Thursday, March 16th - A Day of Devastation
Shortly after breakfast, Trubee and Peggy’s daughter, Susan Dericks picked up the four of us for a day
observing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina – seven months earlier.
We started out on the 27-mile causeway across Lake Pontchartrain – the longest uninterrupted bridge
in the United States. We’d driven the length of US 1 in the Keys; from Largo to Key West, but that has
many “touch downs” at small keys along the way. Unfortunately, the skies were overcast so we were
not able to view the New Orleans skyline as it appeared and loomed to the south.
On reaching shore, at first, you could see damage from winds: trees down, blue tarps on roofs, a few
porch covers askew, but nothing extreme. Quite quickly, the scene became more intense: roofs lifted
and set down at an angle to the house; a car flipped here and there; now whole houses moved from
their foundations; high water marks on walls; big red “x”es, with a zero indicating that no one had died
there; another car straddling a fence; all framed by yards and yards of twisted branches and torn up
shrubs.
Soon we began to see new FEMA trailers perched in front yards. Each had a wooden step leading to
the door, and beside it was the pronounced PVC plumbing leading from the ground up the side to the
vent above the roof. We understand that part of the problem with setting up these trailers is the lack of
labor to hook them up to electricity and the septic. Incidentally, there is still NO electricity in many
parts of the city so traffic is controlled simply by stop signs.
We didn’t get into the 9th ward, or St. Bernard Parish where the worst of the storm occurred. What we
did see though was heartbreaking: houses tossed about; streets still lined with piles of trash; trees
twisted, snapped and stripped of all branches and leaves seven months after the storm; oil marks on
all the houses, some marks as high as seven feet above ground; windows smashed and interiors
bared to all, and holes punched through the roofs where residents tried to escape the rising waters.
We left New Orleans and crossed into Mississippi where the damage was total. There were no
wrecked houses…thay had simply been obliterated, wiped from their foundations and spread over the
landscape as sticks, relics of furniture and shreds of colored fabric hanging in the bare branches of
denuded trees.
Photos give an idea of the tragedy spot by spot, but nothing can convey the impact of this destruction’s
wide scale. This isn’t a mile-wide tornado, or a five-mile wide storm path. This covered the entire
coast from west of New Orleans to the eastern side of Bay St. Louis – easily a 40 mile swath and the
destruction thrust at least 20 miles inland, most reduced to a pile of rubble.
Here is a small sample of what we saw:
But the day had its good side too!
We were told that we would not have seen New Orleans if we had not been to Café du Monde for
Beignets and café au lait. Accordingly, Susan drove us to a parking lot nearby. The walk to the Café
was quite long and involved many steps, so we asked the security guard on duty where we could find
the nearest hole in the fence. After much discussion, he said, “I’ll take her on my motorcycle.” Susan
said, “and I bet she’ll take it.” I did…photo follows.
They were right. The café was an experience not to forget! That is good stuff! Sweet and fattening;
what more could you ask? Squares of deep fried light dough (like popovers) covered with powdered
sugar…sin at its best.
We drove all though the French Quarter, which as Trubee showed us, survived because it was built
on the “high ground” where the city was originally planned. The surrounding areas were all on filled
land, which, as we’ve seen, was reclaimed by the Gulf.
I wish I could have walked the streets! The wonderful, small houses and shops, all very colorful
either from the kaleidoscope of treasures in the shop windows or from the painted shutters and
doors. They huddled together, right up close to the sidewalks. If you peeked down the alleys
between some of the houses you could glimpse the intimate patios and formal gardens that filled the
center spaces of the blocks. And of course, there were the rows and rows of iron balconies that have
become synonymous with New Orleans. All in all, the city lived up to our expectations.
We were told that we would not have seen New Orleans if we had not been to Café du Monde for
Beignets and café au lait. Accordingly, Susan drove us to a parking lot nearby. The walk to the Café
was quite long and involved many steps, so we asked the security guard on duty where we could find
the nearest hole in the fence. After much discussion, he said, “I’ll take her on my motorcycle.” Susan
said, “and I bet she’ll take it.” I did…photo follows.
They were right. The café was an experience not to forget! That is good stuff! Sweet and fattening;
what more could you ask? Squares of deep fried light dough (like popovers) covered with powdered
sugar…sin at its best.
We drove all though the French Quarter, which as Trubee showed us, survived because it was built
on the “high ground” where the city was originally planned. The surrounding areas were all on filled
land, which, as we’ve seen, was reclaimed by the Gulf.
I wish I could have walked the streets! The wonderful, small houses and shops, all very colorful
either from the kaleidoscope of treasures in the shop windows or from the painted shutters and
doors. They huddled together, right up close to the sidewalks. If you peeked down the alleys
between some of the houses you could glimpse the intimate patios and formal gardens that filled the
center spaces of the blocks. And of course, there were the rows and rows of iron balconies that have
become synonymous with New Orleans. All in all, the city lived up to our expectations.
Go to the next page
March 16th - a Day in New Orleans
left: Showing high
water marks and
the effect of the oil
on the water.
Right: Houses
moved off their
foundations.
water marks and
the effect of the oil
on the water.
Right: Houses
moved off their
foundations.
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