Katrina post

I have been going through the Clarion-Ledger newspaper's Katrina photo slideshows, which can be found here.

There are so many images; some hopeful like Mary Mahoney's resturaunt has spray painted on a damaged wall proclaiming 'We'll be back!', or gallows humour recognizing bitter truth without giving up, others are surreal like a fishing boat sitting on an even keel in a roadway while an American Red Cross van passes by, haunting juxtapositions, and then there are pictures that show the true power of Katrina's storm surge like this one of the Pelican Kay Condominiums or these stairs that harken back to another staircase to nowhere that was a symbol in Gulfport on Hwy. 90 of Camille's powerful storm surge. At least there is this picture showing one of the two replica schooners Biloxi Yacht Club had built to recreate Mississippi Gulf Coast nautical history survived.

Though in lore the yardstick of Camille's destruction was the Richelieu Manor Apartments in Pass Christian [ locals drop that last 'i' so it sounds like the word ends as 'ann']. Here is before&after picture of those apartments. Stu Ostro's blog had something to say about the Richelieu Manor Apartments. Here is the NOAA image of the shopping center that covered over the remains of the Richelieu Apartments, Katrina wiped out a different set of apartments nearby and I hope no one was in those. The damage is just staggering.

Lets all hope Rita fizzles out, people do not need another storm so soon.