Six Days in NOLA

Matt Welch | September 9, 2005

A remarkable photo essay from a survivor. The Times-Picayune also has a must-see photo montage; if the link doesn't work just go to the front page and it's right under the lead story. (First bit via Andrew Sullivan.)

Comments

|9.9.05 @ 1:09PM|#

I like how they're showin' a lot of things happening at once, reminding everyone of what's going on.

With every shot, there's a little improvement... but to show it all would take too long.

That's quite a montage! (Montage...)

|9.9.05 @ 1:33PM|#

Excellent photos all around.

|9.9.05 @ 1:36PM|#

These photos bring tears to my eyes. It's still hard to believe that the city I spent my entire life in is no more.

|9.9.05 @ 2:06PM|#

the nola.com link was timing out - the first one though is remarkable. Probably the most comprehensive look at New Orleans after Katrina that I've seen so far. Nice to see a few scraps of dry(ish) land still exists in there.

|9.9.05 @ 2:16PM|#

Thank heavens for cheap digital photo technology. The first hand view was powerful, and just shows the uselessness of traditional media.

Being a former newspaper guy, I could only sigh in recognition when Alvaro mentioned the idiot from MSNBC making up all her coverage. Unfortunately, I've seen that same behavior over and over.

When I heard that FEMA wanted to prevent people from taking photos of bodies, the first thing I thought was I hope that all the remaining residents have batteries and memory cards to spare. One cell phone or digital camera in the private citizen's hands goes a long way in keeping the next Tiennaman Square or Abu Graihb being from covered up.

The pen is mightier than the sword, but not as might as today's millions of amateur photographers.

DrObvious|9.9.05 @ 2:16PM|#

I have a couple of links on my blog from flckr that are worth checking out too.

|9.9.05 @ 2:20PM|#

BAI-

The blog from Interdictor is well worth checking out. (Assuming you haven't already.) They've been snapping still photos and running a streaming video feed through this whole mess.

|9.9.05 @ 2:23PM|#

Good job, DrObvious (but then that's obvious, isn't it?)

And thanks for an unintentional laugh on my part. I saw the thumbnail of the surfer pic with the evacuee thumbnails and thought, for a hot minute, maybe there had been a legion of beach combers who escaped New Orleans by riding the waves!

|9.9.05 @ 2:24PM|#

First off, GREAT photos. I know I am gonna catch some flak for this, but a couple of things bothered me about the first person narrative. Okay, they had friends who rode out in a two seater sports car. 3 ppl and dogs. The next day they wander down to the pick up point and low and behold they are "specks of salt in a sea of pepper". So they go and steal a truck but don't bother picking up any "salt or pepper"? I love the whole "belive in God" bit in the narrative, but yet he doesn't help his fellow man when he had the opportunity to do so.

And who doesn't take cash??? I mean, danged. I can see not being able to make change, but not accepting it in the first place is, well, I just don't know what to say.

Matt Welch|9.9.05 @ 2:28PM|#

Cash -- Especially one-dollar bills -- are a crucial part of any survivor kit.

|9.9.05 @ 2:40PM|#

I think the pictures are great. Though the guy injects his religious faith in the narrative, I don't find it nearly as obnoxious as that whiney little wuss librarian.

|9.9.05 @ 2:45PM|#

Matt, agreed. I was always told when I was younger, particularly by uncles who were veterans, to always try to have on hand at least $100 cash in pocket, a credit card, a full tank of gas (regardless of pump prices), and a mobile "survival kit" in case you "have to get out of Dodge" ... for legal reasons, of course (ha ha)

Kwix, the narrator's skittishness at being the only white guy in a sea of confused, tired, angry and upset underclass black folk didn't bother me in the least as a black person. Having been the only "fly in the buttermilk" in many a situation myself, I can understand the natural human impulse of "fight or flight" taking over.

And yet, I've seen many white families take in a lot of these black evacuees and I've got to hand it to these folk, because, truthfully speaking, I know a lot of black middle class who would be more wary than white families to take in these strangers, particularly after seeing and hearing the reports of looting, murder and child rapes.

On the other hand, that's probably short-sighted of me, as some of the crazy behavior demonstrated stems from many of the underclass having never ventured outside of their welfare state bantustan and like animals on an abandoned preserve, having to fend for themselves for the first time in their life, with no government overlord to direct.

|9.9.05 @ 3:02PM|#

Wow, what an amazing collection of pictures. Having lived there for 4 college years, those really hit home.

|9.9.05 @ 8:52PM|#

BAI,

I am not so much worried about the color of people's skin as I am about the author's injection of Godliness but his rejection of his own faith by not helping his fellow man. The bed of that truck would have held 6-8 ppl easy. At least he could have gotten them someplace that had food, water and electricity.

Mr. Nice Guy,
If you were referring to me as a librarian, please try again, if not, then my ego gets in my way.

|9.10.05 @ 8:56AM|#

None of my posts are getting through, you fascists.

s.m. koppelman|9.10.05 @ 12:37PM|#

One of the captions about 2/3 of the way through that personal photo album reads as follows:

"The water did not stop the looting. After all, Winn Dixie sells rafts, and with those rafts, people could carry even more amounts of stolen merchandise."

The picture is of a brown-skinned man trudging through waist-deep water, pulling an air mattress loaded with what is obviously old, worn-out luggage.

Sing along if you'd like:

Ev-'ry one's a lit-tle bit ra-cist, to-day...