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Narrator: THERE'S NO OTHER PLACE LIKE LOUISIANA...
A VAST LANDSCAPE OF WATER AND LIGHT...
HOME TO THE DELTA OF THE "BIG MUDDY" MISSISSIPPI
AND THE CAPITAL OF JAZZ.
A CITY OF GREAT CELEBRATION
AND TERRIFYING DEVASTATION...
WHERE ENTIRE CITY BLOCKS HAVE BEEN WIPED OFF THE MAP
AND DARK FORCES INSPIRED THE BEST-SELLING CHRONICLES
OF A VAMPIRE.
AERIAL LOUISIANA EXPLORES THE STARK CONTRADICTIONS
OF THIS SOUTHERN STATE.
IT'S A NATURE-LOVER'S PARADISE,
WHERE THE STATE BIRD HAS MADE A SURPRISING COMEBACK.
BUT ALSO A PLACE WHERE GIANT INDUSTRY
IS LEAVING LASTING SCARS.
IT WAS FROM HERE THAT A SPICY SAUCE
VENTURED OUT TO CONQUER THE GLOBE...
AND WHERE BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR
HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN.
WITH A MILLION-ACRE MARSH THAT'S DISAPPEARING AT AMAZING SPEED
AND GIANT WALLS OF STEEL
ENGINEERED TO HOLD BACK THE NEXT GREAT SURGE...
THIS IS LOUISIANA.
[JAZZ PLAYING]
IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAGINE LOUISIANA
WITHOUT ITS SPARKLING, PULSATING SOUL,
NEW ORLEANS.
IT'S A MECCA FOR THE CULTURALLY CURIOUS,
A MELTING POT OF SOUNDS AND FLAVORS.
IT WAS HERE WHERE CHEF EMERIL LAGASSE,
INSPIRED BY LOCAL CREOLE AND CAJUN SPICES,
LAUNCHED HIS FOOD EMPIRE,
AND WHERE A ONE-TIME BOOTLEGGER NAMED PAT O'BRIAN
DISGUISED THE TASTE OF CHEAP RUM WITH FRUIT JUICE AND SUGAR
TO CREATE NEW ORLEANS'S FAMOUS HURRICANE DRINK,
STILL SERVED RIGHT HERE AT O'BRIAN'S POPULAR COURTYARD BAR.
BUT THIS CITY ISN'T JUST A PLACE TO PARTY;
IT ALSO HAS A DARK EDGE...
EVEN IN DAYLIGHT.
[SLOW JAZZ PLAYING]
AND HURRICANES AREN'T THE ONLY THREAT.
NEW ORLEANS HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST *** RATES IN AMERICA,
AND A COLORFUL HISTORY OF CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE.
ONE OF THE FIRST AMERICAN MAFIA FAMILIES
GOT THEIR START ON THE CITY'S WATERFRONT,
EXTRACTING PROTECTION MONEY
FROM DOCKWORKERS AND OTHER LABORERS.
BUT THERE'S A UNIQUE TWIST
ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN NEW ORLEANS.
AROUND THE TIME THAT TRUMPETER LOUIS ARMSTRONG
WAS GETTING HIS START PLAYING ON RIVERBOATS LIKE THIS ONE,
A SERIAL KILLER CALLED THE AXEMAN
IS SAID TO HAVE VOWED THAT HE WOULD SPARE POTENTIAL VICTIMS
IF HE FOUND THEM LISTENING TO JAZZ.
EVEN BURYING THE DEAD HERE IS UNCONVENTIONAL.
THIS IS ST. LOUIS CEMETERY NUMBER 1.
WITH HALF OF THE CITY BELOW SEA LEVEL,
UNDERGROUND CEMETERIES AREN'T AN OPTION.
IN THE 1700s, FRENCH SETTLERS STARTED BURYING THEIR DEAD
IN TOMBS LIKE THESE--
A PRACTICE THAT'S STILL CARRIED ON TODAY.
IT'S ALMOST A CITY OF ITS OWN,
WITH MULTI-STORY CRYPTS,
SOME DESIGNED TO HOLD ENTIRE FAMILIES.
MANY ILLUSTRIOUS NAMES HAVE BEEN LAID TO REST HERE,
INCLUDING MARIE LAVEAU,
A CREOLE HAIRDRESSER WHOSE UNCANNY POWERS OF DIVINATION
EARNED HER THE TITLE "QUEEN OF VOODOO."
NO ONE HAS CAPTURED
NEW ORLEANS'S DARK UNDERCURRENTS BETTER
THAN AUTHOR ANNE RICE,
IN HER BESTSELLING VAMPIRE CHRONICLES.
RICE GREW UP IN THIS CITY
AND LATER LIVED HERE,
IN THIS 47,000-SQUARE-FOOT ITALIANATE MANSION
ON NAPOLEON STREET.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1865 AS A BOARDING SCHOOL.
IT'S ONE OF THE MANY GRAND VICTORIAN HOMES
THAT COMPRISE THE GARDEN DISTRICT.
RICE HAS CAPTURED THE SWEETNESS OF THIS CITY
JUST AS WELL AS SHE HAS ITS DARK EDGE.
"I RETURNED TO NEW ORLEANS,
AND AS SOON AS I SMELLED THE AIR,
I KNEW I WAS HOME,"
ONE OF HER CHARACTERS SAYS.
"THE SCENT OF JASMINE AND ROSES.
I WALKED THE STREETS, SAVORING THAT LONG LOST PERFUME."
ONE REASON SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE
HAVE CALLED NEW ORLEANS HOME OVER THE CENTURIES
IS THAT THIS CITY HAS WELCOMED JUST ABOUT ANYONE.
EVEN BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR,
A COMMUNITY OF FREED AFRICAN SLAVES THRIVED HERE,
IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED TREME.
IT'S HOME TO ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
BUILT IN 1842 BY FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR,
IT OPENED ITS DOORS TO BLACKS AND WHITES,
WHO EACH RACED TO BUY PEWS IN THE CHURCH
FOR THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES.
IN THE END, THE FAMOUS WAR OF THE PEWS
WAS WON BY BLACKS
WHO PURCHASED THREE FOR EVERY ONE BOUGHT BY WHITES
AND DESIGNATED MANY OF THEIR SEATS
FOR THE USE OF SLAVES,
MAKING ST. AUGUSTINE
THE MOST INTEGRATED CONGREGATION IN THE COUNTRY.
JAZZ GREAT LOUIS ARMSTRONG WAS BORN IN NEW ORLEANS IN 1901.
HE WAS THE GRANDSON OF AFRICAN SLAVES.
HIS LEGACY IS HONORED AT ARMSTRONG PARK,
NEXT TO THE VERY SITE
WHERE THE CITY'S EARLY JAZZ FESTS WERE HELD--
CONGO SQUARE.
IT WAS IN THIS SQUARE THAT WEST AFRICAN SLAVES
ONCE GATHERED TO PLAY MUSIC AND DANCE.
WHETHER HERE IN TREME OR DOWN IN THE FRENCH QUARTER,
NEW ORLEANS IS NOTHING
IF NOT A REFLECTION OF AMERICA ITSELF--
A RICH BLEND OF CULTURES AND TRADITIONS.
BUT JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS
BEGINS A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD.
FROM NEW ORLEANS, ALL THE WAY TO THE TEXAS BORDER,
AND SOUTH TO THE GULF OF MEXICO
LIES A REMARKABLE LANDSCAPE--
MILLIONS OF ACRES OF WATERY MARSHES,
DELTAS, AND SWAMPS.
THEY'RE HOME TO FLOCKS OF WHITE EGRETS
AND WET FORESTS OF BALD CYPRESS.
THESE UNIQUE TREES HAVE RESIN IN THEIR TRUNKS
THAT ENABLES THEM TO FEND OFF ROT
AND THRIVE IN WATER.
THIS IS ONE OF THE RICHEST ECOSYSTEMS ON THE PLANET...
THE PROWLING GROUND OF NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST REPTILE.
THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 2 MILLION AMERICAN ALLIGATORS
IN THIS STATE.
THE LARGEST ONE EVER RECORDED HERE
WAS MORE THAN 19 FEET LONG.
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA MAY BE A NATURAL PARADISE,
BUT THAT'S JUST PART OF THE STORY.
UNDERNEATH THIS MULTI-MILLION-ACRE MARSH
IS A VAST, HIDDEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT KEEPS AMERICA RUNNING.
68,000 MILES OF INVISIBLE PIPELINE,
MOVING OIL AND NATURAL GAS TO AND FROM DRILLING RIGS,
SHIPS, PUMPING STATIONS, AND REFINERIES.
SOMETIMES THEY RISE ABOVE THE SURFACE.
THIS GIANT STORAGE FACILITY IS PART OF THE LOOP,
SHORT FOR LOUISIANA OFFSHORE OIL PORT.
IT LIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MARSH,
MORE THAN 20 MILES FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO.
THE LOOP IS THE LARGEST POINT OF ENTRY FOR FOREIGN OIL
IN THE U.S.
EACH DAY, 1.4 MILLION BARRELS OF CRUDE
FROM SUPER TANKERS OFFSHORE
ARE PUMPED THROUGH HERE, TO THE COUNTRY'S REFINERIES.
FROM HERE, PIPELINES FAN OUT LIKE VEINS
ACROSS SOUTHERN LOUISIANA--
UNDERGROUND AND UNDERWATER.
IT'S POSSIBLE TO TRAVEL RIGHT ACROSS THEM
AND NEVER KNOW THEY'RE THERE.
BUT NOT ALL OF LOUISIANA'S OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
IS HIDDEN FROM VIEW.
SOUTH OF THE LOOP'S STORAGE FACILITY
LIES PORT FOURCHON,
AT THE VERY SOUTHERN TIP OF THE STATE.
THERE ARE NO PERMANENT RESIDENTS HERE,
BUT IT IS A CRITICAL NERVE CENTER OF THE OIL INDUSTRY.
LOUISIANA'S UNDERWATER OIL FIELDS
WERE FIRST TAPPED IN THE 1940s.
TODAY, THERE ARE 3,500 DRILLING PLATFORMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO,
EMPLOYING 55,000 WORKERS.
KEEPING THESE MEN AND MACHINES WORKING 24-7
REQUIRES A GIANT REPAIR SHOP,
AND THAT'S THE ROLE OF PORT FOURCHON.
DRILLING PLATFORMS
ARE THE TALLEST OFFSHORE STRUCTURES IN THE WORLD,
BUT EVEN THEY NEED AN OCCASIONAL OVERHAUL.
HIGH UP ON THIS 30-YEAR-OLD RIG CALLED THE HERCULES 204,
A CREW REPAIRS A HELIPAD.
NETS ALONG THE EDGE HELP KEEP THE MEN SAFE.
AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN RIG WORKERS
DIE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO EACH YEAR.
HUNDREDS MORE ARE INJURED.
THE RECENT BLOWOUT
OF A DRILLING RIG KNOWN AS THE DEEPWATER HORIZON
KILLED 11 MEN IN A SINGLE DAY.
BUT PORT FOURCHON IS MUCH MORE THAN A REPAIR FACILITY.
IT'S ALSO A GIANT DISTRIBUTION HUB.
AN ESTIMATED 270 SUPPORT VESSELS
STEAM INTO AND OUT OF THE PORT EACH DAY,
AROUND THE CLOCK,
HAULING THE FOOD, WATER, FUEL, AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT
NECESSARY TO KEEP THE GULF'S DRILLING RIGS AND CREWS WORKING.
LOUISIANA'S OIL INDUSTRY
ACCOUNTS FOR 16% OF THE STATE'S GDP.
AND THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE
WITHOUT SOME OF THE LARGEST PRIVATE AIR FLEETS
IN THE WORLD.
EVERY DAY, GULF HELICOPTER PILOTS LOG 2,000 FLIGHTS
TO CARRY 10,000 OIL WORKERS TO AND FROM OFFSHORE RIGS.
THAT'S AS MUCH AIR TRAFFIC
AS THERE IS AT NEW YORK CITY'S THREE AIRPORTS COMBINED.
OIL RIG CREWS TYPICALLY WORK IN TWO-WEEK SHIFTS,
COMMUTING BY HELICOPTER TWICE A MONTH.
THIS ONE IS FERRYING A SPECIALIZED DIVER OUT
TO MAKE REPAIRS.
WITHOUT HELICOPTERS,
CROSSING THIS COASTAL AREA CAN BE A CHALLENGE,
ESPECIALLY BY CAR.
WHEN THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SOLID LAND FOR ROADS,
THE ONLY OPTION IS TO BUILD OVER THE SWAMP.
BEFORE NEW CAUSEWAYS ARE COMPLETED,
THEY CAN LOOK LIKE ROADS TO NOWHERE.
BUT THERE IS ONE VERY FAST WAY TO SPEED ACROSS THIS MARSH:
AIRBOAT.
THESE FLAT-BOTTOMED VESSELS ARE SO PREVALENT HERE,
THEY'VE BECOME SYMBOLS OF LOUISIANA.
POWERED BY AIRCRAFT ENGINES, THEIR NOISE CAN BE DEAFENING.
[SOUND OF ENGINE]
WITH A TIDAL SHORELINE OF NEARLY 8,000 MILES,
IT'S EASY TO GET LOST.
THESE TWISTING INLETS
HAVE CONFUSED SHIP PILOTS FOR CENTURIES,
AND LOUISIANA'S FIRST SETTLERS WERE NO EXCEPTION.
FRENCH EXPLORERS FIRST DISCOVERED THE LOUISIANA COAST
AFTER TRAVELING DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI
FROM THE GREAT LAKES IN 1682.
THEY CLAIMED AND NAMED THE AREA LOUISIANA
AFTER THEIR KING, LOUIS XIV.
SOON AFTER, FRANCE SENT SETTLERS TO START A COLONY.
THEY SEARCHED, BUT COULDN'T FIND THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI
IN THIS ENORMOUS PATCHWORK OF LAND AND WATER.
SO THEY HEADED ON
AND SETTLED IN WHAT'S NOW TEXAS INSTEAD.
BUT ON MARDI GRAS DAY, 1699,
A SECOND GROUP OF FRENCH SETTLERS
FINALLY LOCATED THE MOUTH OF THE GREAT RIVER.
THESE DAYS, GPS GUIDES 6,000 OCEAN VESSELS A YEAR
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
RIGHT INTO THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
A SINGLE BULK CARRIER LIKE THIS ONE
CAN BE LOADED WITH MORE THAN 100,000 CUBIC METERS OF GRAIN,
WHICH WILL BE EXPORTED TO COUNTRIES LIKE EGYPT AND CHINA.
THIS PORT AT NEW ORLEANS
IS PART OF THE BIGGEST GRAIN AND SOYBEAN EXPORT HUB
IN THE U.S. TODAY.
IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY,
COTTON AND SUGAR WERE LOUISIANA'S TOP CROPS.
THEY WERE GROWN HERE,
ON PLANTATIONS THAT LINE LOUISIANA'S FAMOUS RIVER ROAD,
WHICH FOLLOWS THE MISSISSIPPI FROM NEW ORLEANS TO BATON ROUGE.
WHEN IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1839,
THE OAK ALLEY MANSION WAS SET AT THE END
OF A DOUBLE ROW OF 28 OAK TREES
LEADING FROM THE RIVER TO THE HOUSE.
TODAY, THIS AVENUE OF GREAT TREES IS POPULAR WITH TOURISTS...
AND HOLLYWOOD.
"INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE" AND "PRIMARY COLORS"
WERE BOTH FILMED HERE.
IT'S NOT PLANTING SEASON YET,
BUT SUGAR CANE CONTINUES TO BE GROWN IN GREAT QUANTITIES
ALONG RIVER ROAD TODAY.
IN THE EARLY 1800s,
ALMOST HALF THE SUGAR CONSUMED IN THE U.S.
WAS LOUISIANA SUGAR.
THIS VAST ESTATE, KNOWN AS EVERGREEN,
WAS BUILT ON SUGAR CANE PROFITS.
WITH 37 CAREFULLY PRESERVED BUILDINGS,
IT'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST INTACT PLANTATIONS
IN THE SOUTH.
IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY,
THE ESTATE'S OWNER, PIERRE BECNEL,
SPENT SO MUCH MONEY REMODELING HIS FAMILY HOME
THAT HE WENT BANKRUPT AND HAD TO SELL THE PLACE.
BUT WITH SUGAR SO PROFITABLE,
BECNEL WAS SOON ABLE TO BUY BACK THE ESTATE
AND THE PLANTATION'S SLAVES.
THEY LIVED HERE, IN THESE SIMPLE CABINS.
GREAT PROFITS FROM SUGAR WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
WITHOUT SLAVE LABOR.
IT WAS BACKBREAKING WORK,
AND IN 1811,
SLAVES IN THIS PARISH ROSE UP--
THE LARGEST SLAVE REVOLT EVER TO TAKE PLACE IN THE U.S.
SOME 500 SLAVES MARCHED DOWNRIVER TOWARDS NEW ORLEANS,
BUT WERE QUICKLY ATTACKED BY A MILITIA OF PLANTERS.
MANY OF THE SLAVES FLED INTO NEARBY SWAMPS.
MOST WERE SHOT,
AND OTHERS WERE HANGED.
IN LOUISIANA,
THE CIVIL WAR BATTLES THAT BROUGHT AN END TO SLAVERY
ARE STILL BEING RE-LIVED TODAY.
SMOKE FROM CANON FIRE RISES OVER PORT HUDSON.
IN MAY 1863,
WHILE MAJOR GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT
WAS ATTACKING VICKSBURG,
MORE UNION FORCES GATHERED HERE,
HOPING TO SEIZE CONTROL
OF ONE OF THE LAST CONFEDERATE STRONGHOLDS
ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
THE LITTLE-KNOWN BATTLE OF PORT HUDSON
WAS AN IMPORTANT TURNING POINT IN THE CIVIL WAR.
EVERY YEAR, 500 MEN AND WOMEN GATHER HERE
FROM ACROSS THE SOUTH.
THEY ARE PASSIONATE RE-ENACTORS
WHO LIVE IN PERIOD TENTS BEFORE THE BATTLE BEGINS.
MOST ARE LOUISIANA NATIVES;
SOME EVEN DESCENDANTS OF THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
WHO SURVIVED THE SIEGE.
ON MAY 23rd,
MORE THAN 30,000 UNION TROOPS ARRIVED TO TAKE THE FORT.
THOSE IN RED UNIFORMS
WERE FROM AN ELITE FIGHTING UNIT CALLED THE ZOUAVES,
THE GREEN BERETS OF THE DAY.
DESPITE BEING OUTNUMBERED, THE CONFEDERATES FOUGHT HARD.
FOR A CAPTIVATED CROWD, THESE RE-ENACTORS TRY THEIR BEST
TO CAPTURE EACH IMPORTANT TURN OF THE SIEGE.
EACH AUTHENTIC CANNON CAN COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
EACH UNIFORM RUNS INTO THE HUNDREDS.
OVER JUST ONE WEEKEND, THEY PLAY OUT, STEP-BY-STEP
A BATTLE THAT LASTED MORE THAN SIX WEEKS.
ONCE THE UNION TROOPS CUT OFF SUPPLIES,
PORT HUDSON'S DEFENDERS RAN OUT OF FOOD
AND WERE FORCED TO EAT THEIR OWN HORSES,
AND EVEN RATS, TO SURVIVE.
ON JULY 9, 1863,
AFTER HEARING OF THE FALL OF VICKSBURG,
THOSE WHO WERE LEFT FINALLY LAID DOWN THEIR ARMS AND SURRENDERED.
BUT BY THEN, BOTH SIDES HAD SUFFERED HUGE CASUALTIES,
WITH THOUSANDS DEAD OR WOUNDED.
JUST SOUTH OF THE BATTLEFIELD
LIES THE PORT HUDSON NATIONAL CEMETERY,
CONTAINING THE GRAVES OF NEARLY 4,000 UNION SOLDIERS.
THE CONFEDERATE DEAD WEREN'T BURIED HERE IN TIDY ROWS.
THEIR BODIES WERE LEFT IN THE TRENCHES WHERE THEY FELL.
THE VICTORY AT PORT HUDSON FINALLY GAVE THE UNION FORCES
CONTROL OF THE ENTIRE MISSISSIPPI.
BUT THE CIVIL WAR WASN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT BATTLES HAD BEEN WAGED
TO CONTROL TRAFFIC AND TRADE ON THIS RIVER.
ARRIVING IN NEW ORLEANS, THE HARVEST LEGEND,
A 45,000-TON BULK CARRIER,
PREPARES TO MAKE A 135-DEGREE TURN AGAINST THE CURRENT.
BEFORE THESE GIANT SHIPS
EVEN ENTER THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE
A LICENSED LOCAL RIVER PILOT ON BOARD
TO GUIDE THEM UPRIVER.
THESE PILOTS KNOW BEST HOW TO NAVIGATE
THE MISSISSIPPI'S EVERY TWIST AND TURN,
ESPECIALLY THIS ONE, AT ALGIERS POINT.
THE POWERFUL CURRENTS THAT RACE AROUND THIS SHARP BEND,
JUST FEET FROM THE CITY,
MAKE ALGIERS POINT THE MOST TREACHEROUS SPOT ON THE RIVER
FOR BIG SHIPS.
IT WAS HERE IN 1996
WHERE THE LIBERIAN-REGISTERED M.V. BRIGHT FIELD,
FULLY LOADED WITH GRAIN, LOST ENGINE POWER
AND SLAMMED INTO NEW ORLEANS' RIVERWALK MARKETPLACE.
62 PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
OVER MILLENNIA,
THE MISSISSIPPI HAS FLOWED PAST ALGIERS POINT,
DEPOSITING SEDIMENT ON THE OPPOSITE BANK
AND BUILDING UP A NATURAL LEVEE SHAPED LIKE A CRESCENT,
INSPIRING NEW ORLEANS'S NICKNAME, "CRESCENT CITY."
THE CITY'S STRATEGIC LOCATION
ALLOWED IT TO CONTROL ALL RIVER TRAFFIC AND TRADE
HEADING UP AND DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.
BUT IT WASN'T JUST FRANCE AND THE U.S.
THAT FOUGHT TO OWN THIS LUCRATIVE GATEWAY.
THE FRENCH MAY HAVE FOUNDED NEW ORLEANS IN 1718,
BUT THEY LATER CEDED IT TO SPAIN.
WORKING FOR THE SPANISH,
FRENCH ARCHITECT DON GILBERTO GUILLEMARD
DESIGNED THE ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL,
THE OLDEST CATHEDRAL IN THE U.S. AND A NEW ORLEANS LANDMARK.
ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SAINT LOUIS
STANDS THE CABILDO, OR "COUNCIL"--
SPAIN'S FORMER SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.
IN 1803, THE SPANISH RETURNED NEW ORLEANS BACK TO FRANCE.
AND 20 DAYS LATER, FRANCE TURNED AROUND
AND SOLD ALL OF THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY TO THE U.S.
FOR $15 MILLION.
ON DECEMBER 20, 1803, THE FAMOUS LOUISIANA PURCHASE
WAS MADE OFFICIAL INSIDE THE CABILDO.
BUT THE STRUGGLE FOR THIS CITY WASN'T QUITE OVER YET.
AMERICA MIGHT HAVE LOST ITS NEW TERRITORY
IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS MAN: GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON.
BEFORE BECOMING PRESIDENT,
HE WAS KNOWN AS THE HERO OF NEW ORLEANS.
NEARLY 40 YEARS AFTER AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE,
BRITAIN SENT TROOPS TO TRY AND WRESTLE NEW ORLEANS
OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE UNITED STATES.
FOUR MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE CITY...
SHIPS PASS BY THE SITE, CALLED CHALMETTE,
WHERE JACKSON ASSEMBLED A RAGTAG ARMY
OF A FEW THOUSAND MILITIA, HAITIAN SLAVES,
PIRATES AND SETTLERS.
CANNONS STILL LINE THE BATTLEGROUND.
ON JANUARY 8, 1815, JACKSON'S ARMY WAS READY
TO DEFEND THE CITY AGAINST 8,000 BRITISH TROOPS.
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS LASTED JUST A FEW HOURS.
WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED, 2,000 BRITISH SOLDIERS
WERE KILLED, WOUNDED OR MISSING,
WHILE JACKSON AND HIS MEN ESCAPED
WITH LESS THAN A HUNDRED CASUALTIES
AND FULL CONTROL OF THE CITY.
THIS MARBLE OBELISK WAS COMPLETED IN 1908
TO MARK THE SITE OF THE LAST CONFLICT
FOUGHT ON THE U.S. MAINLAND AGAINST A FOREIGN NATION.
JACKSON HAS BEEN A HERO IN THIS TOWN EVER SINCE.
MUCH HAS CHANGED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
SINCE THE DAYS OF STEAMBOATS AND SLAVERY.
VAST FIELDS OF COTTON AND SUGARCANE
HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH NEW INDUSTRIES
AND FUTURISTIC-LOOKING LANDSCAPES, LIKE THIS ONE.
THIS RED LAKE IS WHAT'S KNOWN AS A "TAILINGS POND."
AT FIRST IT LOOKS LIKE SOUTHERN RED CLAY,
BUT IT'S ACTUALLY BAUXITE,
A TOXIC BYPRODUCT OF MAKING ROLLED ALUMINUM FOIL.
THIS POND CONTAINS 120 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF IT--
MORE THAN THE EARTH THAT WAS REMOVED
TO BUILD THE SUEZ CANAL.
THE BEST WAY TO GRASP THE SIZE OF THESE ENORMOUS FACILITIES
IS TO SEE THEM FROM THE AIR.
THIS ONE IS A HOLDING TANK FOR PHOSPHO-GYPSUM,
THE BYPRODUCT OF A NEARBY FERTILIZER PLANT.
THESE FACILITIES LIE IN A VAST INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
KNOWN AS "CANCER ALLEY."
IT STRETCHES 85 MILES,
FROM NEW ORLEANS TO BATON ROUGE,
AND IS HOME TO MORE THAN 130 INDUSTRIAL PLANTS.
CANCER RATES IN LOUISIANA
ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST IN THE NATION.
SOME SCIENTISTS SAY THAT'S DUE LARGELY
TO RELEASES OF TOXIC MATERIALS
FROM INDUSTRIES ALONG THIS STRETCH OF RIVER.
THE BIGGEST PLANT OF THEM ALL IS THIS ONE,
JUST NORTH OF BATON ROUGE--
THE SECOND-LARGEST OIL REFINERY IN AMERICA.
THE EXXONMOBIL FACILITY WAS BUILT IN 1909
ON 225 ACRES OF COTTON FIELDS.
FROM AN ARRAY OF HOLDING TANKS,
500,000 BARRELS OF CRUDE A DAY TRAVEL THROUGH PIPELINES
INTO THESE DISTILLATION COLUMNS.
INSIDE THESE SUPER-HEATED TOWERS,
OIL SEPARATES INTO DIFFERENT COMPONENTS,
WHICH ARE THEN STREAMED TO THE PRODUCTION
OF AN INCREDIBLE RANGE OF PRODUCTS:
GAS, JET FUEL, MILK CARTONS,
DIAPERS, AND LUBRICANT.
THESE WHITE CLOUDS ARE JUST WATER VAPOR.
BUT BELOW ARE BLACK LAGOONS FILLED WITH TOXIC WASTEWATER,
A BY-PRODUCT OF REFINING CRUDE.
AERATORS PUMP OXYGEN INTO THE PONDS
TO FEED NATURAL MICROBES THAT HELP NEUTRALIZE THE SLUDGE.
BUT MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF CHEMICALS FROM THIS REFINERY
STILL MAKE IT INTO THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT
EACH YEAR.
WHAT MAKES THIS REFINERY UNIQUE
IS THAT IT'S JUST A STONE'S THROW
FROM THE LOUISIANA STATE HOUSE.
LEGISLATORS LOOK OUT OVER THEIR BIGGEST TAXPAYER.
EXXONMOBIL ALONE PAYS $100 MILLION A YEAR
INTO LOUISIANA'S COFFERS.
BATON ROUGE HAS BEEN THE STATE CAPITAL SINCE 1849.
ITS FIRST STATE HOUSE STILL STANDS
ON A BLUFF OVERLOOKING THE MISSISSIPPI.
MARK TWAIN FREQUENTLY PASSED THIS SPOT
AS A SHIP CAPTAIN IN THE 1850s
AND CALLED THE BUILDING AND ITS MEDIEVAL FACADE
"A MONSTROSITY."
IN 1930,
LOUISIANA'S GOVERNOR HUEY P. LONG,
ALSO KNOWN AS THE "KINGFISH,"
DECIDED THAT LOUISIANA NEEDED A MORE IMPRESSIVE STATE HOUSE.
THE CHARISMATIC LONG GOT THE PROJECT FUNDED
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
FINISHED IN 29 MONTHS,
THIS ART DECO-STYLE SKYSCRAPER RISES 450 FEET,
MAKING IT THE TALLEST STATE CAPITOL IN THE U.S.
THE GRAND STAIRCASE AT ITS ENTRANCE
FEATURES 50 STEPS--
ONE FOR EVERY STATE IN THE UNION.
THE CAPITOL BUILDING
WAS JUST ONE OF MANY AMBITIOUS PROJECTS
LONG UNDERTOOK AS GOVERNOR.
TACKLING THE STATE'S ANTIQUATED INFRASTRUCTURE,
HE ORDERED THE CONSTRUCTION
OF NEARLY 16,000 MILES OF ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.
AND HE BUILT MORE THAN A HUNDRED BRIDGES,
INCLUDING THE HUEY P. LONG BRIDGE
THAT CROSSES THE MISSISSIPPI AT BATON ROUGE.
ITS MILE-LONG SPAN
SITS JUST OVER A HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE WATER--
NOT QUITE HIGH ENOUGH
FOR GIANT FREIGHTERS TO PASS UNDERNEATH.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT LONG DID THAT ON PURPOSE
TO KEEP LARGER SHIPS
FROM UNLOADING THEIR CARGO FURTHER NORTH
SO THAT LOUISIANA COULD MAINTAIN ITS HOLD ON SHIPPING.
EVEN TODAY, FREIGHT HEADING UPRIVER
HAS TO BE TRANSFERRED FIRST ONTO BARGES
AT BATON ROUGE.
ONE OF LONG'S GREATEST LEGACIES WAS INCREASING THE SIZE OF LSU,
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IN BATON ROUGE,
BY DOUBLING THE FACULTY
AND TRIPLING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
LSU'S STUDENT BODY IS NOW CLOSE TO 30,000.
AMONG ITS GRADUATES:
PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER SHAQUILLE O'NEAL,
MUSICIAN STEPHEN STILLS,
AND FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, HUBERT HUMPHREY.
TODAY IT'S QUIET OVER TIGER STADIUM,
BUT WITH 92,000 SEATS FOR FANS, THE ROAR CAN BE DEAFENING.
IT'S A FRIGHTENING VENUE FOR VISITING TEAMS.
SO MUCH SO, IT'S NICKNAMED "DEATH VALLEY."
BUT HUEY P. LONG'S WORK WAS CUT SHORT.
ON THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 8, 1935,
INSIDE A CORRIDOR OF THE STATE HOUSE,
A MAN NAMED CARL WEISS,
THE SON-IN-LAW OF A POLITICAL OPPONENT,
GREETED LONG WITH A PISTOL AND A FATAL SHOT
BEFORE BEING GUNNED DOWN HIMSELF BY LONG'S BODYGUARDS.
AT LEAST, THAT'S THE OFFICIAL STORY.
SOME CLAIM THAT IT WAS THE BODYGUARDS THEMSELVES
THAT KILLED LONG
AND SET UP WEISS.
HUEY P. LONG IS BURIED HERE,
IN A PARK JUST OUTSIDE THE STATE HOUSE.
HAD LONG'S KILLER LIVED AND BEEN CONVICTED,
CHANCES ARE HE WOULD HAVE DONE TIME HERE
AT LOUISIANA'S MOST NOTORIOUS PRISON,
A PLACE KNOWN AS "THE FARM."
IMAGINE A PRISON FOR VIOLENT OFFENDERS
THAT'S SURROUNDED NOT BY PERIMETER WALLS,
BUT BY DENSE FOREST, RIVER, AND SWAMP.
THIS IS ANGOLA,
THE LARGEST MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISON
IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY.
LOCATED ON 18,000 ACRES,
IT'S BIGGER THAN THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN,
AND MOST OF IT IS COVERED BY FIELDS OF CORN, SOYBEANS,
AND COTTON,
WHICH IS WHY ANGOLA IS ALSO KNOWN AS "THE FARM."
IT WAS ONCE A PRE-CIVIL WAR PLANTATION,
NAMED FOR THE AFRICAN COUNTRY
WHERE MANY OF ITS SLAVES WERE CAPTURED
AND FORCIBLY TRANSPORTED TO THE U.S.
FOR MUCH OF ITS HISTORY,
HARD PHYSICAL LABOR HAS BEEN USED
TO MAINTAIN ORDER AT THE PRISON.
40 HOURS A WEEK,
MOST OF ANGOLA'S 5,000 CONVICTS TOIL BENEATH THE LOUISIANA SUN,
ALL UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF ARMED GUARDS ON HORSEBACK.
ANOTHER METHOD OF CONTROL IS CAMP J, "SOLITARY."
A PLACE RARELY SEEN BY OUTSIDERS,
ESPECIALLY FROM ABOVE.
A FEW HOURS A WEEK, PRISONERS CAN LEAVE THEIR CELLS,
BUT MUST REMAIN ALONE INSIDE CHAIN-LINK CAGES.
IN AN EARLIER TIME, GETTING SENT TO SOLITARY
MEANT A TRIP TO THE INFAMOUS RED HAT CELLBLOCK.
IT WAS BUILT IN 1933,
AFTER ANGOLA'S BLOODIEST ESCAPE,
LED BY CHARLIE FRAZIER,
AN OUTLAW WHO RAN WITH PRETTY BOY FLOYD
AND BONNIE AND CLYDE.
RED HATS WINDOWS HAVE ONLY BARS,
WHICH MADE PUNISHMENT HERE DURING THE WINTER
PARTICULARLY HARSH.
BUT THE TOUGHEST PLACE TO BE AT ANGOLA IS DEATH ROW.
IT'S A PLACE THAT'S INSPIRED
SOME OF HOLLYWOOD'S MOST NOTORIOUS PRISON MOVIES:
"DEAD MAN WALKING," "THE GREEN MILE,"
AND "MONSTER'S BALL."
UNTIL RECENTLY, ANGOLA WAS AMERICA'S BLOODIEST PRISON.
IN 1995 ALONE,
THERE WERE 800 VIOLENT ATTACKS AMONG INMATES.
THAT'S WHEN WARDEN BURL CAIN TOOK OVER
AND THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE.
THE WARDEN MADE CHRISTIANITY A DOMINATING FOCUS.
HE BUILT NEW CHAPELS,
OFFERS BIBLE CLASSES-- OVER 400 A MONTH--
AND PLAYS CHRISTIAN RADIO ALL DAY LONG.
AT A NEW PRISON SEMINARY,
INMATES CAN EVEN BECOME MINISTERS
AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO PREACH TO OTHER PRISONERS.
CAIN SAYS HE'S JUST TRYING TO RESTORE HOPE
TO A GROUP THAT HAS NONE.
WITH AN AVERAGE SENTENCE LENGTH OF 92 YEARS,
9 OUT OF 10 PRISONERS WILL DIE HERE.
ANOTHER OF THE WARDEN'S PROGRAMS
ALLOWS INMATES TO MAKE THEIR OWN WOODEN COFFINS.
WHEN THEIR FINAL DAY COMES,
EACH PRISONER IS GIVEN A DIGNIFIED FUNERAL PROCESSION
WITH A HAND-CARVED HEARSE
AND A CORTEGE OF SINGING PRISONERS,
BEARING THEM AWAY.
VERY FEW INMATES
HAVE EVER SUCCEEDED IN ESCAPING FROM ANGOLA.
DENSE SWAMPS LINE ONE SIDE OF THE PRISON
AND THE BIG MUDDY CIRCLES THE OTHER--
NOT AN EASY PLACE TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT.
BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP HUNTERS FROM BUILDING WEEKEND ESCAPES
IN THIS SWAMPY LAND.
LIVING SO CLOSE TO THE RIVER COMES WITH TREMENDOUS RISK.
BEFORE THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
BEGAN TRYING TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF THE RIVER,
THE BIG MUDDY ROUTINELY FLOODED ITS BANKS EACH YEAR
AND HAS GRADUALLY SHIFTED COURSE OVER TIME.
SOMETIMES ENTIRE CURVES OF THE RIVER
ARE SIMPLY LOPPED OFF
WHEN THE WATER FINDS A MORE DIRECT ROUTE SOUTH.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
THIS BOW-SHAPED BODY OF WATER
USED TO BE A CURVE IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
BUT 400 YEARS AGO, THE RIVER SHIFTED COURSE,
CUTTING OFF THIS CURVE AND TURNING IT INTO A LAKE.
IT'S NOW KNOWN AS "FALSE RIVER."
ROUTINELY STOCKED WITH STRIPED BASS,
IT'S A HAVEN FOR SPORTSMEN.
OXBOW LAKES AREN'T THE ONLY ODD SHAPES
IN THIS WATERSHED.
A PATTERN OF STRANGE LINES CARVED INTO A LOUISIANA SWAMP,
PERFECTLY VISIBLE FROM THE AIR,
THEY LOOK LIKE THE SPOKES OF GIANT WHEELS,
THE MARKINGS OF AN ANCIENT SOCIETY.
IN FACT, THEY ARE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD SCARS
MADE BY LOGGERS.
AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY,
THE LACK OF ROADS AND FREQUENT FLOODS
MADE IT HARD TO EXTRACT TREES
FROM LOUISIANA'S VAST WATERY FORESTS.
SO LOGGERS, OR "SWAMPERS," AS THEY WERE CALLED,
CARVED CANALS THROUGH THE MARSH.
THEN THEY'D FAN OUT, CUT ALL THE NEARBY TREES,
AND DRAG THEM BACK TO THE BOATS,
SO THEY COULD BE TOWED TO THE MILLS.
THESE DEEP DRAGGING SCARS HAVE NEVER HEALED.
BUT SOON, THEY,
AND VAST STRETCHES OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA,
COULD DISAPPEAR FOREVER.
6,000 YEARS AGO, THIS AREA WAS STILL JUST SEA WATER.
THEN, OVER MILLENNIA,
THE MUD AND SEDIMENT THAT FLOWED OUT OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
GRADUALLY BUILT UP A VAST STRETCH OF LAND,
REACHING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.
BUT WHILE THE MISSISSIPPI
MAY HAVE CREATED SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA NATURALLY
OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
HUMAN INTERVENTION IS NOW CAUSING IT TO DISAPPEAR
AT A TERRIFYING SPEED.
OVER THE PAST 80 YEARS, THE STATE HAS LOST
NEARLY 2,000 SQUARE MILES OF SHORELINE TO EROSION--
AN AREA EQUIVALENT IN SIZE TO THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
DELTAS ERODE NATURALLY FROM STORMS AND TIDAL FORCES,
BUT MAN-MADE SHIPPING CHANNELS LIKE THIS ONE
SPEED UP THAT RATE OF EROSION.
FAST-FLOWING WATER PULLS MUD AND SEDIMENT
RIGHT OUT INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.
THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS WORKING TO TRAP SEDIMENT
BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS.
AT THE END OF THIS LONG, WIDE SHIPPING CHANNEL,
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS HAVE CONSTRUCTED
A SERIES OF NARROW ISLANDS
THAT FAN OUT FROM THE MOUTH OF THE CHANNEL.
FROM THE AIR, THEY LOOK LIKE BRANCHES OF A TREE.
IT'S A PROJECT KNOWN AS "THE JAWS."
THESE ISLANDS SHOULD GROW OVER TIME
AS THEY TRAP SEDIMENT FLOWING OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE CHANNEL.
THIS PROJECT ALONE IS EXPECTED TO CREATE
2,000 ACRES OF NEW LAND.
AND IT'S JUST ONE OF MANY ANTI-EROSION PROJECTS
ALONG LOUISIANA'S COAST.
IF THEY'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL, SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT BY 2050,
700 MORE SQUARE MILES OF DELTA COULD DISAPPEAR,
LEAVING THE OPEN OCEAN AT NEW ORLEANS' DOORSTEP.
IN THE 18TH CENTURY,
FREEDOM-SEEKING REFUGEES FROM ACADIA,
OR WHAT'S NOW CANADA,
ARRIVED IN THESE COASTAL BAYOUS.
THEIR DESCENDANTS, KNOWN AS CAJUNS,
ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR UNIQUE BLEND OF PEPPERY SPICES.
AND LOUISIANA'S AVERY ISLAND
IS HOME TO ONE SPICY SAUCE THAT'S CONQUERED THE GLOBE.
IN THIS BRICK FACTORY, THE McILHENNY FAMILY
RUNS A HUNDRED-MILLION-DOLLAR- A-YEAR BUSINESS,
TURNING CHILI PEPPERS, SALT, AND OTHER SEASONINGS
INTO TABASCO SAUCE.
BUT THE McILHENNYS DIDN'T COME TO AVERY ISLAND
FOR CHILIES.
200 YEARS AGO, THEY CAME HERE TO RAISE SUGARCANE,
ONLY TO DISCOVER THEY WERE SITTING ON BURIED TREASURE.
THEIR CIRCULAR ISLAND
WAS ACTUALLY THE TOP OF A GIANT DOME OF SALT.
THEY STARTED HARVESTING THE SALT--
AN OPERATION THAT'S STILL ACTIVE TODAY.
1,600 FEET UNDERGROUND,
MINERS DETONATE AND COLLECT PURE ROCK SALT
AND THEN LOAD IT ON RIVER BARGES FOR SHIPMENT UP THE MISSISSIPPI.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR,
AVERY ISLAND WAS A TARGET OF THE UNION ARMY
SINCE SALT WAS USED IN GUNPOWDER.
THE McILHENNYS FLED,
AND WHEN THEY RETURNED,
THEY FOUND THEIR SALT MINES FLOODED
AND THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS BURNED.
BUT THEY NOTICED THAT RED PEPPER PLANTS
WERE FLOURISHING.
BEING SOMETHING OF A GOURMET,
EDMUND McILHENNY ALLOWED THE PEPPERS TO AGE AND FERMENT
SO HE COULD MAKE A SPICY SAUCE.
IN 1868, HE SENT SAMPLES TO FOOD DISTRIBUTORS
IN SMALL COLOGNE BOTTLES,
HOPING HIS HOT PEPPER CONDIMENT WAS MARKETABLE.
HE CALLED IT TABASCO.
NOW IT'S SOLD IN MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES.
THESE DAYS, MOST OF TABASCO'S PEPPERS
COME FROM MEXICO.
BUT EVERY BOTTLE OF THE SAUCE
IS STILL FILLED AT THIS FACTORY ON AVERY ISLAND.
AND THERE'S MORE TO THIS PLACE THAN SALT AND PEPPER.
BY 1892, EDWARD AVERY McILHENNY, THE SON OF TABASCO'S FOUNDER,
WAS CONCERNED THAT THE HIGH DEMAND
FOR FEATHERED WOMEN'S HATS
WAS DRIVING LOUISIANA'S SNOWY EGRET TO EXTINCTION.
HE WADED INTO THE SWAMP, CAUGHT EIGHT YOUNG EGRETS,
AND RAISED THEM HIMSELF IN A ROOKERY NEXT TO HIS HOUSE.
IT WAS LOUISIANA'S FIRST WILDLIFE PRESERVE.
TODAY IT'S CALLED BIRD CITY,
A NESTING SPOT FOR 20,000 BIRDS,
INCLUDING SNOWY AND GREAT EGRETS,
BLUE HERONS, WOOD DUCKS, AND GEESE.
BACK IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY,
IT WAS LOUISIANA'S BIRDS THAT FIRST INSPIRED
ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS NATURALISTS.
IN 1821-- 36 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME--
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON ARRIVED HERE AT OAKLEY PLANTATION
TO TUTOR MISS ELIZA PIRRIE, THE DAUGHTER OF OAKLEY'S OWNERS.
THE PLANTATION'S DISTINCTIVE PORCHES
WERE DESIGNED IN A WEST INDIES STYLE
WITH ELABORATE JALOUSIES TO KEEP THEM COOL
IN LOUISIANA'S HOT SUMMER.
AUDUBON SPENT ONLY FOUR MONTHS HERE,
BUT WAS INSPIRED BY THE ESTATE'S MAGNOLIA TREES,
AND THE MANY WARBLERS AND THRUSHES
THAT FLEW AMONG THEIR BRANCHES.
IT WAS ON HIS AFTERNOON STROLLS THROUGH THESE GROUNDS
THAT HE BEGAN PAINTING PORTRAITS OF BIRDS.
WHEN HE LEFT, HE CARRIED WITH HIM 32 DRAWINGS HE'D MADE--
THE START OF A CAREER THAT WOULD MAKE HIM
AMERICA'S BEST-KNOWN PAINTER OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE
AND INSPIRE THE CREATION OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY.
BIRDS HAVE THRIVED IN LOUISIANA'S COASTAL WETLANDS
FOR MILLENNIA.
BUT TODAY THIS ECOSYSTEM IS THREATENED,
AND WITH IT, LOUISIANA'S STATE BIRD,
THE BROWN PELICAN.
THESE PLUNGE-DIVING FISH-EATING BIRDS
USED TO BE IN GREAT ABUNDANCE
ALONG THE STATE'S COASTAL MARSHES.
BUT IN 1963, THERE WASN'T A SINGLE ONE LEFT.
PELICANS HAD BECOME A VICTIM OF THE CHEMICAL PESTICIDE, DDT.
STATE BIOLOGISTS SWUNG INTO ACTION,
RELOCATING 50 YOUNG PELICANS HERE FROM FLORIDA
AND REPEATING THE INTRODUCTIONS FOR 12 YEARS.
TODAY, THE BROWN PELICAN
IS OFF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.
THEY'RE BREEDING ON THEIR OWN,
UP AND DOWN THE ISLANDS ALONG THE COAST.
BUT THERE ARE NOW NEW THREATS
TO LOUISIANA'S BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE.
EVERY YEAR, MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF OIL
ARE RELEASED OFF LOUISIANA'S GULF COAST.
THE RECENT EXPLOSION OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON ALONE
RELEASED A TOTAL OF 185 MILLION GALLONS.
WAVES OF CRUDE HIT THE PELICAN AND SPOONBILL ROOKERIES.
TAR BALLS WASHED UP ON THE BEACH.
CLEAN-UP CREWS SEARCH FOR AND REMOVE OIL DEPOSITS
ALONG GRAND ISLE.
THANKS TO THEIR EFFORTS,
THE LOUISIANA COAST IS BOUNCING BACK
AFTER ONE OF THE WORST OIL SPILLS ON RECORD HERE.
RESILIENCY IN THE FACE OF HUMAN AND NATURAL DISASTERS
IS A TRADEMARK OF LOUISIANA.
AND THE BEST PLACE TO SEE IT ON DISPLAY
IS BACK HERE IN NEW ORLEANS.
FROM THE AIR,
SPARKLING LIGHTS STRETCH AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.
BUT ON THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 29, 2005,
THERE WASN'T A SINGLE BULB BURNING.
THE CITY'S ELECTRIC GRID HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT,
AND A HURRICANE THREATENED TO WIPE NEW ORLEANS OFF THE MAP.
IN A LOUISIANA FIELD STAND REMINDERS
OF THE VULNERABILITY OF THIS STATE
TO NATURAL DISASTER.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW HUNDRED OF THE REMAINING FEMA TRAILERS
THAT WERE SENT TO HOUSE TEMPORARILY
THE THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WHO FLED THEIR HOMES
AFTER ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANES
THAT EVER HIT THE UNITED STATES.
92,000 OF THESE TRAILERS WERE DISTRIBUTED
AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA.
NOW EMPTY, THOSE IN THIS FIELD WILL SOON BE AUCTIONED OFF.
BY AUGUST 2005,
THERE WAS NO CITY IN AMERICA AS VULNERABLE AS NEW ORLEANS.
IT WAS LITERALLY SURROUNDED BY WATER,
BUT WITHOUT ADEQUATE BARRIERS TO KEEP THAT WATER OUT
IN THE EVENT OF CATASTROPHE.
TO THE NORTH, THE VAST LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN,
A GIANT BODY OF SALT WATER,
CROSSED BY THE SECOND LONGEST CAUSEWAY IN THE WORLD.
ON ALL OTHER SIDES, "THE BIG MUDDY" MISSISSIPPI.
WATER HAS EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO BUBBLE UP UNDER CITY STREETS.
MANY OF THEM LIE BELOW SEA LEVEL.
FROM ABOVE, SITES THAT BECAME HEADLINE NEWS IN AUGUST 2005
AFTER KATRINA CAME ASHORE,
APPEAR, AMAZINGLY, UNCHANGED BY THE STORM.
THE ICONIC SUPERDOME NOW STANDS ON DRY GROUND,
AND ONCE AGAIN HOSTS HOME GAMES OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
AND CONCERTS OF MAJOR ENTERTAINERS.
BUT IN 2005,
30,000 KATRINA SURVIVORS, WITH NOWHERE ELSE TO TURN,
FLOODED INTO THE DOME,
SEEKING A "REFUGE OF LAST RESORT."
COMMUTERS HAVE RETURNED TO THE CRESCENT CITY CONNECTION.
IT WAS ACROSS THIS BRIDGE THAT HUNDREDS FLED ON FOOT
AFTER THE STORM SUBSIDED,
HOPING FINALLY TO GET OUT OF TOWN.
BUT THEY WERE QUICKLY TURNED BACK
BY A WALL OF ARMED POLICEMEN.
MANY CLAIMED IT WAS AN ACT OF RACISM
AND THAT THE POLICE WERE ONLY TRYING
TO KEEP NEW ORLEANS'S AFRICAN-AFRICANS EVACUEES OUT
OF ONE OF THE CITY'S PRIMARILY WHITE SUBURBS.
BUT NOT EVERYTHING HERE HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE 9TH WARD,
EVIDENCE OF KATRINA'S TERRIFYING FORCE
REMAINS CLEARLY VISIBLE.
FOUNDATIONS STILL LIE BARE
AFTER 20 FEET OF HURRICANE FLOODWATER
SURGED FROM THE GULF,
LEAVING THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD UNDERWATER.
MANY WHO ONCE LIVED HERE HAVE NEVER RETURNED.
AFTER KATRINA, THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
SET OUT TO STORM-PROOF THE CITY.
THEY BEGAN CONSTRUCTION
ON A 1.8-MILE-LONG CRESCENT-SHAPED SURGE BARRIER
ACROSS LAKE BORGNE.
LAKE BORGNE LIES EAST OF NEW ORLEANS.
WITHIN HOURS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA CAME ASHORE,
A WALL OF WATER, PRIMARILY FROM THE LAKE,
FILLED CITY CANALS,
AND THEN BROKE THROUGH FLOOD WALLS,
RUSHING INTO THE LOWER 9TH WARD
AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES,
WIPING HOUSES RIGHT OFF THEIR FOUNDATIONS.
TO TRY AND KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN,
THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
HAS BEEN BUILDING A FLOOD BARRIER
THAT SPANS THE LAKE.
IT'S PART OF THE LARGEST CIVIL WORKS PROJECT
IN THE CORPS' HISTORY.
THIS MUCH CONCRETE
HASN'T BEEN POURED CONTINUOUSLY IN THE UNITED STATES
SINCE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOOVER DAM IN THE 1930s.
RISING 26 FEET ABOVE THE WATER,
THE BARRIER IS BUILT TO KEEP SURGES FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO
FROM REACHING NEW ORLEANS.
SOUTH OF THE CITY, ANOTHER GIANT PROJECT IS UNDERWAY.
IT'S MUCH MORE THAN JUST A BARRIER.
IF ANOTHER KATRINA-SIZED STORM WERE TO HIT,
FLOOD WATERS WOULD NEED TO BE FUNNELED OUT OF THE CITY.
THAT'S WHY THE ARMY CORPS HAS CHOSEN THIS SPOT
TO CONSTRUCT A GIANT PUMPING STATION.
THE LARGEST DRAINAGE PUMP STATION IN THE WORLD,
IT TOOK MORE THAN THREE MILLION MAN HOURS
AND 18 MILLION POUNDS OF REBAR TO BUILD.
THAT'S AS MUCH STEEL AS IT TAKES TO BUILD THIRTY 747 AIRPLANES.
WHEN THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM HITS,
THIS FACILITY WILL BE ABLE TO PUMP
855,000 GALLONS OF WATER PER SECOND OUT OF THE CITY.
THESE PROJECTS ARE PART
OF A 350-MILE-LONG SYSTEM OF LEVEES AND FLOODGATES
THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HOPES WILL STORM-PROOF NEW ORLEANS.
MEANWHILE, ONE SECTION OF THE 9TH WARD IS BOUNCING BACK
IN TYPICALLY COLORFUL NEW ORLEANS STYLE.
THESE HOMES WERE THE BRAINCHILD OF ACTOR BRAD PITT.
AFTER VISITING THIS DEVASTATED COMMUNITY,
HE VOWED TO HELP.
HIS "MAKE IT RIGHT" FOUNDATION
BROUGHT TOGETHER ARCHITECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
TO DESIGN AND BUILD
DOZENS OF ECO-FRIENDLY FLOOD-RESISTANT HOUSES
SO FAMILIES FROM THE LOWER 9TH WARD
CAN RETURN HOME WITH DIGNITY.
POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY,
NO TWO OF THESE HOMES ARE THE SAME.
THE FOUNDATION IS ALSO HELPING REBUILD STREETS AND GARDENS.
IN A CITY WHERE MUSIC IS KING,
IT'S NOT SURPRISING
THAT ONE OF THE FIRST AND BIGGEST POST-KATRINA PROJECTS
WAS TO HELP DISPLACED MUSICIANS.
IN THE UPPER 9TH WARD,
NATIVES HARRY CONNICK, JR. AND BRANFORD MARSALIS,
TOGETHER WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY,
BUILT MUSICIANS VILLAGE--
MORE THAN 70 NEW HOUSES
CLUSTERED AROUND A NEW COMMUNITY CENTER.
SINCE IT WAS BUILT,
THIS ARTIST COMMUNITY HAS HELPED RAISED SPIRITS AND HOPE
AND INSPIRED OTHERS TO RETURN AND REBUILD
IN THE 9TH WARD AND OTHER HARD-HIT NEIGHBORHOODS.
MUSICIANS IN NEW ORLEANS ARE LEADING THE CHARGE.
FROM THE CREATURES THAT SOAR OVER ITS MARSHES...
TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DRIVE ITS ECONOMY...
THESE ARE THE PASSIONATE SOULS
THAT KEEP LOUISIANA'S SPIRIT ALIVE.