NOLA, Day 1-3

It was a long drive down filled with excitement. The entire state of Iowa was filled with fog and then, Mississippi...we were completely overtaken by a storm of tornadoes. Here is an image of us sitting under a bridge with other cars waiting it out:


I don't start shooting portraits until Monday, so I was happy to find a friend of a friend's dad who lives in New Orleans to take us around on a "tour". It was eye-awakening. You hear from so many people, "The French Quarter looks awesome", but there's more to the community than the French Quarter. Here are a few images I took

This is typical, 3 houses in a row, untouched since the flood. No one has touched these homes in 3 years.


And then on one block there is this, 1 home rebuilt next to a home that hasn't been touched again in 3 years.


I inquired about the spray painted numbers and 'X's on homes that haven't been touched since the flood. Our "tour" guide said the top number is the date the Army or Nat'l Guard inspected the home, the number to the right is if they found any bodies, the number on the bottom is if they found any pets and the code on the left is their initials:


This is typical for those who are trying to rebuild their own homes. They purchase a pull behind livable trailer, hook up the sewer and water, and live on their property. Some may or may not be rebuilding, just waiting to figure out what they'll do.


An entire block untouched since the flood. No one has returned to this entire block of homes:


A boat that hasn't moved in 3 years, since the flood. Our tour guide, a professor of chemistry at the University, went around the communities immediately after the flood. He's seen this boat sit here for 3 years.


I will be posting more soon.