08/18/2023
After years of work, we’re thrilled to announce the first public broadcast of "Cajundome City," a documentary that explores the sheltering effort following Hurricane Katrina in Lafayette, Louisiana’s Cajundome. The documentary is set to air on LPB on August 23 at 7:00 pm.
“Cajundome City” tells the remarkable story of how a community transformed an event venue, designed to host basketball games and concerts, into the country’s first mega-shelter following Hurricane Katrina. Over the course of 58 days, countless volunteers showed their compassion and resourcefulness as they converted the Cajundome into a home for 18,500 hurricane survivors.
The documentary includes interviews with key figures involved in the sheltering operation as well as hurricane survivors that became Cajundome residents.
It explores the struggles facing the Cajundome staff, volunteers, and Lafayette leaders as they attempted to provide hurricane evacuees much more than the basics required for survival. They served hundreds of thousands of meals prepared in the Cajundome’s kitchen, organized children’s educational services, arranged regular entertainment, and opened a post office. Recognizing the overwhelming medical needs of the residents, medical professionals and community volunteers even created and staffed a 24/7 clinic and pharmacy available free of charge to Cajundome residents.
The Cajundome shelter blazed a trail as the nation’s first Mega-shelter. Others had attempted large sheltering operations in the past, but never for an extended period of time. The Cajundome Mega-Shelter demonstrated to the world that with the generosity of a giving community, this kind of effort could succeed.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to bring light to the incredible effort of the Cajundome staff and volunteers,” said Chris Allain, director and host of Cajundome City. “Such a massive operation could not have been possible without the endless generosity of the Acadiana community.”
Along with the premiere LPB will encore Cajundome City on Wednesday, August 23rd at 10:00pm and again on Saturday, August 26th at 8:30pm.
For more information on "Cajundome City", please visit www.cajundomecity.com.
This is "Cajundome City Trailer" by Vidox on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
