Ten years ago, after Hurricane Katrina struck the shores of the Gulf Coast, when the levees broke and the waters began to rise, the world watched in horror as New Orleans drowned.
Images of evacuees filled the screen 24/7. Tens of thousands of people who were forced to flee the city they lived in and go to higher ground. For months. Permanently in many cases.
But not only did people flee, animals did too. Separated from their families. Wandering the streets having to survive the elements in an environment submerged in a toxic mess.
Tim Maddock was in LA when Katrina hit. But seeing what was happening along the Gulf Coast, he volunteered as an animal rescuer just a couple of weeks later.
He wrote a play about it, with producer Lotti Pharriss Knowles, called “Because They Have No Words.” There’s a play reading, silent auction and more this Sunday, to benefit:
ColorOfChange.org
Full Moon Farm Wolfdog Sanctuary
Jefferson SPCA
…and to honor the human and animal survivors of Hurricane Katrina at the ten-year anniversary of the storm. You can get tickets here.
The play’s co-authors spoke to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis.