remembering katrina

From A Blog Around the Clock, I learned of the Katrina Blogswarm, and I then found more information at Shakespeare’s Sister and Royally Kranked.

In the days and weeks after Katrina first hit, I did plenty of ranting online at my previous location, so I don’t think I’m going to say much now. Thankfully, major media outlets have been following the situation. Both the New York Times and Times-Picayune have sections devoted to extensive coverage of Katrina’s aftermath. The New Yorker has also published many articles over the last year. [Update 1: The Chronicle of Higher Education has several pieces appearing today.] The short version: things aren’t good. It breaks my heart and angers me that we haven’t made better progress on this.

On Friday I met with some enthusiastic staff and students to discuss a service trip to New Orleans, and it looks like we might be going as soon as Fall Break in October. That gung-ho response, dear reader, is one of many reasons I’m glad to be at this institution.

Update 2: Shakespeare’s Sister has a roundup of the blogswarm.

Update 3: This isn’t exactly Katrina-related, but it’s appropriate: dj BC has created an album full of mashups of the Wu-Tang Clan and dixieland jazz. (Via Boing Boing.)

Update 4: Hub Bub artist in residence Brian Hitselberger was living in New Orleans when Katrina hit:

When I first got here, a lot of people were asking me if my experiences during the storm were going to have an impact on my art. I don’t really know how to answer that question– for me, it’s not as simple as that. I think my experiences during the storm had an impact on the way I think about everything, which in turn, will certainly impact my art work.

Update 5: Brian links to PostKatrinaPortraits.com. Check it out.

Update 6: “The New Orleans Wiki a volunteer-maintained collection of articles about the City of New Orleans. The New Orleans Wiki is also used by neighborhoods and civic organizations as a collaborative authoring tool.”

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3 thoughts on “remembering katrina

  1. finding an institution that matches one’s own enthusiasm is the best – congratulations, george.

    might i suggest that you try to find the time (!) to blog the decisions and developments that lead you and your students to new orleans? it could be sort of a daily/weekly log – an archive to help you remember how it developed and to help readers as they develop similar projects.

  2. You know, I have to say, that although Ray Nagin’s comment about the “hole in NYC” might have a bit distasteful, it really is a good comparison. It’s taken five years to deal with the WTC disaster for reasons physical, emotional and political. The same is true for New Orleans. It’s going to take a while. Of course, in GWB’s typical fashion, he initially says the feds are going to put all their effort behind rebuilding and get it done asap and now he says it’s going to be a long time. Kind of like Iraq.

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