Five years since Katrina

It was 5 years ago yesterday, that we went back to see the neighborhood where we used to live in Slidell, Louisiana.
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, that stench still lingers in my mind

Hurricane Katrina, Slidell, Louisiana

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Hurricane Katrina's collection

This is what awaited us four years ago when we returned to the old neighborhood where we lived back in the early 80's. Of, course we didn't have to wait to get to this neighborhood to see this. Hurricane Katrina had left destruction in every single street in the region. This neighborhood in Slidell had about 8 feet of water.

What you don't see in this picture is something that was happening in neighborhoods all over -- the residents were hauling everything out of their house, including sheet-rock and cabinets. When they needed a break, they would stand around with neighbors and commiserate that they had not "home" to go back into.

--steve buser

Hurricane Katrina, Slidell, Louisiana

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Katrinaversary

Remembering Katrina -- four years ago. This was taken about three weeks after the storm in Slidell, Louisiana. The top of the house in the background did not start out there before the storm. It is from at least a half mile away.

The scene is a canal (under the rubble) about a mile and half from Lake Pontchartrain. If you are interested here's the location (Google Maps).

It's interesting, this is the first time I have posted this photo. It makes me think. There must be millions (maybe billions) of pictures out there that the world has never seen.
--steve buser

Hurricane Katrina, Slidell, Louisiana

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Hurricanes' leftovers being ground away

Some of the aftermath of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav showed up in large piles of fermenting mulching on the parking lot for the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball field.

SRS, the contractor for Jefferson Parish, was using this 80-tons-per-hour chipper to shoot the resulting mulch into about fifty 20-foot piles on the parking lot. It was one of three sites in the parish and one of dozens around the region, trying to eliminate the trash problems.

Fermenting? You didn't really notice it until you got close to the pile, but the smell was that sharp, sweet smell of fermenting biomass. The foreman at the site noted that the piles were being hauled away and would only be there a few days, eliminating the need to keep turning the piles.

And soon, evidence of the two storms, which only had a passing glance of a blow on the New Orleans area.

--steve buser

The bustling business of hurricane readiness

This picture was on the morning before we were heading out of town in the face of Hurricane Gustav. I was walking over to the coffee shop for a morning refresher. The Home Depot was just opening. These carts were lined all over the parking lot. It had obviously been a very busy night and apparently they didn't have enough help left to bring them in. I would think HD sold a lot of plywood and other hurricane supplies as people boarded up to get out of town.

We have survived unscathed a glancing blows by two hurricanes in the past few weeks. Now things are back settling down.


- steve buser

Fly it high, guys

A bucket truck in to repair the damages from Hurricane Gustav (the one before Hurricane Ike) passed me by on the street the other day and I caught a glimpse of this. Old Glory proudly flying on the back with the bucket.

And why not. These guys have a lot to be proud of -- when a city of nearly 300,000 goes totally dark from a Hurricane and you can bring it back up in just a little more than a week, I think you deserve to be proud.

Of course, we all get a little ansy when it is our house that still doesn't have power. Personally, I get a good feeling when I see these guys working.

Just think, they will no sooner throw the last switch on the Hurricane Gustav damage than they will have to head off rebuild what Hurricane Ike has done.

Fly it High, guys.

-steve buser

Weary weather warriors.

Two weeks, two hurricanes. It has been quite a ride. Fortunately for us, we just got a glancing blow from each. However, a glancing blow from a hurricane like these is like being a foot mat for an elephant for a couple days.

I gained a lot of respect for guys like the one above. They are out in the weather weather it is good, bad, terrible, or hurricane. These are the real weather warriors. This shot was from our , short evacuation to Perdido Key last week. Despite the fact that we had gale force winds almost the entire time we were there, these guys had to keep up the food hunting routine -- I assume a couple days without a good slimy dinner and he could get pretty weak. Fortunately, the beach always seems to have a good choice of delicacies -- if only the humans would get out of the way and leave it to the professionals.

By the way. I didn't get time to identify this bird. Got any idea what he is?

--steve buser

Situation returning to normal

I think this sign refers to the after-Gustav settling in. Don't worry, things are returning to normal. In most of the area curfews have been lifted, power is back on and life returns to the way it was. That of course is not true of the parishes close to the Gulf of Mexico that took the direct hit --they still have a lot of "digging out" to do post Hurricane Gustav.

It now looks like Hurricane Ike has decided to strike the Texas coast line -- guess he wants some place that has already been knocked down.

Check Hurricane Ike's progress at I Do Not Like Ike

--steve buser

Gustav evacuees return to Ike fears

I never used someone else's photo on this site before, but I thought this photo caught the feeling of what is going on in New Orleans. This is a FEMA photo by Barry Bahler. I used it on my new site IDoNotLikeIke where I am keeping up with the storm and trying to document somewhat the feeling that an approaching storm brings to residents in along the Gulf of Mexico. (take a look -- frequent updates)

The evacuees assisted by the cities, state and feds ae returning to the area by bus, train and plane. Most schools are opening back up today except in some parishes closer to the Gulf.
Power for Entergy, the largest provider of electricity in the region is more than 80% restored by an army of 14,000 workers from 24 states. Here's a excerpt from an Entergy presentation that shows how fast the power was restored in the New Orleans area.

Disaster relief programs are just getting into full gear. Meanwhile the eye on Ike continues.

--steve buser

Ike brings fears of turnaround evacuation

The Jefferson Parish staging center Saturday prepares for bringing back evacuees who had no access to transportation and were transported to shelters out of the area by buses.

An evacuee (left) waits for a ride, while a emergency worker helps her with her belongings.

The staging center was set up in the giant parking lot of a multi-screen theater in River Ridge.

Now the anxious waiting starts to see if another evacuation will be ordered this week for the New Orleans area as Hurricane Ike heads into the Gulf of Mexico.

Fears are that people are evacuation weary and many may choose to ride out what could be a major hurricane.

You can stay tuned to Hurricane Ike details here.

-steve buser

Going home -- the continuing saga of Hurricane Gustav

We were debating when was the best time to start the trek back to New Orleans from our Hurricane Gustav Evacuation to Florida. Linda learned her parents were heading back to Mandeville because of the conditions in Alexandria, La where they had holed up from the storm, only to find it followed them. They told tales of tornadoes and a hotel without power. So on the road we were, leaving Perdido Key to the pelicans and other regulars who were showing back up.

We decided to try to meet them at their house to make sure things were okay. They weren't. The place looked normal and there was no damage, but there was also no power. That was not going to be tolerable for anyone for long in that stifling "after-the-hurricane" heat. Linda's dad is 87 and on oxygen so we needed better conditions.

We borrowed a generator from a friend, opened old wooden windows that hadn't be raised in years. Then we hooked up a big fan and try to blow air through the house. It worked somewhat, and got some that "closed-up-house" feeling out.

Her brother Danny showed up with a small window air conditioning unit a few minutes later and as darkness was stealing the light, the new appliance was shoved in the window and a cool, but not cold breeze poured out of it.

We decided we couldn't leave them alone. The unit could barely keep one room cool, so we all bunkered down in the living room (Linda, me, her parents, her mom's friend Ruth and Linda's sister Karen) on sofas, recliners, mattresses and what-have-you. We draped sheets over the open doorways to keep the cool contained.

All went well till this morning when Linda's dad got up to use the restroom. On the way back he slipped in the hall and split his head open. Off to the hospital with him we went. Probably a concussion.

It makes you realize how we depend on all the comforts that keep our society going. It also reinforces that warning that cities after hurricanes are filled with hidden dangers.

Hopefully power will be back up soon.

Gustav, goodby and good riddance.


--steve buser

Riding out Huricane Gustav

Riding out the storm can be done in style, as this young man shows in Perdido Key, Florida, where we were holed up, in windy and sometimes tropical storm conditions.

It looks as if we will not be able to go back to New Orleans until Thursday or Friday. They have to make the streets safe from the ravages of Hurricane Gustav. Meanwhile, our cabin-fever has become acute, so we are driving up and down the beach road.

--steve buser

A way out of town

Linda and I made it out of town and to "safety" in Florida leaving our place yesterday at 3 p.m.. This is the intersection where we took leave of the I-10. To say the traffic was at a crawl, would be an exageration. So we took out bets on a backroad -- heading out Highway 90. It took us 3 hours to get out of New Orleans to the Slidell area.

We finally pulled into our Florida destination ad 12:30 a.m., feeling lucky we left when we did.
More details from on the road later. Let me catch some sleep.

--steve buser

Goodbye Gustav lines form

This is the scene this morning at the staging area in Jefferson Parish to evacuate person without tranportation as Gustav approaches the region

The second picture is at the evacuation staging area in New Orleans in front of the Union Terminal Station -- people waiting in line to catch an evacuation train to Memphis. This too is for people without tranporation out of the city.

The reidents were picked up in their neighborhoods and bussed to the Union Terminal. A long line formed a everyone was processed (getting names and address etc. so that relatives can find them). The long line of buses down several blocks held the incoming groups -- keeping them in the air conditioning until it was time for them to get in line. That kept their time in blazing sun to a minimum.

Gustav continue to keep his eye on the Louisiana coast line, according to weather forecasters.


--steve buser

City of New Orleans Evacuation Plan

Southeast LA Evacuation guide and map

Keep track of Hurricane Gustav

I thought that if you are visiting this site today you want more information on Hurricane Gustav and what is going on in the New Orleans area

If you want the "right now" data on Hurricane Gustav down off the coast of Cuba, the NOAA has a buoy down there near the pass between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula. Click here to watch the winds, air pressure and temperature there.

To get a list of other links, look on the right hand side of this page at the very top. Click there to see a page of links.

On the list, click on "weather" and you will have a smorgasbord to choose from including satellite image and more.

I will do a few more posts today.

--steve buser

Getting ready for a Gustav getaway

Give me a second and I will tell you about Gustav.

That's why I am late posting today. I wanted to run to the grocery store before it got too crazy. The lines were filling up and the clerks were stocking the shelves as fast as they could. The bread man stocking his area of the shelves asked the clerk, "Can I fill up over here too?" She replied "Please do." They both knew that by tonight, the shelves would be looking empty no matter how much you put on them. People are getting ready. They have already suffered the worse and are determine to come out better this time.

The picture above is at Zephyr Field (the local Triple A baseball team) which has become an operation center. As I passed by, several buses were pulling in. I decided to take a look. There appeared to be about 40 to 50 buses in the lot. This picture is the makeshift refueling depot where the buses pulled up to get ready. This is part of the evacuation plan for Gustav, should it be necessary.

If the storm center on the New Orleans area, evacuation will start in earnest about 100 hours before tropical storm force winds are expected at the coast. At this moment that time seems to be sometime tomorrow. But, Gustav so far has refused to follow the predictions very accurately. Darn storm has a mind of his own.

Stay tuned.

Oh, and by the way. The Zephyrs have announced they are playing their came tonight. With fireworks at the end. So, if you have nothing to do....

-- Steve buser

Theme day -- New Orleans street art

Today is theme day on the City Daily Photo blogs. The Theme is grafitti/street art. More than 144 different blogs are participating.

Above is a unique "street art" in New Orleans that is rapidly disappearing as street signs are replaced. Katrina blew thousands of street signs away making it hard to find your way around. So residents started taking it upon themselves to get guide signs up. Some of the signs were just painted on cardboard. Others were more creative and more colorful. This is a good example.

-- steve buser

Here's the 144 blogs from around the world that are participating. Browse around a bit -- some really creative stuff here:

Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, Aliso Viejo (CA), USA by Rodney, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Detroit (MI), USA by Taittems, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Jsaltao, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by John, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montréal, Canada by Douber, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by MumbaiIteanu, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK by Cassie & Chris, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Radonvilliers, France by Deslilas, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rome, Italy by Giovanni, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation by Lark, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Terre Haute (IN), USA by Zann, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Wrocław, Poland by Loompi, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

Behold

Rising from the waters
I thought this sign was very appropos for a time when the city is rebuilding and come back. Katrina left high water marks on 80% of the houses and buildings in the city. That mean that virtually ever builiding is getting a make over. There are a lot of people not happy with the pace but the fact is that a recent study found that nearly 2/3 of the city's population is back.

A lot remains to be done. But as you drive around, every day you see signs of normalcy return.
And it feels good.

Happy 200th to me
New Orleans Daily Photo is 200 -- this is my 200th post. This adventure began back in April. Hope you have enjoyed the ride

-steve buser

Lagniappe



On Pixel Eyed today, the fruit of the work day is wrapped up in this cloth.

Fly Da Flag

Where is this New Orleans flag flying? Obviously someone wanted to fly the colors and show their support for the city and the rebuilding. Maybe someone who escaped the flooding?
Nope.

The flag flies directly across the street from the famous breach in the 17th Street Canal that flooded so much of the city. There wasn't much left that salvageable in this area as billion of tons of water cascaded down on the neighborhood smashing house after house.

Amazing to me.

Below is the newly replaced wall. It has been redesigned with new features and a flood gate to protect it from too much water in the canal. The new version provides vastly better protection than before.

--steve buser

Rip's rises above the waves.

The New Orleans region is changing after the effects of Hurricane Katrina and with the massive rebuilding that is progressing. These two photos give a sense of that. Above is the old Rip's (a favorite Mandeville lake front restaurant) as we saw it a few weeks after the storm -- a ball of water from the lake had ripped (no pun intended) through the ground level eatery and totally smashed the inside, blowing out all the glass.

Below, the new Rip's rises to new heights. The dining is on the raised floor. The bottom area is convenient for sitting as the sunset sends cool lake breezes in -- a troubadour or two are often the fare there. The new Rips also gives a great view of the lake.

The New Orleans region is coming back better -- any comments to the contrary are shortsighted.

--steve buser