History of north shore storms to air on Southeastern Channel July 12
Contact: Christina Chapple
7/7/06
Caption …
TORNADO’S WRATH – Shocked Amite residents observe the devastation wrought by a 1940 tornado that ripped through the downtown area, destroying almost every major building. Destruction caused by Amite tornadoes of 1908 and 1940, along with accounts of major hurricanes from Audrey through Katrina, share the spotlight in “Storms: Louisiana and Nature's Wrath,” a new episode of the Telly Award-winning “Florida Parish Chronicles.” The show will air Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on the Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University 's educational access channel on Charter Cable Channel 18.
HAMMOND -- A hurricane that destroyed the towns of Ruddock and Frenier, forcing residents to cling to swamp treetops for survival, and tornadoes that smashed every church in Amite in 1908 and 1940 are among the little-known, dramatic events that will be featured in a new episode of the “Florida Parish Chronicles” on the Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University’s educational access channel.
The Telly Award-winning show’s newest episode, “Storms: Louisiana and Nature’s Wrath,” highlights the historical impact devastating storms have had on the north shore. The episode will first air on Wednesday, July 12, at 7 pm. on the Southeastern Channel on Charter Cable Channel 18. It will air on Wednesday at 7 p.m., Monday at 9:30 p.m., and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. during the month of July.
The program uses rare archival footage, vintage photographs and eyewitness accounts to recapture historical major storms’ onslaught on the Florida Parish and southeast Louisiana. The show spotlights storms such as the 1908 and 1940 Amite tornadoes and hurricanes Hilda, Betsy, Camille and Katrina.
Southeastern Channel general manager Rick Settoon, who produced the show along with channel staff member Josh Kapusinski, said the program takes an educational angle on the origins of hurricanes, their affinity for south Louisiana, and their effect on the state’s wetlands.
“For a lot of our viewers this show will bring back strong memories, even those from childhood, of every major storm to hit this region,” Settoon said. “For others it will be an eye-opener on how storms have affected the north shore region for hundreds of years.”
Kapusinski videotaped and edited the program, which is written, hosted and narrated by Sam Hyde, Southeastern’s Ford Chair in Regional Studies and director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies.
“This episode reveals not only that we live in the epicenter of a projected future hurricane corridor, but that devastating storms have wreaked havoc on our area for centuries,” Hyde said.
Hyde interviews Amite residents who remember the destructive 1940 tornado and talks with Dexter Accardo, emergency preparedness head for St. Tammany Parish, at the Katrina-devastated Eden Isles area of Slidell.
At a demolished lakefront home near Slidell Hyde also interviews Frances Barker, the north shore Red Cross director, about her memories of storms spanning six decades beginning with her childhood in Folsom.
“This program is certain to raise concerns,” Hyde said. “But it’s one that will also remind us of our ability to endure unimaginable tragedy with courage and determination to persevere.”
The Southeastern Channel can be seen on Charter Cable Channel 18 in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Livingston parishes and on Channel 17 in Washington Parish. It can also be viewed online at http://www.selu.edu/tv.
More News...
