Hurricane Katrina - One Year Later
August 29th is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. In this special two-hour edition of Earthbeat both hosts, Mike Tidwell and Daphne Wysham, talk about environmental justice, global warming's contribution to hurricane intensity, and the need for a national plan to halt climate change before it causes further wide-scale disasters.
Even before Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans faced environmental challenges. Daphne Wysham speaks to EPA whistleblower Hugh Kauffman. In his more than 35 years with the EPA he's seen the health effects from Love Canal and Ground Zero at the World Trade Center. Kauffman is currently a senior policy analyst for the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
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Disaster profiteers make millions while local companies and laborers in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf States make pennies, that's according to a major new report from the non-profit group, CorpWatch. Joining Daphne Wysham on the phone to discuss the report is Pratap Chatterjee, the director of CorpWatch.
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In the studio Daphne Wysham is joined by two New Orleans natives. Judith May evacuated in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Angele White is an environmental health expert who worked with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network and is now with the DC Area Health Education Center.
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Earthbeat host Mike Tidwell predicted the onset of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in his book, 'Bayou Farwell.' Now, with his latest book, "A Ravaging Tide," Tidwell looks at the effect global warming will continue to have in increasing the intensity of hurricanes, the dangers that New Orleans, Miami, New York City and the rest of the East Coast wil face with rising sea levels and more intense storms.
To read Mike Tidwell's recent editorial in the Washington Post click here.
On Wednesday, August 30th Mike will be signing copies of his book, "A Ravaging Tide" at the bookstore, Politics and Prose in Washington, DC.
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Photo copyright 2005 Michael Pettit