Floodlines

Some call it Hurricane Katrina. Some call it the Federal Flood. Others call it the day the levees broke. On August 29, 2005, the city of New Orleans was submerged. That story of hubris, incompetence, and nature's wrath is now etched into the national consciousness. But the people who lived through the flood and its aftermath have a different story to tell. A story of rumors, betrayal, and one of the most misunderstood events in American history. Hosted by Vann R. Newkirk II. Floodlines has been named an Apple Podcasts Series Essential.

Episodes

Richard

March 3, 2020 • 5 mins

A preview of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Antediluvian

March 11, 2020 • 32 mins

Part I: It all started long before a hurricane named Katrina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Come Sunday

March 11, 2020 • 24 mins

Part II: In New Orleans, the disaster wasn’t the hurricane. The disaster was what happened after. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Through the Looking Glass

March 11, 2020 • 29 mins

Part III: A universe of rumor and misinformation plays out on television. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

The Bridge

March 11, 2020 • 25 mins

Part IV: Rumor becomes tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Exodus

March 11, 2020 • 31 mins

Part V: A hero arrives. But not the one everyone expected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Reckoning

March 11, 2020 • 36 mins

Part VI: How could the levees have failed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Destiny

March 11, 2020 • 30 mins

Part VII: People try to come home. But does home want them anymore? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

The Wake

March 11, 2020 • 55 mins

Part VIII: Water, like history, repeats itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Introducing Holy Week

February 28, 2023 • 5 mins

Holy Week: The story of a revolution undone. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a powerful era of civil rights in America, but how did this hero’s murder come to be the stitching used to tie together a narrative of victory? The week that followed his killing was one of the most fiery, disruptive, and revolutionary, and is nearly forgotten. Over the course of eight...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Rebirth

August 1, 2025 • 39 mins

Part IX: After Hurricane Katrina and the breach of the levees in 2005, Floodlines examined what went wrong in New Orleans and what those errors meant for the people left behind. Now, 20 years later, the host, Vann R. Newkirk II, revisits New Orleans to meet up with Le-Ann Williams again and learn more about how time has shaped the role she holds in her family and her city. You can support this work, and the work of all Atlantic ...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Hey Jonas!

Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com