M8 in New Orleans

[photolandscape]

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I recently returned to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck 2005.

 

It was everything I expected--and worse. As thorough as the media coverage may have been, there is no substitute for seeing it with one's own eyes. As an American, I am appalled less by what the hurricane did to the Gulf Coast than I am by the abysmal failure in the responses of the federal, state, and city governments.

 

I was only there for about 36 hours, but did manage to get around the city a bit and photographed it with the M8 where I felt it was appropriate.

 

If interested, please go wo Zenfolio | hosting service for photo galleries | a place to learn and enjoy photography, and under the search tool, type in "New Orleans Revisited."

 

(On a related note--while I like the look of Zenfolio in comparison to Flickr or pBase, it seems very few people know of it. I get very few hits compared to pBase. Also, Zenfolio doesn't allow drop in an introductory statement about your work, which in the case of my New Orleans photos, really limited my ability to lay a written groundwork for what the viewer is about to see).

[tashley]

I recently returned to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck 2005.

 

It was everything I expected--and worse. As thorough as the media coverage may have been, there is no substitute for seeing it with one's own eyes. As an American, I am appalled less by what the hurricane did to the Gulf Coast than I am by the abysmal failure in the responses of the federal, state, and city governments.

 

I was only there for about 36 hours, but did manage to get around the city a bit and photographed it with the M8 where I felt it was appropriate.

 

If interested, please go wo Zenfolio | hosting service for photo galleries | a place to learn and enjoy photography, and under the search tool, type in "New Orleans Revisited."

 

(On a related note--while I like the look of Zenfolio in comparison to Flickr or pBase, it seems very few people know of it. I get very few hits compared to pBase. Also, Zenfolio doesn't allow drop in an introductory statement about your work, which in the case of my New Orleans photos, really limited my ability to lay a written groundwork for what the viewer is about to see).

 

The reason you get no hits is because your linking is bizarre... give a direct link!

 

 

Such as...

 

Zenfolio | Steve Plattner | New Orleans Revisited

 

 

Tim

[gwelland]

Its also much more interesting if there are photos to view vs just thumbnails too. (the thumbnails look great btw ... I want to see the rest!)

 

Interesting to note that I can see the thumbnails, can download the originals but the images won't render in the slide/image view on either Windows or Mac. Tim's site on zenfolio seems to work just fine! Strange.

[ennjott]

Thanks for the interesting photos.. and the direct link .

 

I wonder why people in the US insist on building these wooden shed type "houses" that offer so little protection from the forces of nature. Here, either you can afford a real house (bricks/concrete), or you rent a flat.

I'm fairly sure one wouldn't even get a building permission for such a cottage here unless it's supposed to be a vacation home.

[earleygallery]

Hi,

 

You should post images directly in the photo forum. The M8 forum isn't meant for images or links to images, its meant for threads about the M8 camera (technical queries etc).

[k_g_wolf ✝]

>> Steve

 

 

these are terrific photos ! Thx for sharing.

 

If these are recently taken photographs - as you say they are - I´am completely puzzled, how a nation, which is able to travel to the moon, can deal with the after-pains of such a horrible event. Most likely it would look much better in case this would have been BANGLADESH.

 

Feeling VERY sorry for the people affected ...

 

 

 

Best

 

________________________

 

 

Thx TIM for posting the direct link to this catastrophy !

[Hodc]

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Hello Steve,

 

The documentary value of your pictures is great. I can understand that you would like too write about what you have seen. On the other side do tell your pictures the story as it is. I feel very close too the people affected. And can imagine that some Dutch newspapers overhere are very interested. I certainly would be interested. Thank you very much for posting them.

 

Harry

[photolandscape]

Thanks for the interesting photos.. and the direct link .

 

"I wonder why people in the US insist on building these wooden shed type "houses" that offer so little protection from the forces of nature. Here, either you can afford a real house (bricks/concrete), or you rent a flat. I'm fairly sure one wouldn't even get a building permission for such a cottage here unless it's supposed to be a vacation home."

 

I can appreciate how, from a distance, it could be difficult to understand why such structures exist. New Orleans is extremely vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms--as Hurricane Katrina and others have demonstrated, and much of the city is below sea level.

 

Most of the photographs on my Zenfolio site were taken in the Lower Ninth Ward, Gentilly, and north of downtown New Orleans near Lake Ponchartrain. These areas are below sea level. They have been "protected" for decades by levees. Due to serious neglect on the part of the leaders of the federal government, they were poorly maintained--repeated requests from citizens and even the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--to improve them--were ignored. In almost every case, the damage you see in these photographs was not the direct result of Katrina; instead, it was caused by the profound failure of the levees, which failed to protect the city from the tremendous surge of storm water from Katrina and led to hundreds of unnecessary deaths and billions and billions of dollars in economic losses.

 

Even if most people in the city of New Orleans had really understood the probablility and risks of the levee failures, a percentage of them probably would have continued living there nonetheless. Thousands of African-Americans were settled there as slaves and never migrated away. Their roots were there, and are still there. Family bonds and cultural bonds are helped hold the city together and make it the unique place it still is.

 

As for the often poor quality of housing, much of it is the result of wealthy property owners who for centuries built the cheapest housing possible and charged as much as they could to the occupants--most of them low-income residents. The more affluent residential districts generally are made up of far better housing--wood structures 8-10 feet off the ground to protect against flooding, and brick structures that still stand but are inhabitable due to mold and bacteria infestation. The lowest, least desirable areas where poor people could afford to live, were generally the most vulnerable to flooding and storm surges delivered by Katrina.

 

Last but not least, the power structure of New Orleans continues to be among the most corrupt, and inept, anywhere in the U.S. If you knew and paid off the right people, it wouldn't have been too difficult to persuade a city building supervisor or other politician to turn a blind eye on the construction quality of a sub-standard house.

 

Those who have decided to stay and make a go of living in New Orleans are doing so with very little support. The abysmal response of the federal government is easily among the most shameful chapters in the history of the U.S.

 

I don't mean to be too pedagogical, but just thought I should shed a little light on why things are they way they are in the Crescent City.

[k_g_wolf ✝]

Thx for this, Steve.

 

One would wish for different information.

 

 

Best

[Artichoke]

I visited New Orleans many times before Katrina as I had a good friend who worked there & fortunately has moved on to work in another city

I have not been able to bring myself to visit since the storm, but from my experiences there & from what I have learned from folks coming to Houston seeking refuge, what you posted is sadly accurate

excellent photographic series & commentary