Katrina - 20 Years

 

Katrina was unlike anything we had ever seen. Everyone knows the story of New Orleans, but what’s often forgotten is how Mississippi and the rest of Louisiana were devastated too. By the time Katrina reached where I lived, she had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane—but she was still fierce. Our reservoir churned with 14-foot waves, and we were without power for two weeks. Even then, we considered ourselves lucky compared to the people to our south, who endured unimaginable loss.

We must never forget what happened in New Orleans. The people there were failed. And we must also remember the many others Katrina touched—their lives, too, were forever changed.

Below is an excerpt from my blog, written on August 28, 2005. 

Katrina is on her way

Katrina Packing Wind of Nearly 175 Mph 
AP - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans, a city sitting below sea level with 485,000 inhabitants, as Hurricane Katrina bore down with wind revved up to nearly 175 mph and a threat of a massive storm surge. Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort including the Superdome arena. "This is a once in a lifetime event," the mayor said. "The city of New Orleans has never seen a hurricane of this magnitude hit it directly." From Yahoo

This is going to be bad, I hope all my friends in NO and the Coast are Hitailing it out!! My thoughts are with you all!!!!

I can still vividly recall standing in the middle of my street, surrounded by darkness. The sky was full of stars, and the only sound was the low, steady hum of generators.

SS Hurricane Camille

I’ve written about the SS Hurricane Camille before, but this time I decided to take a deeper look at the tug over the years. Washed ashore during Hurricane Camille in 1969, the vessel became a well-known Gulfport, Mississippi landmark, a rusting reminder of what was once thought to be a once-in-a-lifetime storm. For decades, it stood as a silent witness to the power of nature. But in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and in the wake of that destruction, the storied tug was finally scrapped — closing the chapter on a symbol of survival and storm-battered resilience.

My grandmother, mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins stand in front of the SS Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Here is one from the Early 90's of me, my sister and parents in nearly the same location.  

Another one from the late 90s with me, my sister, mom, and a family friend.  

This one I took in the early 2000's prior to Katrina.  

One taken about 6 months after Katrina.  

Please excuse the flash — this photo of the plaque was taken before Hurricane Katrina.

This was an experimental photo series I shot in the early 2000s, with the idea of developing the film and assembling the images like a puzzle — this was the final result. 

Good Company

When you travel the road less traveled, do you not get dusty and hit by briars, or covered in poison ivy? Why is it that life seems to want you to travel the road that no one else really seems to want to travel, especially when you seem to be more fitted for the well-traveled road with all the five star hotels? Well I at least seem to be in good company.

We are all but Castles of Sand

Life can be like a castle of sand; built tall and sturdy and all it takes is one wave and it is over.   Yes it can be rebuilt, but not the same.   I was walking on Biloxi beach yesterday on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and occasionally I would come across a bed of barnacle incrusted bricks.   It took me a moment to realize that these were what remains of the businesses that once lined Beach Boulevard in Gulfport and Biloxi… all hat remains six years after Hurricane Katrina completely washed them away like they were a tiny sand castle on the beach.  

Phoenix

Things change through our life, things that we do not necessarily want to change. Change usually comes in a violent abusive manner, sometimes it comes as a breeze on a summer day. No matter how it comes, it usually is met with opposition, but it will always persevere and we will adapt to the new environment we are forced into.

(This is a view of the Biloxi-Gulfport area; it was nearly completely destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina… most of what you see here are the people of Mississippi raising like a phoenix from the debris that Katrina left in her wake.)

Perseverance

Humanity has many flaws, but we also have a great strong point… through the greatest disaster’s we will persevere. This is the Gulfport Yacht club, destroyed in 1969 by Hurricane Camille, and once again in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina… No longer does it lie in ruins, it is a symbol of the Coastal communities ability to rise up from the ashes, stronger and better than before!!!

800 East Pier

Gulfport, MS 39501

Get Directions

(228) 867-6796

Washed Up Boat...

The famous SS Hurricane Camille that washed up during the infamous 1969 Hurricane that killed 269 people left this tugboat sitting 200 feet from its present location off Highway 90 in Gulfport, MS. The Boat survived many storms, and Katrina left it battered, and destroyed the gift shop that once sat at its rear. Now there is nothing saving it from possible demolition, the former owners have no intention of rebuilding, and the tug is in danger of disappearing... something needs to be done to save this piece of Mississippi History! For More Information Visit www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=993