Surviving the Dust Bowl (1998)
In 1931 the rains stopped and the "black blizzards" began. Powerful dust storms carrying millions of tons of stinging, blinding black dirt swept across the Southern Plains — the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, western Kansas, and the eastern portions of Colorado and New Mexico. Topsoil that had taken a thousand years per inch to build suddenly blew away in only minutes. One journalist traveling through the devastated region dubbed it the "Dust Bowl." This American Experience film presents the remarkable story of the determined people who clung to their homes and way of life, enduring drought, dust, disease — even death — for nearly a decade. Less well-known than those who sought refuge in California, typified by the Joad family in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," the Dust Bowlers who stayed overcame an almost unbelievable series of calamities and disasters.
Featured Crew
| Molly Jacobs | Associate Producer |
| David Steward | Co-Producer |
| Michael Bacon | Original Music Composer |
| Sharon Grimberg | Producer |
| Maria Nicolo | Associate Producer |
| Vanessa Ezersky | Post-Production Manager |
| Mark Samels | Executive Producer |
| Chana Gazit | Director |
| Susan Bellows | Producer |
| Susan Mottau | Coordinating Producer |
