Courtesy of Apple TV+
The Apple TV series Five Days at Memorial is based on actual events during Hurricane Katrina. It chronicles the choices hospital caregivers were forced to make during the crisis without resources and how 45 people died as a result. It’s adapted from the book by Sheri Fink who said it’s important to tell the story, so we are prepared for the next crisis.
“It is essential to go back and really follow what did happen here and really look at it from different perspectives and what can we learn from it,” said Fink.
Fink, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said the eight-episodes cover what happened just before, during, and after Katrina. When the levees broke and the city flooded, the New Orleans hospital lost power for five days. Caregivers were forced to prioritize patient care under extreme circumstances.
“They were very well-regarded health professionals who were arrested and accused of involvement in second-degree murder, which was shocking for people who remember the story,” said Fink.
The series examines how unprepared the hospital was to shelter and care for patients. Fink said for many the realistic portrayal is extremely difficult to watch, especially for those who lived through Katrina seventeen years ago.
“But this is why we tell stories, and this is why books are written, and movies are made to honor these events, to not forget them, to not let them slip into the past without teaching us for the future,” said Fink.
The Apple TV series premiered on August 12th and new episodes can be streamed on Fridays.
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