Ken Burns: Before Sandy, There Was the Dust Bowl | Mother Jones

By James West
Thu Nov. 15, 2012


The filmmaker talks about the worst man-made ecological disaster in US history, and what it teaches us about future climate catastrophes.

As the East Coast licks its wounds from superstorm Sandy, many in New York and New Jersey are still without power, wondering how on Earth it got this bad. Ken Burns, the great innovator of the American documentary, thinks this the perfect time to seek some wisdom from generations past.

His new film, The Dust Bowl, tells the story of the the worst man-made ecological disaster in US history. For it, Burns and and his team tracked down the last remaining survivors of the catastrophic dust storms of the 1930s and matched their intimate stories (most were children at the time) with lush archival footage.

When I caught up with Burns in New York City, he drew comparisons between what happened then and what is happening now—and how we can prevent future Dust Bowls and Sandys.

The Dust Bowl airs November 18th and 19 on PBS.