New Orleans: It’s hard to describe
My (far too brief) trip to New Orleans this weekend left me in awe of a city that is unlike any other I’ve been to in this country. You really should visit, as I can’t describe well in words (or even in pictures or video) what it’s like.
Before I left on Thursday, I was thinking to myself, “Why and I going on this trip? I don’t run a video production company any more, what am I doing making a video?” But after the first 2 interviews, I knew being there was a privilege — that I was experiencing a piece of this country from the inside, through interviews with those who survived Katrina, referred to by everyone as “the storm.”
What I saw: houses destroyed, entire neighborhoods (the lower 9th ward) gone, abandoned high rises, trash heaps in the streets. I interviewed 9 people and heard about things you can’t see (which are worse than those you can see): 200+ year old social networks collapsed, family ties broken, depression, anxiety, PTSD.
And yet, despite it all, the city has an electric sense of warmth, hope, vitality, rebirth, and its rich history. None of the people I talked to ever questioned returning — it was a question of when, not if. Most of them are running their own businesses while also trying to rebuild their homes and personal lives. The woman pictured above took her insurance money and renovated her childcare center instead of rebuilding her home, choosing to live in a FEMA trailer instead.
The New New Orleans will be different than the old. A large Hispanic population is moving in due to the high demand for workers. The rebuilding of some neighborhoods is still in question. Large buildings are being torn down. But it seems to me that the city will keep its sense of identity and remain a place that touches everyone who visits.
Next time I go, I’ll stay longer.