that coming back that first Mardi Gras and seeing people that you didn’t know what happened to them. What really struck out for me is they would say, this is my friend Cathy, this is my friend Marc, they work for Shell. So that was the impact. What Shell did for the employees is truly amazing but the impact that Shell had in the community of New Orleans just by its response, kind of, blew me away.”
[Video footage]
Crowds lining the streets for the carnival, waving to the people on floats. Camera going over a bridge, looking up at metal structure.
[Narrator]
“Following the storm, with recovery limping along, the city’s iconic jazz festival is beginning to look like another casualty. Quint Davis, producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, gets a call from then lieutenant governor Mitch Andrew several weeks after Katrina.”
[Video footage]
Deserted neighbourhoods with derelict, severely damaged homes. Grass overgrown and graffiti on walls.
Quint walking down a corridor. Quint walking through a building facing out to a racetrack.
Interview with Quint Davis
[Quint]
“He said to me, Quint, not having the jazz fest is not an option. Period.”