Worth More Than a Thousand Words
A volunteer rescuer comforts his dog--or is it the
other way around?--while grabbing a couple of
hours rest between rescue missions.
Above, a string of Mardi Gras beads lies in the
caked mud of the devastated Lower 9th Ward.
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Below, a note letting the homeowner know where
his dog, who has been rescued, can be picked up.
One of the most poignant pictures I came across.
If any of you know what happened to this man
and his dog, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
October 12 - a dog is rescued from this house.  The levees
broke on August 29.  The various pet rescue volunteer
organizations did remarkable work under horrendous
conditions, but, for so many pets, they arrived too late,
thousands perished.
These crosses in the St. Claude neighborhood
represent the people who died there.
Sign on a house in the St. Claude area: "Those
who bow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting;
he who goes to and fro weeping shall indeed
return with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves
with him. Psalms 126 - Hope for our future."  
Note that someone has marked the water line on
the house.
Restaurant: "Pray"
"Waiting for FEMA"  It was a very  long wait.  
"Humorous" signs like this one cropped up all over the
city, as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  In
neighboring St. Bernard Parish, Canadian flags started
appearing everywhere in honor of a group of volunteer
Canadian Mounties who actually arrived long before
any agency of the federal government.  When they
first arrived at a checkpoint to enter the city of New
Orleans to help in rescue missions, FEMA personnel
refused to allow them in, even though there was a
desperate need; so, they took a circuitous route south
and wound up in St. Bernard Parish, where they were
received with gratitude.  Many people died in their
attics from the heat, waiting for help to arrive.
An injured pet rescued from the flood waters.
Above & below:  At two memorial services,  
neighbors embrace upon first discovering that the
other is alive, after months of not knowing.
Safety may be a "job requirement" for the U.S.
Corps of Engineers, but it's evidently not a
requirement for the floodwalls they construct.
In New Orleans, you never know when you
may run into a guardian angel wearing a
Southern Comfort tee shirt, while he enjoys
a po-boy and a Barq's Root Beer; a
volunteer is shown taking a lunch break
while helping muck out a home in New
Orleans East.
Written in crayon on a window in the Education
Bldg. of Napoleon Ave. Methodist Church, my
childhood church, by a volunteer who was helping
clean up:  "I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
whom shall I send, who will go for us?  Then I said,
'Here I am, Lord, send me.' "
"We survived the Spanish, French, Brits,
carpet-baggers, scoundrels, Butler, Betsy, Edwards,
Katrina and the Corps [of Engineers].  2006 has to be
better."
Mardi Gras, 2006: "Give my brains to FEMA." I don't
know how smart this doggie is, but most folks in the
Katrina zone would be willing to bet he has an edge over
some of the FEMA officials.
The makeshift grave of a woman named Vera, who
died early on, in the days before the bodies of victims
could be immediately retrieved.  The sheet covering
her body read: "Here lies Vera.  God help us."  This
photo was taken by Kevin M. Himel.  The location,
Magazine Street & Jackson Avenue.
Above, this billboard, takes a swipe at State Farm's
less-than-neighborly assistance to their customers:  
"21 months in a FEMA trailer. Thanks, neighbor."
Below, humorous sign on a house in Lakeview, this
one aimed at All-State.  Insurance companies, trying
to get out of paying claims, forced most home owners
to sue for just compensation.  Insurance adjusters
rank right behind the U.S. Corps of Engineers and
FEMA in popularity.
"HOLD THE CORPS ACCOUNTABLE!" Sign on a
destroyed home near the 17th Street Canal in
Lakeview; these signs still appear all over the city,
including the neighborhoods which were not damaged.
Compelling - and Telling - Pictures
Above:  Refrigerator art became very popular, as
people placed their unsalvageable appliances, filled
with ruined food on the sidewalk.  Most included
humorous jabs at politicians.  This one reads,
"Please send to:  George Bush c/o White House -
Rush - Perishable!"
Below:  A kinder, gentler message,
"We love you NOLA."
A New Orleans police officer finds a plea for help as
he goes by boat on a house-to-house rescue mission.
Man weeps at a memorial service
for pets lost in the flood.
Sign above crushed auto filled with bricks reads,
"Take home some souvenirs."
A tired child waits with her mother for
assistance at a Red Cross center.
A rescuer tries to coax three frightened
pets down from a rooftop.  Photo thanks to
Donald Perrilloux.
Photo thanks to Marian Lohnes.