Five Days at Memorial

I didn't fully comprehend the human suffering or issues at hand back in 2005, in part to being in my early 20s and also slightly jaded from being in the military-where we always help and leaving people is unfathomable. Watching this show, well... I've had to watch in bite size pieces. It literally nauseates me and gives me such anxiety.

The despair. The decisions being made. The decisions being made because of the despair. It was a no win situation. I can't imagine having to decide between my life, another's life, whether leaving them behind is the answer, or helping them go quicker to ease pain and suffering. It really puts the Hippocratic oath to test-first do no harm, right? Very subjective. If the harm is that the patient will be left behind to die, then helping to end that suffering is the right choice, right? But they could survive, we don't know if more help will come tomorrow once we evacuate, right? Is there a right? Is there a wrong? The only wrong during the aftermath of Katrina, was doing nothing. And we saw a whole lot of that, as we see here in this docuseries.

I can't imagine. I just can't.

The loss of the pets; first, I don't comprehend how there were pets in a hospital in the first place. All I know? If it came to leaving my best friend (4 legs) to fend for herself, putting her down, or staying with her to surely die myself... I know which I'd chose-the one I could live with, no matter how short that would make my own life.

I'm so sorry to those who lost loved ones, who had to witness such despair, or make such gut wrenching decisions. Perseverance isn't for the faint of heart.

This show, sucks.

First off, Cherry and Vera are fantastic in this. After the pandemic, watching this story gives me chills. Such a good story to be told. Highly recommend.

Let's get this straight, there are people to blame here. But the doctors who were left to FEND FOR THEMSELVES and their patients are not them. There's NO evacuation plan, are you kidding me. So you've got people on the board and CEO's making millions, where were they in on these charges?? Oh that's right they bailed before the levees broke. They knew for years their hospital could easily flood. They did NOTHING! The government did NOTHING! They were stranded, scared and overwhelmed to say the least.

So you've got hundreds of patients, hundred degree building, no food, no meds, no water, no way of getting out for some of them. Doctors who've had no sleep for 5 days and trying to be responsible for everyone. Have a helipad with hundreds of steps through the hospital and stairs to reach it. Yes there are many to blame but is sure as heck wasn't one single doctor. When they're told you have 12 hours to evactuate everyone, still no one to help move patients that weigh 500lbs. Instead of yelling to get them out he'll them!! They offered ZERO help they just barked orders. What were they supposed to do?? Leave the patients alone to die of starvation in the next week that followed?? Just imagine that for a minute. Let's get one thing straight. It's inhumane to let your pets suffere but against the law to afford your loved ones the same humane death. They're not allowed any say in their last days, they're not allowed to ease suffering, they're allowed no grace or dignity in their death. People who think the doctors straight up murdered people need a good swift kick in the face. Get over yourself, I'd sure like to see how you hollier than thou would've handled this situation. My guess is you'd have been gone before the first drop of rain. If by chance you were there when the levees broke you'd have clawed your way to that first chopper or that first boat! And you know it! This was a tragedy all around and one that people have to remember and have nightmares about the rest of their lives! There is nothing anyone could've done any differently... Except generators in the middle of the building and evacuation plan that was much needed and a government who paid attention and helped! This does not fall on one doctor not at all and it sure isn't a race thing. Had they punished the good doctors who stayed behind you can bet none would ever stay again. Who could blame them? Not me. Is it sad? Absolutely! I can't imagine how scared everyone must've been. And how heartbreaking it was to have NO OPTIONS. They did their job to the best of their ability with what they had. Period! They stayed when everyone else fled. Period! They saved hundreds. Period! Take the ones doing the accusing and lock them in a hospital for 5 days with no air and no provisions let's see how they feel about this. And the doctors and nurses taking the prosecution's side, where was their problem solving? What did they do the last day to help? Did they have an alternative for the patients, THEIR patients that they left behind?? Seems that answer is a resounding no!

The first 5 episodes are dedicated to the actual events at the hospital and those ones are great. First episode is intense; the rest are a bit slower in nature but are a very interesting watch. It's great to see how everything went down when the hurricane hit.

The last 3 episodes are dedicated to the aftermath of everything, from the hospital to the decisions made at the hospital. These are not bad necessarily, but they move at a sluggish pace and are ultimately not even half as interesting as the hospital episodes.

I really feel like they could have shortened the first 5 hospital episodes into 4, and the last 3 aftermath episodes into 2 for a total of 6 thought out episodes. It really starts to repeat itself at those points, but it is still a fine watch, especially if you are particularly interested in hurricane Katrina.

This really is mind blowing...at same time it is exactly what I'd expect it to be.

Even tho I knew what to expect it was still a very hard watch, and I've done so over a month.

(I went in cold, no searching internet or reading reviews)

I remember Katrina, the stories coming out about NO, the dome, the utter 'What the serious *#:@ is happening here?'...I'm very surprised it took THIS long to make something like this- so very looong over due!!!

I know it's dramatized but at same time...it's not. This is just a 10% slice of that horror, just one story. I think it did an excellent job of trying to convey the desolation of that whole horrific BLIGHT (thank you bush 😠) in US history. It seems to sum up the rawness of dealing with Katrina. I thought there was enough real footage shown in conjunction to Memorial.

It's sad that it ever came to these decisions but if one thinks about all the violence that happened in NO post Katrina, I give the doctors/nurses kudos for helping ANY patient be rescued, AND give a peaceful end of life!

If you watch this and you are too young to remb or not a us citizen, then use this as a kind of guide of one of the worst disasters to be fall US- and I mean from EVERY perspective!