New Orleans Mardi Gras figure at workshop.
Four years ago we had a personal family crisis that took us to the far northwest of our country. But while we were there dealing with our own problems, we had one ear on the radio and television, watching the path of a hurricane called Katrina, as she made her way into the Gulf of Mexico. It can’t hit New Orleans, we thought. It must not hit New Orleans.
We remembered our first visit to the city, when we stayed in a funky inn at the quiet end of the quarter in what had been a grand house with slave quarters across the garden. We stayed in the former slave quarters. But the spiffily dressed Black man who came to the gate in the tall wall around the property, and carried our bags, and informed us that the lady of the house would see us upstairs…could have been the favored house slave of the plantation owner 200 years ago. And the lady upstairs, who expected each visitor to her hotel to climb the stairs to her dining room and be interviewed, could have very well been a plantation owner, hanging on to her gracious ways long after the Emancipation Proclamation and the surrender by General Lee.
She was our first direct experience of a true New Orleans character. And nobody comes up with characters more eccentric and interesting than New Orleans. There were rumors of hurricanes that summer, and we asked her what she did when a hurricane threatened. She drew herself up and informed us that she did nothing. It was all nonsense. People were always saying a hurricane was coming, but it never hit New Orleans. Sometimes they got some wind and rain, but nothing that would make her evacuate.
The private inn no longer exists–having been taken over by a pricey boutique hotel. And as she was quite elderly when we were there more than twenty years ago, we assume she has passed away. Hurricanes waited until she was gone to wallop the city.
As we watched T.V. four years ago, the waves roiled over the barriers, the people fled or were drowned and total disaster reigned. When things calmed down, it became evident that although wide swaths of New Orleans were left uninhabitable, the French Quarter, the very heart and soul of the city had survived. And sure enough, five months after the storm, the Mardi Gras proceeded to raise hell as usual.
In compiling a list of the times A Traveler’s Library has focused on New Orleans, I realize that I have paid it more attention than any other city or state. But New Orleans is a traveler’s favorite and a place where stories grow. So take a moment as you remember the disaster of four years ago, to read about the lasting legacy, the literature, a book about survival, bookstores and a literary landmark hotel.
New Orleans as Seen by Faulkner
Classic New Orleans Restaurant
PDF Tags: Faulkner, Hurricane, Katrina, Louisiana, Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Williams
“Hurricanes waited until she was gone to wallop the city.”
We wish it had only been Katrina. our outfall canal floodwalls fell down without even being overtopped (at less than half their design loads) because of negligent engineering in the design of those floodwalls’ foundations by engineers employed with the US Army Corps of Engineers as reported in the official levee failure investigation reports and reported to Congress by Corps leadership in June of 2006 and as decided by US District Judge S. Duval in 2006.
The levees did not fail because they were ‘overwhelmed’. Federal engineers made lots of big stupid mistakes. Our disaster was the worst engineering catastrophe in the history of North America and the engineers that designed and built and were responsible for those failed levees are the same engineers tasked to rebuild our storm surge protection system. And, the federal government gives us no choice (and never did), but to accept the Corps’ work.
Twitter: pen4hire
says:
Yep! Big time engineering fail. But, still, wouldn’t have happened if the hurricane had not happened.
Excuse me, but the levees, except the river’s levees, are there for storm surge. So what is your point? The Corps itself has admitted their negligence, a negligence that has cost New Orleans dearly. They can easily admit their fault because the Corps cannot be sued for flood projects. Works out great for them. CCRay, you are a true New Orleanian. I admire you.
I truly respect and appreciate you too doctorj2u. You sincerely have my very best regards. One day, on a Monday or a Tuesday, I would enjoy an Abita lunch with you at Reginelli’s.
pen4hire, despite your misunderstanding of our situation, we love you baby.
Twitter: WanderingEds
says:
vera – thanks for the great list of books about NOLA. i’ve got to get reading!
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