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Rated: ASR · Photo Album · Personal · #1075036

Snapshots of destruction...

These are snapshots of what was left of my home after New Orleans sat flooded for nearly two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. The pictures were taken about a month after the hurricane struck, when residents were officially allowed to return to the city to check out our damaged homes. My neighborhood in the part of New Orleans known as the Carrollton/Mid-City area was flooded with approximately seven feet of water.
Watermarks ~ This is a close up of the watermarks left on this small bookshelf and window blinds.
Destroyed Bedroom II ~ Mold grows wild along the sheetrock.
A Complete Mess ~ A laundry hamper was one of many items left in an awkward position after the flood water was gone.
Ceiling Mold ~ Katrina's wind tore off parts of the roof. After two weeks, mold had begun to set into the leaking ceiling.
Destroyed Bedroom ~ Mold crawls onward and upwards along the sheetrock.
Entertainment Stand vs Queen-sized Mattress ~ Flood water floated some things to other parts of the house, leaving many items overturned or positioned in awkward ways, like this entertainment stand and mattress.
Failed Armor ~ When the flooding first occurred, before the levees broke, we scrambled to try to save as many books and photo albums as possible by setting them higher on this large bookcase. Never imagining that the levees would break, we thought the books and albums would remain safe. After learning that the house would sit flooded for nearly two weeks, we knew we would probably end up losing what we'd tried to save. A month later, when we finally were officially allowed back into the city to only survey our damaged homes, we found we were right....
Ruin & More Ruin ~ Plenty of cherished books, documents, and photographs lay ruined after soaking in flood water. All but one of the writing reference books I'd bought over the past eight years were destroyed. The sole surviving book: The Art of Compelling Fiction: How to Write a Page Turner by Christopher T. Leland.
Ruined Closet ~ This was one of many of the murky, moldy messes left after the water was finally drained out of the city. Complete wardrobes were lost. In my own closet, I lost 95% of my clothes, 95% of my shoes, a word processor, a case of notes and items related to my writing, and much more that I stored in my closet.
Ruined Sofa ~ Mold appears in a black, white, and brown pattern along the sofa.
Damaged Windows & Floors ~ The flood water left the floors buckled throughout the house. We had to be extremely careful where we stepped or we could have fallen through the weakened floors. At this particular window, mold had eaten a sizeable chunk of sheetrock, leaving behind a hole near the floorboard.
The Sky was Falling...Or So it Seemed ~ This is a large chunk of ceiling after it fell onto the damp sofa.
Watermarks II ~ The water rose more than halfway up this chest of drawers.
Ruined Kitchen ~ Murk clings to a dishtowel left hanging on the oven's door. At some point during the days of flooding, the refridgerator was flipped onto its side by the water. Unseen in this picture is the backdoor that recovery crews had to hack in half in order to gain entry into my place to search for the dead.
Watermarks III ~ This is a glimpse at the watermarks left on the small bookcase in the forefront and on the wall behind the sofa.