After Katrina Disaster, Award-Winning PBS Series NOVA and FRONTLINE Investigate What Went Wrong

After Katrina Disaster, Award-Winning PBS Series NOVA and FRONTLINE Investigate What Went Wrong

Tuesday, November 22, 2005, Beginning at 8 P.M. ET NOVA Presents NEW ORLEANS: ANATOMY OF A DISASTER (W.T.)

Following at 9 P.M. FRONTLINE Presents THE STORM http://www.pbs.org/frontline/storm

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, NOVA and FRONTLINE will present two new documentaries airing back-to-back on Tuesday, November 22, 2005, from 8 to 10 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings). These two programs will ask hard questions about the failures in organization, engineering, and political leadership that brought about the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050919/DCM030 )

"In a media landscape driven by image and sound bites, the public trusts PBS to provide the depth, context and perspective that are essential to understanding the full complexity of a disaster that will affect all Americans for years to come," said John F. Wilson, Sr. Vice President, PBS Programming.

At 8 P.M., NOVA will premiere New Orleans: Anatomy of a Disaster (working title). This one-hour film will unfold a minute-by-minute reconstruction of the disaster told through gripping eyewitness testimony. What made this storm so destructive? How accurately did scientists predict its impact? And why are powerful hurricanes like Katrina likely to strike more often? NOVA will explore why the storm was so deadly and why flood defenses and relief planning failed to match Katrina's fury.

"Last March, NOVA presented an in-depth look at the science of the tsunami to great audience appreciation and critical acclaim," said Paula Apsell, Senior Executive Producer, NOVA. "This November, we will do the same thing with Katrina. Although the hurricane has received virtually 24-hour coverage, the science and engineering stories -- why this was a predictable disaster and what must be done to protect New Orleans and the Gulf coast in the future -- have barely been touched upon."

Following at 9 P.M., FRONTLINE will premiere The Storm, an in-depth look at the confused chain of command -- from city hall to the White House -- that could not keep pace with events on the ground. Veteran FRONTLINE producer/reporter Martin Smith leads a team exploring the decisions made before Katrina hit and in the desperate moments when New Orleans devolved into chaos.

"This hurricane has raised profound questions about preparedness and homeland security," said FRONTLINE Executive Producer David Fanning, "as well as historic concerns about race and class in America. What is important today is to learn from the storm and look closely at the structural flaws and social biases it has uncovered."

NOVA's Amber: Jewel of the Earth and FRONTLINE's The Meth Epidemic -- previously scheduled to air November 22 -- will be rescheduled.

About FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the Park Foundation and through the support of PBS viewers. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of- hearing viewers. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. The executive producer for FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

About NOVA

Major corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Google. Additional funding is provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. NOVA is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH Boston. NOVA is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation and is produced for PBS by WGBH, where Paula S. Apsell is senior executive producer and director of the WGBH Science Unit.

About PBS

PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 348 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. Video resources for educators are available at http://www.shoppbs.com/teachers. PBS's premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, the leading dot-org Web site on the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050919/DCM030 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN6 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: PBS

CONTACT: Diane Buxton, +1-617-300-5375, or Andrew Ott, +1-617-300-5314, both of FRONTLINE; Eileen Campion, +1-212-966-4600, or Anna Lowi, +1-617-300-5342, both of NOVA; or Kim Tavares of PBS, +1-703-739-5011

Web site: http://www.pbs.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Promotional photography can be downloaded from the PBS pressroom at pbs.org/pressroom

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