Nature

With disaster preparedness of paramount importance, it’s time to take a deeper look at what went very right before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Unlike the woefully unprepared civilian population, the Coast Guard was staged and ready. The unprecedented surface rescue put into action by the brave men and women under CAPT Robert Mueller’s command took place with little fanfare, yet their actions saved the lives of more than thirty thousand people.

The hunt for red crawfish is the thing, the raison d'etre, of Acadian spring. Introduced to Louisiana by the swamp dwellers of the Atchafalaya Basin, the crawfish is a regional favorite that has spurred a $210 million industry. Whole families work at the same fisheries, and annual crawfish festivals dominate the social calendar. More importantly, no matter the occasion, folks take their boils seriously: they'll endure line cutters, heat and humidity, mosquitoes and high gas prices to procure crawfish for their families' annual backyard boils or their corporate picnics. Join author Sam Irwin as he tells the story--complete with recipes and tall tales--of Louisiana's favorite crustacean: the crawfish.

Follow author Rob Gaudet as he tells the gripping origin story of Cajun Navy Ground Force—a group of Louisianian civilians who band together to perform heroic acts of disaster relief. Cajun Navy Ground Force recounts how, beginning with the devastating flooding in 2016, the organization has provided assistance to disaster victims through technology and social media, and how the group works to focus national media attention on those in need. Learning how to operate within the guidelines of official authorities, Gaudet coordinated countless volunteer efforts through Cajun Navy Ground Force, from donation drives to search-and-rescue missions. The organization continues to teach communities across the country how to apply the same strategies of citizen-led relief to their disasters. Witness emotional rescues, understand how residents were able to rebuild in the face of tremendous tragedy, and find out how you can help in the next catastrophe.