new orleans photos

These are just a tiny sampling of the damage. Each of these pictures are typical, not abberations for the area in which they were taken.

This is among the best examples of wind damage I saw. Billboards more than 20 feet in the air were also ravaged. It was rare to see tall signs that survived the storm, and and most skyscrapers in New Orleans lost at least 10% of their windows. Smaller storefront signs also littered the ground in some areas.

This grafiti (Nagin for Prez!) was written on a refridgerator in the French Quarter. I'm not sure whether it was intended to be ironic or not.

This was shot across Lake Pontchartain from New Orleans, in Mandeville. Every house on the block looked more or less like this, with a dumpster and a trashed roof.

Piles of trash like this one lined the street, probably every 30 feet or so in residential areas. It made driving very difficult, and I was constantly worried about getting a flat tire.

Much was made of the loss of pets during this disaster. Fortunately for this family, they seem to have been reunited with their dog.

"Levee Board Vicitm" was probably the most common 'blame game' grafiti I saw. Discarded refrigerators were in front of most housing in Mid-City.

This business owner seems to have spoken too soon when they said they would be open. With the power still out, no businesses were open in Mid-City.

This was about the most hopeful thing I saw, a Mid-City church open for business. It is also evident how high the water rose from the lines along the side of the building.

Finally, signs offering cleanup services were everywhere. I suspect this industry is the largest employer in New Orleans (and perhaps all of Louisiana) at this point.

sadness in New Orleans

The destruction is widespread and devastating.

Approaching New Orleans, most roofs are covered with blue tarps. FEMA has been deploying these blue tarps all over the gulf to make homes inhabitable during the repair process. From a distance, it appears that a bizarre designer built a blue roofed city. Closer, it becomes evident that tens of thousands of homes were damaged by Katrina’s winds.

The French Quarter is not in bad shape, though having never been there, I lack a frame of reference. About one-third of businesses were still shuttered, primarily retail stores and galleries. Most restaurants and bars have reopened. Most of the damage in the area resulted from wind — broken windows, fallen signs — rather than flooding.

While businesses are cleaning up and reopening in the French Quarter, the people have not yet returned. About half the people I saw on the streets were construction or cleanup workers. Overall, the Quarter was subdued, not the bastion of revelry and debauchery for which it is known. Most tourists seemed to be sightseeing, not exposing themselves and pounding drinks in oddly shaped vessels. When all the hotels and casinos have reopened, perhaps this will change.

Mid-City, which flooded and is remains without electricity, smells strongly of sewage. The streets are nearly deserted, and dump trucks outnumber cars. The streets are lined with trash, piles of wood, ruined refrigerators and flooded cars. Simply moving or destroying all this refuse will take months, if not years. And until this happens, the rebuilding process can not really begin. I was there during the day, but I would imagine this area to be very dangerous at night.

In this area, most of the buildings have several water stain lines, some as high as six feet showing how high the water had risen. Looking at these lines, it was easy to envision the entire neighborhood filled with water. I wonder how many of the buildings have been damaged beyond repair from the flooding, and will have to be destroyed. Of course, this will only add to the amount of debris.

It has been two months since Katrina ravaged roofs and flooded the city. Much has been done, by FEMA and others, but the recovery seems to have barely begun. Rebuilding the Crescent City will require leadership that has heretofore not been demonstrated on any level. On its current course, I believe the reconstruction will restore the tourism industry, but that much of the rest of the city will be lost.

Pictures to follow…

heading to NOLA

Only working a half-day today, I'm going to drive to New Orleans today after work to look at the damage. Pictures forthcoming.

the office

You can't really tell how big the JFO here in Baton Rouge is from this picture, particularly given that it extends a good deal further in both directions than is visible. And everyone here with whom I have spoken mentions their surprise at just how big this place is.

In unrelated information, this is my first visit to the South (excluding Florida and the North Carolina beaches). How did I know I was in the South? I can see the Walmart from my hotel room.

first week in Baton Rouge

I've been working in the FEMA Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge for three days now, and loving it. There are more than 2,600 people working in this two building complex that was once a department store. Apparently my “desk” is in housewares.

Just walking through the doors gives a sense of the scope of the response and recovery operation. There was a wide area impacted by the hurricanes, and so many people in need of assistance.

Thus far, the work has been constant, and generally worthwhile. I think I'll be able to get into the field soon for a ride along with the debris removal teams. That's just one of the many facets of this operation that I hadn't considered: What to do with all the trash created by these storms. Collecting, sorting, and destroying millions of tons of waste in an environmentally sound way is an enormous challenge. And it's only one element of the overall operation.

A fair number of the workers here are local hires, native Louisiana chipping in. What is compelling about their efforts is that many of them are victims as well. A woman on my team just said, "since my town was destroyed..." Dozens of small communities have been wiped off the map. As the debate rages here on the rebuilding of New Orleans, I wonder about the fate of these smaller communities, particularly since many evacuees have not yet returned to inspect the destruction.

I'm having some technical issues preventing me from putting up photos, but hopefully that'll be resolved soon.

going to the gulf

I just received my deployment assignment from FEMA. I will be heading to Baton Rouge, LA early next week. Sweet.

i'm off

After a weekend of concerts and other social outings, I'm packing up and about to head to FEMA training. I'll be spending the rest of my week in Emmitsburg, MD, in preparation for a deployment to the gulf early next week. When I return, I hope to have more information about where and what I'll be doing.

If you're still bored at work, check out this NYT Magazine article: Life Hacks. It discusses the study of human interaction with computers, and how to more effectively design computers to maximize our productivity. It describes the conflict inherent in multi-tasking, that we are able to do more things simultaneously, but distractions are also interrupting us like crazy.

Researchers find that 40 percent of the time, workers wander off in a new direction when an interruption ends, distracted by the technological equivalent of shiny objects.

To prove this point, I've been working on this blog post for several hours.

The Frames

Last night I went to see The Frames at the State Theater in Falls Church. They were very good, though the lead singer was a bit bizarre, and seemed to enjoy crowd participation a bit too much. There were also some technical issues, but nothign too drastic. If they are coming to a town near you, check them, out, they won't be back in the U.S. for another year, so now's the time.

I shot a wicked cool video with my new camera, but it's a really big file, so none for you. Instead, here's a picture I took, that looks like pretty much every picture ever taken at any concert.

Tonight, The New Pornographers.

Kaz Sushi Bistro

As mentioned, here are the pictures from dinner at Kaz Sushi Bistro. Not photographed is the first course, a monkfish pate. It was very good.





 Yum.

what's new

At the end of this week, I will be leaving Senator Baucus' office. Next week I begin training with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The following week, I will be headed down to the Gulf Coast to work for FEMA, in some type of public information capacity.

I have very few details about my new job, I don't know where I'll be going, or for how long I'll be there.

In personal consumption-related news, I just bought a new digital camera. I also just had dinner at Kaz Sushi Bistro. Pictures will be forthcoming.

i'm back

And about time. Updates are forthcoming, but the blog is back up.