Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

"Footage of the storm, much of which appears to be new to television, is breathtaking. Depiction of failures at every level to respond to the hurricane is equally stunning. …

Frontline continue[s] to operate with the sort of depth and ambition that produce such satisfying and informative TV."

 

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

"… rarely does television provide more riveting rubber-necking. …

In the long run, The Storm performs a crucial public service by recapping the agency's [FEMA] history and explaining concerns about its future. …

In an era of uncertainty for TV journalism, Frontline remains hard-hitting and ambitious, the rare program that attempts to explain the big picture. The Storm represents another superlative achievement."

 

Chicago Tribune Sid Smith

"Leave it to 'Frontline' to provide a gripping documentary with fresh facts and analysis, raising important questions we all need to ponder for some time to come. …

The documentary nicely mixes contemporary controversy and a history of U.S. disaster response …"

 

Variety Brian Lowry

"'Frontline' offers a dispassionate, methodical but ultimately thoroughly damning account of the federal response ... Correspondent Martin Smith leaves few stones unturned…

Smith's authoritative approach conveys a meticulous journalistic throughline that all but the most partisan hacks will be hard-pressed to convincingly parry. …"

 

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

"'Frontline' revisits the Hurricane Katrina mess and gives former FEMA chief Michael Brown a chance to dig an even deeper hole for himself."

 

Los Angeles Times Paul Brownfield

"'The Storm' … puts the federal government's feet to the fire for failing to better prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina. It's a scathing look back at what happened on the political front … "

 

New York Times Ned Martel

"…'Frontline' corners the usual suspect, Michael Brown ... who still defends his galling inaction. The reporter, Martin Smith, conducts an aggressive, on-camera interview ... the deposed political appointee says that he does not want to pass the buck and then does just that."

 

Houston Chronicle Mike McDaniel

"…an unsparing yet clear-eyed report… Few of the people interviewed for this report come out smelling good. ... It's a maddening report."

 

Pittsburg Post-Gazette Rob Owen

"…'The Storm' does an excellent job exploring what went wrong with the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. …

For some viewers, 'The Storm' might be old news, but as usual, 'Frontline' does an excellent job connecting the dots."

 

Newark Star Ledger Matt Zoller Seitz

"…By the end of the 'Frontline' episode 'The Storm,' you get the impression that while this disaster probably would have happened at some point, several key factors converged to make it exponentially worse."