Katrina Was No Lady Photo Gallery by Coleen Perilloux Landry at pbase.com

Katrina Was No Lady

"ALL SORROWS CAN BE BORNE IF WE PUT THEM IN A STORY OR TELL A STORY ABOUT THEM."--Isak Dinesan. This is a personal history, and recorded for history, of Hurricane Katrina which struck southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama the morning of August 29, 2005. The power of Katrina was none ever seen before in Louisiana and it changed forever life as we knew it . The flooding in New Orleans that followed Katrina was caused by breaks in the floodwalls along the 17th Street Canal, the London Avenue Canal and the Industrial Canal. These floodwalls were the responsibility of the Orleans Parish Levee Board and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. One thousand eight hundred and 33(1,833) people lost their lives by drowning and thousands more clung to rooftops and crouched in attics in 100 degrees temperature for days waiting to be rescued. It was a human catastrophe unimaginable to the human heart. The flooding in Jefferson Parish (Metairie) was caused by a decision made by the Parish President to send the pumping station operators 75 miles away across Lake Pontchartrain. Thousands of people's homes flooded needlessly and millions of dollars of damage was done, damage that is to take years, if ever, to fix. The photos and narratives under the photos record my life and my family's lives following Hurricane Katrina. I plan to update this gallery for five years following landfall of Katrina. NOVEMBER 25, 2006 -- I have come to the harsh realization that it will take at least five years to bring the devastated parts of New Orleans (80 per cent of the City) to its feet. Many areas have not even been touched yet. There are houses still sitting as they were when the water receded and the infrastructure of streets, water, gas and telephone service have barely been addressed. This City and State needs leadership very badly. I do not think any other American city would have been allowed to exist in this misery should this have happened elsewhere. IF YOU CLICK ON THE SMALL IMAGE YOU WILL GET A FULL SCREEN IMAGE WITH A NARRATIVE UNDER THE TITLE. BE CERTAIN TO SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE STORIES. ALL PHOTOS ARE COPYRIGHTED AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM ME.

Hurricane Katrina's projected path on television	Ships Anchored in Mississippi River by Bonnet Carre' Spillway	Evacuees from New Orleans were bumper to bumper	Arriving at our Hurricane Shelter at Perilloux Place
River Road Evacuation Route As Seen Through Our Oaks	Our Cat Senses the Danger	Baby Mockingbird-in-hurricane	Squirrel Thrown from Nest in 115 mph winds
Eleven hours of hurricane force wind and rain	First Survey of Damage	Abraham Asleep on My Bed After Wind Dies Down	Sadie After Winds Died Down
Twenty Four Hours Later-Sunset Through the Oaks	When the Night is Long	Thank You Lord-Our Son's House	Our Daughter Was Not as Fortunate
Bailing Out the Flood Water	Our Metairie House	A Few Weeks Earlier Before Katrina	Our Back Yard in Metairie
And, When I Went Inside the House	Lafreniere Park - Metairie, Louisiana - Poor Lost Creatures Following Me	September 14_ I have an Internet Connection for the First Time	Note waterline and mark above door
Gardens-Killed-by water	Metairie-Old Metairie near Northline	Hurricane Debris Turns to Mulch	A Boy and His Cat.
Stone-Bridge - September 21, 2005	Lady-with-Flute	Watching the Hurricane Rita	Mushroom House
Max-after-Hurricane	We Found One Swan	Guardian of the Museum of Art	Swan Search
Feeding duck Sept 25	Street In the Vieux Carre' (French Quarter) in New Orleans	Place d'Armes with St. Louis Cathedral, Presbytere and Cabildo in background	A Night Away
Cleanup in Progress at My Metairie House	My Daughter - Smiling Through Her Tears	My Street	Our Peaceful Haven
Ready-for-Company October 4	Help	Abraham and Sadie on Window Sill	Our House-Carrying out the Walls.
Carrying out my oak floors	The Sacred Heart Courtyard at Ursuline Academy and Convent on October 12, 2005	A Few of the Swans Were Found in Audubon Park in Uptown New Orleans	:: New Orleans City Park After Hurricane Katrina ::
:: Metairie Club Gardens After Hurricane Katrina ::	:: Ursuline Academy and Convent in New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina ::	Coleen Photographing West End and Bucktown	:: West End and Bucktown After Katrina ::
October Morning on Perilloux Place	:: New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina ::	Au revoir, Victor.	My Girl and Her Boy
SP-Friday	Thanks Hurricane Katrina	Cleaning up	Refrigerator Recycling Brigade
FEMA trailers	Somewhere In Time	October 31-Nine weeks after Katrina we have walls.	October 31-Exactly Nine Weeks to the Day After Katrina Struck We Have Walls Again
:: Metairie Cemetery "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die" ::	The Roman Candy Man	Waiting for the Prince-SP Friday	Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall Visit Hurricane Area
My Grandson Is Back to School in New Orleans	Holy Cross Boys Troop Into Girls' School	Reflections in a Restaurant Window	Cary's Shrimp
Darlene in her birthday present	Drainage-Pumping-Station-on Lake Pontchartrain	Nov.-14-Walls are up and being painted	My 3 square feet of sanity during the restoration of our house
Animal Lovers	Kitchen-Floor-One-Day-Soon-Nov. 23	Lakeview near City Park.-Nov. 27, 2005	Lakeview-- Three Months After Hurricane Katrina
17th-St.-Canal-on-Lake-side of break	100 Days After Katrina--My Neighborhood.	Holy Cross School for Boys--One of the Oldest Private Catholic School for Boys in New Orleans	Katrina was no lady
WYES-TV	:: Lakeview After Hurricane Katrina ::	Perilloux Place at Christmas Season	Tradition
Laverne	Home for Christmas	A Katrina Adventure That Turned Out Well for Anna Belle	Ruins of West End at Sunset
Exactly four months after Katrina	The Sound of Silence	Towing a Katrina-sunken boat	The Camellia Grill
Friday the Thirteenth	Neighborhood Status-four and one-half months after Katrina	A Katrina symbol	Fond Memories
Infamous 17th Street Canal	:: Holy Cross After Hurricane Katrina ::	:: New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward After Hurricane Katrina ::	Finally the Roofers Begin at My Daughter's House-Jan.-19
Hospital Gift Shop in Business Again	:: Swans of City Park at Audubon Park ::	Home of the Brave	Bringing Back Their Neighborhood
Milestone and Five Months to the Day of Katrina	A Pleasant Interlude with a Writer	Bucktown Fishermen	Bruning House Site in Bucktown
Site of Sid Mars Restaurant in Bucktown	Mardi Gras Marathon Run--February 5, 2006	February 10, 2006	A Treasured Victim of Katrina-February 2, 2006
Camellias After Katrina	French Market in February, 2006	Window in Central Grocery With Reflections on February 11, 2006	The United States Navy Band Entertains Ravaged New Orleans in February
Praline Maker in Vieux Carre'	Street Musician in Vieux Carre'	Paddlewheeler/Steamer Natchez	Statue of Jeanne d'Arc
Mardi Gras Marathon Run February 5, 2006	Canal Blvd Feb. 17, 2006	Canal Boulevard almost six months after Katrina	Canal Boulevard_Car Still Not Touched_February
Canal Boulevard in February	Canal Boulevard almost six months after Katrina	Bucktown - Sid Mars	Suspense
Ghosts of Katrina	Eventually......	Happy Mardi Gras	The Comus Ball
New Orleans Museum of Art Reopens--March 3, 2006	NOMA Reopening Festivities	Picturesque Footbridge Demolished by Corps of Engineers	Lakeview Revisited-Half a Year Later--March 8, 2006
When All the Furniture Collides	Lafreniere Park - Closed Due to Katrina	Jesuit High School	Sunset Over a FEMA trailer
Sunflower	The Floor Man Arriveth	:: Seven Months After Katrina ::	Fats Domino's House in Ninth Ward
The Flowers Refuse to Give In	St. Philip Neri Church	Katrina Never Seems to End	Old Dickory
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Install First Floodgate	April 24, 2006 in Lakeview	Katrina Art	Where Once Was a Fishing Village
Historic Lighthouse--April 25, 2006	First House Restored	Lament on Canal Boulevard	Lakeview in New Orleans--May 12, 2006
Paul Soniat in Concert	For Whom the Bell Tolls	The Gall of It All	Lakeview
Guts of the Floodwaters in Lakeview	Bless This Levee, Please	I Cry For These Boats-June 8, 2006	Porch or Gallery
17th Street Canal at Bucktown	Victims of Katrina	Junk Art on Canal Boulevard	This Is Not Just "Any" Boat--It Has a Story
Don't Call Me Katrina Any More	Guardians	Lake Pontchartrain at Blue Light Time	Royal Street and Forstall--July 10, 2006
Prince of Saudi Arabia	Eleven Months Later	My Neighborhood in Metairie, Louisiana, Eleven Months After Katrina	Why Are They Not Volunteering to Clean up the Park
Volunteers Replant Park's Waterways	Joy and Sorrow	The Fishing Boat on Bellaire Drive-August 6, 2006	Commander's Palace
Coconut Beach at West End Park	The Southern Yatch Club	New Orleans Mayor	St. Basil's Orthodox
Bellaire Drive in Lakeview	More Fortunate Than Many-One Year Later	Life's Too Short for Beige	Honoring First Responders on the One Year Anniversary of Katrina
:: We Thank You, Junior Leaguers ::	Remnants of Katrina	October 17, 2006	Trick or Treating at a FEMA trailer
Soon It Will Be Okay to Die	New Orleans Fairgrounds and Race Track	All That is Left of the Historic Southern Yatch Club of New Orleans	Fifteen Months After Katrina...Hope
Sixteen Months After Katrina	The Gift of the Magi	Sixteen and One-Half Months Later	When Time Stands Still
It Is Not Baghdad	The Infamous Boat of Bellaire Drive-17 months Later	Seventeen Months After Katrina	The Ghost of Katrina
A Bittersweet Tale	Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church	The Ravaged Live Oaks Remain and Patiently Wait	Gone With the Wind and Water
Eighteen Months Later	March 2007	Looking Through What Once Was a Wall of a Boat House	After 19 Months It Left the Neighborhood
Nineteen Months Later the Boat of Bellaire Drive is Gone	Please God, Don't Let it be That Blue Color	Preparing to Open for Business	Camellia Grill Reopens Twenty Months Later
Twenty Months Later Boats Removed from Watery Grave	May 2007 - Bellaire Drive -Lakeview-New Orleans	My Heart Cries for the Little Lighthouse	The Spirit of New Orleans
Trees Planted to Replace Ones Killed by Floodwaters	Will Katrina Ever End?	A Row of Century Old Shotgun Houses	Two Years Later - Remembering the People
Thursday's Challenge - Dereliction	:: New Orleans' City Park's Rebirth After Hurricane Katrina ::	The Spanish Moss is Once Again Growing on our Trees	Two and A Half Years After Hurricane Katrina
One of the Nice People You Meet in Life	The Spirit of the New Orleans People - a Must Read	Three Years Later It Still Sits	New Orleans' Recovery Czar Says He's Going Back to Australia
Protesters March Against Louisiana State University	Bay St. Louis - Pass Christian Bridge in Early Morning	Hancock Bank - Mississippi Gulf Coast Recovery	Lionel's Boat in Bay St. Louis
All That is Left

post a comment

guest		25-Sep-2007 16:44
Coleen, as a native Louisianian { Baton Rouge } it saddens me that our Government has so neglected us.....It infuriates me that New Orleans has been so ignored! One of the oldest and most historic of all the cities in the U.S. For shame!, Washington! Please continue the documentation...At least this way, people all over the U.S. can see how well our government takes care of us...

CIS		29-Aug-2007 13:22
Remarkable story of survival and starting over again after the tragedy Katrina. I watched in horror and follow the news...still. Thank you for putting your personal story in this gallery. Our hearts go out to all!

Simon Chandler		08-Jul-2007 21:49
Excellent documentary gallery. v

Mike Stobbs		01-May-2007 14:02
Thanks for sharing Coleen...very moving...Mike

Bob Patton		05-Apr-2007 03:36
This continuing story makes it one of the best galleries on PBase. Enthusiastic vote.

David Barrett		21-Mar-2007 07:57
Thank you so much for allowing us to share your personal reflections on this terrible event.It is such a remarkable record of something that touched so many lives.Wonderful work,Coleen!V

Marie		02-Jan-2007 05:22
All i could do was sit here and see all this and cry. I been away from home way to long. Stay Strong ....

Peter Dam		25-Oct-2006 11:50
I lived in Metarie for some years, and your photos brought many good memories back and also made me very sad to see all the damage caused by Katrina. I loved City Park and the Lakefront. I hope the city regroups and grows better and stronger. Thank you from Brazil.

Robin Dorantes		02-Oct-2006 02:27
My last residence of note was at 929 N. Dupre Street, between Dumaine & St. Phillip Streets (6th Ward)- the last place I lived with my now deceased grandparents. My understanding is that part of the town didn't get devastated. It would be a relief to know just what "my old house" looks like now. Seems as though the Non-Lady like behaviour of Katrina had a selective finger when it came to some areas of town.

Healthcare for Peace		14-Aug-2006 23:30
Thank you for continuing to publish pictures and writings about life post Katrina. I posted a link on my blog to this site. Thank you again and hang in there.

JW		07-Aug-2006 20:48
An extraordinary commentary on a terrifying natural event made worse by inept authorities before and afterwards. A priceless journal.

Lawrence Solum		06-Aug-2006 17:08
Thank you so much for sharing these images.

Ulla Kruys		08-Jul-2006 06:51
Fantastic documentation of a dreadful catastrophy!

royalld		02-May-2006 14:20
This is a trageic and magnificent gallery all in one. Your coverage of the heartbreak and baby-steps toward recovery is better than I have seen in any other media, anywhere. Although the end is not near, I pray for the news to brighten from this day forward.

Donna Slocumb		28-Apr-2006 14:22
I lived in New orleans at the corner of Dumaine St. and Taft Place, a couple of blocks from Bayou St. John, and a few more from City Park. New Orleans was the only place I've ever allowed to be home for me in the 16 years I was away from Atlanta, which is truly home. In the seven years I lived in New Orleans, from 1990 to 1997, I heard the exact scenario that came to life when Katrina hit predicted several times. When it finally happened, it broke my heart. I was eventually able to track down most of my friends who still lived there, but it was a terrible experience for me several States away. Your photographs and stories moved me to tears more than once. I am so glad you found the swans; I have fed and admired them (or perhaps their predecessors) many times. Thank you for sharing the timeline.

Bob Foisel		26-Apr-2006 16:32
Great Journalism and a piece of your life thaks for having this available to us. V

Alfred F. Lee, (Grumpa)		20-Feb-2006 16:34
Coleen, why don't you take all of your pix collection from the hurricane and find someone to publish them in a book. I think you already have the title for it. Your friend Al

Vilone		20-Feb-2006 15:20
Very nice gallery!Well done! Thanks for sharing!

Jennifer Nicholson		17-Feb-2006 01:46
Stunning pictures. Thank you for sharing.

c. moretz		23-Dec-2005 18:39
I too had a hurricane experience and my little note stating I was alive made the news. I have been asked by many what it was like (actually being there) and take time to express the thoughts I have surrounding the whole occurance. I believe the storm and aftermath has brought out the best and worst in people. It is because of this I would say, in reference to your photos, we all have a story that comes from this storm...and those left to tell their own help others to realize (if the story is a hopeful/thankful/thoughtful one) that even after everything is lost, there still is a spirit that keeps us together. Your photos and story are important...keep up the good work.

Tomasz Dziubinski Photography		23-Dec-2005 17:15
Excellent gallery and very touching Coleen.

carol j. phipps		23-Dec-2005 16:37
Important work! Journalistic. Thankyou.

Dan Chusid		25-Nov-2005 04:55
Just spent some serious time going through this gallery and reading the captions. Hard to imagine the total devastation there from our vantage points out here but your photos and captions do much to fill in the blanks and put us into your shoes, though obviously, without the heartache and sheer exasperation you are obviously experiencing. Hopefully life can begin to get back to normal soon for you and the rest of the effected people.

jenm1023		15-Nov-2005 01:52
wow. thank you for sharing such a story. I am humbled and really have no words for what you and your family had to endure.

Ron Asp		11-Nov-2005 15:04
Coleen, there is no words to express how really bad Katrina waws. As for the people, I can only say, God gives the bad days so we can appreciate the good ones. He has a purpose for this. Time will show. Thanks so much for sharing...ron

CJ Burianek		09-Nov-2005 02:46
Incredible gallery Coleen. Loved reading through your commentary on all of it. Hope you managed to get your Metairie house and painting restored. And I'm very happy you finally found the several of the swans!

Pic Chick		03-Nov-2005 05:00
What a moving, emotional diary. I must admit I am wiping my eyes after reading every last commentary. Thank God you are ok and are 'picking up' the pieces after this devastation. I hope things will return to 'normal' for you soon....

royalld		27-Oct-2005 16:57
I have finally found time to view this gallery. Wow... you and your neighbors received quite a blow. This is a very moving commentary. It should published in a book... try here: http://lulu.com

Mac		13-Oct-2005 09:39
Excellent is not the word I would like to use, but you have captured so much feeling with your words and pictures! I dont know what other word to use! Your journal is outstanding Coleen! ...................Mac Uk

G.M. Hattrup		08-Oct-2005 17:16
This is a wonderful gallery. Your commentary is excellent, more touching than anything I have seen or read. Just as I am about to wipe away another tear, you make me laugh with the raccoon comment. My son lives in Huntsville, Texas, his future in-laws live in Pasadena, Texas. They also have a bay house near Galveston. They stayed with him during Rita. This is what they thought they were going to come home to. But as we now know, Rita changed course and pounded you guys some more. My prayers are with you and your family.

Cheryl Paquin		08-Oct-2005 05:08
Oh Colleen, your journal made me cry! Hugs to your and yours from Minnesota!

Pascale Guittonneau		05-Oct-2005 16:18
It's sad to see that, but you're right to show us these shots. Keep it up ! Courage ! Cheers, Pascale.

laine82		03-Oct-2005 10:32
Coleen, I feel like a trespasser almost, but thanks to you & Paul we have seen the real side to a tragic event.

Carlos .		03-Oct-2005 03:46
Collen, you have done such a great journalistic job here in this gallery, even with all the work you have to do to get all things running ok again. I voted this gallery because I think is worth to see for many people and the importance of being aware of the posible damages by nature. Also we should think more seriously about taking care of our planet.

Robin Reid		03-Oct-2005 03:34
Excellent idea and I'll be following.

prplexd		03-Oct-2005 03:00
Best of luck Coleen,we will be following your journal.

Gayle P. Clement		03-Oct-2005 02:07
I love the story so far. Even though I know the ending I'm looking forward to the next installments.

Clifford Brown		03-Oct-2005 01:48
Coleen, I was hoping you would do a running story like this. Many of us are watching your progress! Thank you and God bless you all. Clifford (Bryan's Minolta Forum)

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