Below is my grandmother's cute little house in New Orleans. Sadly, she doesn't live there anymore. Hurricane Katrina came through, the levee broke, and well, the rest is history. (Don't worry, though, she had evacuated!) Recently she sold what's left of her home. Many of the homes on her street have been completely redone and look so stinkin' cute! Other areas of New Orleans have not been so lucky. Some of the more impoverished areas have been completely abandoned. 
If you look closely you can see where the water line was. It's below the windowsill. But to be more specific, that is where the water line ENDED up after the storm. During the storm it was up to the ceiling inside the home. This was the first time I had been back to Louisiana since the disaster. I wasn't as prepared as I thought when I walked inside. I cried like a baby. Too many memories.
If you look closely you can see where the water line was. It's below the windowsill. But to be more specific, that is where the water line ENDED up after the storm. During the storm it was up to the ceiling inside the home. This was the first time I had been back to Louisiana since the disaster. I wasn't as prepared as I thought when I walked inside. I cried like a baby. Too many memories.
This used to be the ol' family room where I spent hours and hours as a child, watching TV, opening presents, and just being with my grandparents. Since I was born they lived in this house, so I pretty much grew up in it. I moved away when I was 19. Afer the storm, it was weeks and weeks before my grandmother went back. Can you imagine coming home to your house turned topsy turvy inside and covered with slimy sludge and mold??? Ugh. I'm surprised she was able to handle it. She still gets sad, though. She framed a picture of her house so she could remember it. She lost pretty much everything. Along with a giant drawer full of all my childhood pics. As I stood there, it was hard to believe that it's been over 3 years since the storm.
On a lighter note, her tub was so cool! I loved the black and white tiles! It even had the old school hardware on it. Now it's just full of dried up dirt and muck. Funny to think this thing used to keep me clean! I need to get in there with some comet and a wire brush! :)
This is the entrance to the kitchen, and the pantry that I would always hit up for chips, cookies, or some other snack. Heh heh.
Well, even though it was tough to see, I'm glad I got a few snapshots for the history books!
6 comments:
Wow. That's emotional. You're brave to go back. :)
That made my eyes fill up with tears just looking at those pictures and reading your experience and hers. That is very sad.
I hope she is happy where she is living now. Too bad she couldn't keep it, but maybe she didn't feel too safe going back? I don't know if I would after experiencing that.
Anyway love you-
ps, we changed our trip plans, there's more details in your email and our blog :)
see ya
marylinn
i didn't realize that you had family involved with katrina. how crazy. its good you went back to visit.
WOW! I knew her house was effected by the storm and that she lived with your mom a while, but I had no idea she could never return. That is SO SAD for her... sniff sniff. How misplaced she must feel. I am sure you bawled like a baby seeing that... my maw-maw's house was effected, but able to be salvaged and now my cousin lives there and she is in a nursing home. It is all the elderly, frail and poor who weren't able to recover, such a tragedy. Some of the surrounding areas still look HORRIBLE!! Is is so sad that that is in OUR country and it has such an third world look to it.
I wonder if anyone is ever going to rebuild the house. That would be cool.
Wow, that is amazing. Jason went down to help after that came through it's just hard to even imagine from the pics he took and the things he saw. I'm glad your grandma is doing ok. I'm glad you got to go back.
Wow, so hard. It made me sad to read about it and I don't even know your grandma. Way to be tough and get some good pics for the record! I'm sure you'll appreciate those.
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