Hurricane Katrina affected the lives of thousands of Americans. According to Anne Waple of NOAA's National Climate Data Center, Katrina is "one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent U.S. history" leaving "at least 80 percent of New Orleans...under flood water." Director Spike Lee, in his documentary, When the Levees Broke, examines the lives of the people of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. Lee's aim is to address racial disparities, political issues and discrimination against helping victims during the storm. It takes a candid tone from victims and outsiders to illustrate how New Orleans residents were affected by government failures throughout Katrina, before and after. Despite government programs and their slow attempt to help, the government did not act quickly during the events of Hurricane Katrina because many New Orleans residents did not receive the large amount of aid that had been promised. Lee uses logical appeals through victim and celebrity testimonies to appeal to America. According to Everything's an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewiez, "Writers can support their arguments with all kinds of human experience presented in the form of narrative or testimony" (66). Footage was shown from the NBC telethon to raise money for the American Red Cross to help victims of New Orleans, which included rapper Kanye West and his controversial statement. He cited the media's portrayal of blacks in New Orleans by implying: "You see a black family, they say 'They're looting.' You see a white family, they say, 'They're looking for food.'” West's argument is an example of a logical appeal because he was informing... middle of paper... the coast of the United States” (Waple). Katrina brought about pervasive demolition in New Orleans, and Spike Lee faced many disparities. It did this by giving people the opportunity to understand those affected by Hurricane Katrina through their stories and opinions. Appeals to the public's emotions by compiling stories, rumors, images and media coverage of the event. The government failed to provide adequate relief to the residents of New Orleans due to their slow response. A few days after the storm hit, help decided to arrive and many homes and lives had already disappeared due to the storm and its aftermath. Using logical, emotional, and ethical appeals, Lee was able to document a film to support his thesis. The style of his argument convinced Americans to believe that the government did not care about the people of New Orleans.