The film, “Hurricane on the Bayou,” presents the environmental impact of the wetlands in New Orleans, and events that contributed to the catastrophic effect of Hurricane Katrina. Moreover, the film describes the aftermath effects and possible considerations that may help prevent future catastrophes. The modernization and infrastructure of New Orleans weakened the surrounding ecosystem and removed any natural resilience against hurricanes.

Wetlands act as a natural buffer that reduces the intensity of a hurricane. For every one mile of wetland, there is a reduction in hurricane height by one foot. Although minor, it mitigates a portion of the damage caused by hurricanes. Prior to any society, New Orleans had a wetland that spanned the size of Delaware. Through engineering design and urbanization, the wetlands slowly erode away over the course of several decades. For example, levies were installed to prevent the constant floods that the towns would undergo. Consequently, the installation of these levies caused the wetland grass to dry and soil to falter. Thus, it decreased the amount of wetlands available.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and demolished anything in its path including the levies, the city started to rebuild itself. It is important for any engineer to consider the ecological impact implementing a system or design. New engineering designs and systems that consider the harmful effects on the environment not only help rebuild the city, but also start to rebuild the wetlands that would provide resilience for other subsequent hurricane disasters. Overall, ecological considerations in engineering design preserve the natural