Although Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast about a year and a half ago, its effects still resonate around the country.

Last night, as part of Black History Month, the Association of Black Business Students (ABBS) held a screening of Spike Lee's documentary about Hurricane Katrina.

When the Levees Broke provides many personal stories from the residents of New Orleans, as well as in-depth interviews with Mayor Ray Nagin, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and music artist Kanye West.

The documentary portrays the vast extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed.

Footage of empty streets, destroyed schools and a 5-year-old child's funeral helps to show the human cost of the disaster.

ABBS officer and event organizer Natnaal Syfu has met some of the people affected by this event.

"I know some displaced people," he said. "And seeing someone who has been forced to pack up their whole life and relocate for a year, leaving everything they knew behind, really makes you think."

Syfu hopes the film will help those who weren't affected understand the magnitude of the damage.

"I wanted to show this documentary to increase awareness of the effects of Hurricane Katrina," he said.

Many questions are raised in the documentary regarding the integrity of federal and state authorities. The documentary shows the displeasure of New Orleans with the way the disaster was handled.

Throughout the film, issues regarding the race and low socio-economic status of the majority of Katrina victims are suggested as possible reasons for the lack of action from authorities.

Many evacuated New Orleans residents stated in the documentary that they agreed with Kanye West when he said on an NBC telethon, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

Many people filmed in this documentary recognize the flooding in New Orleans could easily have been averted.

Most viewers were left without a doubt that for a number of years, the levees around New Orleans were inadequate.

Footage of appropriate flood measures in Holland reinforced the deficiency of the pre-Katrina measures.

ABBS president Valiesha Brown was very pleased with the screening and discussion.

"This documentary provides a good representation of how the disaster affected different people from all walks of life," she said. "It cuts across economic barriers very well."

Lee, producer and director of the documentary, is widely regarded as today's premier black filmmaker.

"New Orleans is fighting for its life," Lee said in a press release about the documentary. "These are not people who will disappear quietly — they are accustomed to hardships and slights, and they'll fight for New Orleans. This film will showcase the struggle for New Orleans by focusing on the profound loss, as well as the indomitable spirit of New Orleaneans."

Reach reporter Jessalin Fraser at news@thedaily.washington.edu.