Katrina, part 1

[misterx]

Cross the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain from Slidell, and you drive by miles of dead trees, leading into mile after mile of abandoned buildings. It's the strangest thing. The buildings are all there, many with evident damage, and there are cars on the main streets. But turn onto a side street, and you find empty neighborhoods and apartment complexes. I turned off the highway because it just wasn't registering. I had never seen anything like this. After driving around a while, we stopped at what used to be an apartment complex and got out. I used to live in NJ, and I was nervous because of who you tend to run into in abandoned buildings. But there was no one. Not a soul. Not a dog or cat either, for that matter. The word "haunting" best describes it. Anyway. Here's some pics.

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Comments

[natf.livejournal.com]

So sad but beautifully photographed...

[misterx.livejournal.com]

haunting is the word i keep coming back to.

[trnlvrof88.livejournal.com]

I especially like the first photo because of the drooping fan blades. But nonetheless, it is sad to see those pictures. What is worse is to look at them and see how life just stopped where it was, the storm came and went, but life didn't resume. The sign and the Pizza Hut tell it all. Neither appear to have been touched. It just shows how gigantic an impact that storm had. Almost 2 1/2 years ago now, a tornado (the widest ever recorded) quite literally erased the small town of Hallam south of Lincoln. After a year - after a summer, even - many buildings were already being rebuilt or nearing completion. I actually have not been through Hallam since before the tornado hit, so I don't know what it is like now, but I know that things have been "back to normal" for well over a year now, according to news updates.

[misterx.livejournal.com]

Seeing that fan was absolutely surreal. It was like stepping into a Dali.

I'm betting that part of the difference with Lincoln is that most of the population was still there. NOLA has had 3/4 of it's residents permanently relocated. That means 3/4 of the money, 3/4 of the manpower too.

Maybe most significantly, 3/4 of the voices that would call for the rebuilding are now silent.

[tn-grrl.livejournal.com]

I used to live in NJ, and I was nervous because of who you tend to run into in abandoned buildings. But there was no one. Not a soul.

i guess you need a source of food and water and there are no grocery stores or restaurants open for people to dumpster dive behind. or gas stations or electricity.

i wish more people knew about what it's still like. and more people definitely need to go visit to support the southern LA economy.

[theweary.livejournal.com]

i wish more people knew about what it's still like. and more people definitely need to go visit to support the southern LA economy.

I agree entirely..

[misterx.livejournal.com]

Seeing those was like stepping into a Dali.

[misterx.livejournal.com]

Nothing to steal, nothing to kill, just nothing.