Trouble the Water :: Film Trailer

Unable to afford fleeing her 9th Ward home, a resident decides to document Hurricane Katrina on her camcorder.

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posted May 13, 2010

: Kimberly Rivers Roberts and husband Scott.

Film still from Trouble the Water.

New Orleans resident and aspiring rapper Kimberly Rivers Roberts couldn’t afford to flee her 9th Ward home before Hurricane Katrina hit. So she documented the storm on her Hi-8 camcorder, narrating the experience from her attic.

With no public transportation organized for citizens to leave ground zero, a lack of emergency units available to rescue those trapped in their homes, and a violent denial of shelter for displaced individuals at a vacant US Navy Base, Roberts could have easily panicked. But, she relied on her faith and taped until her battery died.

Roberts’ candid footage and raps take this film beyond news coverage of the storm. Viewers will feel empathy with the victims—and frustration toward the government.

For more information about the film, check out the Trouble the Water website.

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