The Helpers

People in Lake Charles expected the federal government to help them rebuild their battered city. That’s what they had been promised. That’s what had happened after previous storms. But this time was different. In this episode, we report on why the federal government kept thousand ...  Show more

After severe storms struck Lake Charles, many homeowners expected to rebuild quickly. They had been paying home insurance premiums for years for just this moment. But instead of receiving prompt payouts, their claims were delayed and denied. In this episode, we learn how the insu ...  Show more

As communities across the Southern United States set about recovering from one of the most devastating hurricane seasons ever, we're doing what Mr. Rogers always told us to do when the news is scary: we're looking for the helpers. In this episode, two stories about people who hav ...  Show more

Days after Hurricane Katrina floods their city, residents of New Orleans become increasingly desperate, as the government bungles the rescue effort. Using doors and other items to make improvised rafts, people make their way from their flooded homes to the Superdome and the Conve ...  Show more

<span style="font-weight: 400;">When a devastating earthquake strikes Haiti in January 2010, one of the island’s most respected public health experts rushes to the aid of 38 abandoned children who have been left without a home. She decides then and there to take care of them, ...

Officials learn that the storm surge from Katrina has breached New Orleans’s levees, allowing water to pour into the city. Soon, 80 percent of New Orleans is underwater. Many residents become trapped in their homes, and are forced to climb into their attics and onto rooftops, as ...  Show more