Taking Bearings

Hurricane Katrina Brings Waves of Destruction to U.S. Gulf Coast

August 29, 2005

 

Hurricane Katrina Brings Waves of Destruction to U.S. Gulf Coast
Taking Bearings [Column excerpt]
K. Lee Lerner

Under mandatory evacuations, I sent Brenda and Ellie (the last child left at home) to Texas for both Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005).

Ivan scored a direct hit, the eye passed right over Sibley. Katrina devastated the Mississippi coast and caused the levee breach that flooded New Orleans, but located in the northeast quadrant of Katrina, Mobile Bay and the Gulf Coast to Pensacola also suffered severe damage.

I weathered both storms at Sibley with an array of pets that could not be evacuated. Most boats not anchored out were lost. Power was out for weeks with Ivan and about a week with Katrina. Until the National Guard found its footing — resources after Katrina were justifiably concentrated on Mississippi and New Orleans — it was time to fire up the motorcycle, strap a pistol to my hip, and help out wherever needed.

During both storms, I did on air-interviews for a number of news outlets, including the BBC. A number of the photos shown here appeared on news sites as part of coverage packages, etc. It was, however, much more of a personal experience than a professional assignment (though work on several books carried on with only minimal interruptions). After the storm subsided, I went west into Mississippi with a team delivering antibiotics and other supplies.

Following Katrina, media attention focused on New Orleans — it was a story easier and cheaper to cover, and sadly also a story easier to spin and politicize. In contrast, the people of Mississippi who felt the brunt of the storm’s fury — a blow that included a 30 foot storm surge– just resolutely and quietly went about writing hundreds of good stories of bravery, endurance, self-reliance, and resilience.

 

Related Photos:

 

 

The first surge from Hurricane Katrina along Mobile Bay in 2005 Within three minutes, the spot from which I took the picture was under about four feet of fast moving water. 2005 ©LMG Photo by K. Lee Lerner. All rights reserved

 

 

 

Katrina devastated the Mississippi coast and caused the levee breach that flooded New Orleans, but located in the northeast quadrant of Katrina, Mobile Bay and the Gulf Coast to Pensacola also suffered severe damage.

I weathered both storms at Sibley with an array of pets that could not be evacuated. Most boats not anchored out were lost. Power was out for weeks with Ivan and about a week with Katrina. Until the National Guard found its footing — resources after Katrina were justifiably concentrated on Mississippi and New Orleans — it was time to fire up the motorcycle, strap a pistol to my hip, and help out wherever needed. 2005 ©LMG Photo by K. Lee Lerner. All rights reserved

 

 

 

I tried to get as close as possible to the incoming waves. It was important to stay mobile and so I used my motorcycle to avoid roadblocks created by fallen trees. 2005 ©LMG Photo by K. Lee Lerner. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

I tried to get as close as possible to the incoming waves. A spit of the bluff allowed me to wade out about thigh deep to capture this shot. That depth was short-lived and within one set of waves the water was up to my chest and a hasty retreat in order. — 2005 ©LMG Photo by K. Lee Lerner. All rights reserved

 

 

High on the bluff, Sibley suffered only downed trees, power loss, and moderate wind damage, but those below the bluff were flooded by Katrina’s storm surge.2005 ©LMG Photo by K. Lee Lerner.

 

Katrina brought misery in the form of downed trees, power loss, and wind damage,— K. Lee Lerner. Hurricane Katrina Brings Waves of Destruction to U.S. Gulf Coast. Taking Bearings [Column excerpt] September 2005.\

 

 

 

1. Lee Lerner’s portfolio covering science and global issues includes multiple RUSA Book and Media Awards, books named Outstanding Academic Titles, and two global circumnavigations. He serves as an advisor, editor, and contributor to respected international news and academic resources.

 

Photo Credits: All Photos by K Lee Lerner ©LMG All rights reserved.

 

Additional information and selected writings are available at scholar.harvard.edu/kleelerner and via harvard.academia.edu/kleelerner

 

An online journal, serving as an archival mix of professional and personal photos, is accessible via https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10206340635690814.1073742036.1114759811&type=1&l=fddf763a6d

 

Profile Photo: K. Lee Lerner. Maasai Mara, Kenya. June 2012. ©LMG.

 

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Permission to use excerpts from this DRAFT COPY, with appropriate acknowledgments, is normally granted for academic use. Commercial use is strictly prohibited and all content is copyright restricted. All rights reserved.

 

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