Sunday, August 29, 2010

Katrina, five years later

I can't explain exactly why, but what happened after the levees broke in New Orleans five years ago still affects me so deeply that thinking about it not only puts a lump in my throat but fuels an internal round of sheer, unadulterated anger. How so many people were literally left hung out to dry and virtually abandoned by those whose job it is to care is still beyond my capacity for understanding. I don't think I'll ever get it, to be honest.

This post isn't a retrospective about my feelings; that would take pages and pages and I'd still not be able to get everything down. Instead, I've done something constructive for myself and others who want to revisit Katrina and New Orleans: I've created a list of nonfiction books that deal with Katrina and its aftermath, which can be found here.  I'm sure I don't have them all, so if you know of more, please let me know. And, because not all of the studies are in book form, after some research, I found a site of scholarly research on the hurricane's effects, which you can find at the Katrina Research Hub.  There are links to everywhere, including the US Government. And believe me, I'm going to go through them all.

It's not that I'm obsessed...I just want answers. And I can't be the only one out there who still thinks about those dark days that exposed just how little our government cared. 

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the list. I am listening to the audio version of Zeitoun right now and it is fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

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  2. 5 years - wow. We have a group of people in our area that go there every spring and still work on repairs of homes in some of the communities.

    I have never gone myself as it is mostly heavy construction but maybe someday I will.

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  3. Suzanne: you're welcome! And I LOVED Zeitoun...one of my favorite books of 2010.

    Sheila: We are huge supporters of Habitat for Humanity who are also doing work down there. After the levees broke, Habitat was our charity of choice. They do such good work! I don't know if that's what the people in your area do, but they are also wonderful for continuing to go down there and work.

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  4. Hi, Nancy. I have had some graduate students do research on the TV news coverage of the aftermath of Katrina. They did some great work, and I'd be happy to send you citations if you're interested in that kind of work. Thanks for your post. ~ Colleen

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  5. Colleen: That would be awesome. Thank you -- I appreciate it!

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Say what you will, but at least try to be nice about it.