Yesterday was so tiring that by the time we got back to Camp Hope at 10:30, I went to sleep. Yesterday, Sunday, we went into the French Quarter to go to an exhibit at the Cabildo on Hurricane Katrina. It was all photography by a National Geographic photographer. It was very interesting because the photographs were so colorful and pretty, yet they were depicting something so horrible and ugly, the destruction from the hurricane. There was one photograph of a car buried in sand, and it really looked to me like a toy car buried in a sandbox. There was also a part by fifteen high school students documenting life after the hurricane in the New Orleans area. I thought their photographs were especially moving because they included quotes describing their experience or a moment that was hard for them.
After the museum we went to lunch and a presentation by two engineers, from the company CDM, who graduated from Bucknell a number of years ago. The presentation uncovered myths about the hurricane, that the water was not really considered “toxic” for example. They also talked about the projects their firm was currently working on. They also discussed how important it is to try to help out, to make people aware of the condition that the city is in still, and to help out the economy by being tourists or getting a job in the area. I agree with all of this. Especially being down here now, after seeing the city in its original condition, I think it’s so important to let people know that the city is still in so much need. Katrina has left a lot of people’s minds by now. I remember people telling me that they didn’t realize New Orleans was in bad shape when I told them I was going on this trip. The city and the area will need help for a long time to get back on its feet. There are so many houses destroyed and people will need as much help as they can get.
