IN THE WAKE OF KATRINA

floats_almostfloating_nola.jpghis_id.jpgdevastation1.jpglions.jpglake_ponchatrain.jpggreenchurch.jpgfematrailerpark.jpg2butterfly.jpgtree6_gulf.jpgchuchalter.jpgself reflection.jpgraggedyanne.jpglasttropies.jpgchurchcourtyard.jpgmardigraswherehouse.jpgpinkandgreenpile.jpgcanalst..jpg

I traveled to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in February and May of 2006, and March of 2007, to witness the state of the city and to photograph. I spent most of my time documenting the lower Ninth Ward neighborhood due to the extremity of the disaster there. However, I also photographed places in the upper Ninth Ward, Arabi, Chalmette, Mid-city, Lakeshore Park and City Park. When I went into the neighborhoods destroyed by the levee breaks, I photographed the remains of peoples’ lives: their houses and their belongings. I was filled with a sense of mourning and grief for the loss of family, home, neighborhood, and city. Everyday the sun set on the desolate landscape as if on an open grave. The photos are meant to bring viewers into New Orleans’ experience of loss as I experienced it, and to inspire reflection on the many complex questions and concerns surrounding the disaster and its’ aftermath. Hurricane Katrina brought to the forefront the necessity for national discussion about infrastructural disaster planning, relief, and recovery response, and the implications of global climate change.