Premise: A documentary tracing the paths of the people displaced during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, how their lives have changed, and how they have changed the culture of their new homes.
Science: Hurricanes. Mankind's battle against the elements, and human migration.
Project Summary Over 1 million people were pushed from their homes and had to struggle to create a new life in a new place or fight to come home. New Land, New Life tells the story not only of those forced out but the effects on our cultural landscape brought about by such a mass migration of human energy, talent and resources.
Officially lasting from June 1 to November 30, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season produced 28 storms (the most in recorded history), 15 of which were hurricanes, 4 of which (Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma) were Category 5. Katrina alone displaced over 1 million residents, making it the largest mass migration in US history from a natural disaster. Only the Great Migration from the years 1916 to 1930 saw more people move, and that took place over 14 years, not 14 days. Through interviews with evacuees, New Land, New Life seeks to tell the story of the displaced, how some made a new life, how others could not, and how each story fits into the greater context of human migration.
The Science Behind It... Storm science. Low pressure leads to a tropical depression, basically a disorganized gathering of thunderstorms. However, the slightest amount of rotation due to changes in the wind brings the storms together. Winds pick up. Greater than 33MPH and the storm is given a name. Heat generated from warm waters and kinetic energy increase the speed of the winds. Above 63MPH the system is officially called a hurricane.
Migration. The organized movement of a group of people from one place to another. Mankind from the African continent. Israelites from Egypt. Europeans to America. The occurrence of a natural disaster is an example of what is called a “push factor,” or the reason for moving. The movement affects population characteristics, social and cultural patterns and practices, economies, and physical habitats. As people move, their cultural traits and ideas disseminate, creating new and modifying existing cultural landscapes.
