sample+blog

=DP's blog on New Orleans - January 6, 2012=

Today I headed into the 9th Ward of New Orleans. This was the area most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I remember hearing heaps about this when it happened and was curious as to how the city had been rebuilt since then. I was not really prepared for what I saw. Having no experience of a natural disaster for myself, I did not know what to expect. I was blown away. Many houses remain decimated and ruined. Many houses that fell down have been cleared but we saw one house that had a front porch supported by a single pillar. It will undoubtedly collapse any day - a lasting reminder at how fragile the area still is. There were houses with tiles missing on the roof to show where people had managed to escape. The tour guide told us they would have spent days alone on that roof - hungry and thirsty. The streets were mostly empty, as if no one wants to live in an area like this anymore. I was saddened then to hear there were people who had no choice but to remain. The monument below shows high the waters rose in different sections of the city. The highest pillar is over 10 feet tall, big enough to engulf a small home. I was utterly amazed.

There was cause for hope though. The picture below shows some of the marvelous charity work Brad Pitt has done to construct new, cheap homes for those who lived in the ward and wish to return. As you can see, these new homes are flood proof since they are raised well above the ground using solid concrete. New Orleans people seem to be different. They aren't saddened by what happened, instead they are proud that they survived and lived to tell the tale. It is a shared experience that unites them. I haven't met anyone who was not affected. I hadn't realized how widespread the devastation had been and was glad I took the time to get to know the tragic history of such a wonderful city. So incredible was this day that I made sure I bought a book about it. The book, '1 Dead in Attic', is by a journalist who returned to New Orelans to help rebuild it. It horrific at times and completely inspiring as well. Their resilience is incredible. I can't imagine living through such a period and having to rebuild a society.