Today we spent a lot of the time touring areas significant
to Hurricane Katrina and learnt so much more about this terrible disaster for
Louisiana, in particular New Orleans. We drove to the Upper 9th Ward,
an area that was extremely vulnerable and was completely covered by about 20
metres of water. Not many people have returned to live in this area. From here
we visited the Levee Memorial Exhibit Hall and Rain Garden. It was here that we
realised that the more devastating flooding of New Orleans occurred after
Hurricane Katrina had passed. At least 6 levee banks were breached and
collapsed causing massive walls of water to flood into housing estates all over
New Orleans. The information boards in this area were very enlightening. After
lunch we then visited the Presbytere Museum. This museum again had a fantastic
interactive display of the Katrina, before, during and after. I think for all
of us we were astounded by the after! It was almost as if no one had any idea
what to do. Thousands of people took shelter in the Superdome and were there
for many days. Nearby parishes (counties) wanted nothing to do with taking
survivors of the Hurricane. Tourists who were stranded and told by police to
walk to a certain bridge to be picked up by buses, arrived and the sheriff and law
enforcement of the next parish (county) told them to go back and started
shooting above their heads. Hospitals operated for nearly a week without any
back-up power etc. It was such a huge tragedy. We spent a couple of hours here
and then went to the Mardi gras display which was a much lighter topic! We
finished the day with a lovely dinner at an African restaurant in the heart of
New Orleans.
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