After the Flood

Nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, we’re still sifting through the literal and metaphorical debris. The storm and the floods that followed uncovered massive faults in the city of New Orleans — in the levees, the school system and the police force — but what of the other communities affected by the hurricane? In the documentary A Village Called Versailles, filmmakers explore the tiny community just outside New Orleans that has struggled to rebuild owing to both natural and governmental forces. The largely Vietnamese American population learned that plans for a toxic landfill, to be used for post-Katrina garbage, is being built a short distance from Versailles. The village’s story of perseverance is a reminder that communities are built — and rebuilt — one step at a time, one battle at a time. The documentary screens tonight at 7 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; 314-746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org). Admission is free, and a panel discussion follows.
Mon., April 19, 2010