Hurricane Katrina: The Drive: New Orleans Lower 9th Ward

A painful irony of post-Katrina New Orleans is how few
people throughout the country understand the extent of
what has happened to the city. Many people do not
realize that, nearly 10 months later, things are not
back to normal in New Orleans. As America's attention
fades from Hurricane Katrina's impact, a disabled New
Orleans continues to struggle for survival.

In many respects, New Orleans is alive and kicking.
People are moving home, schools are opening, cultural
activities have returned and, in some neighborhoods,
life has a sense of near normalcy; however, all it
takes is a short drive outside of the French Quarter
or Uptown to witness extensive loss and devastation.
The magnitude of flooding was incomprehensible and New Orleans still has many challenges to overcome.

The only way to really get a sense of the magnitude of
the post-Katrina destruction is to physically walk or
drive through the affected areas. With this in mind,
NOVAC presents The Drive. The Drive provides a raw
visual and narrated tour through four of the most
devastated neighborhoods in New Orleans and is
supported with extensive footage, maps, interviews,
digital imagery, and an original musical score by Emmy
nominated composer, Gil Talmi.

Through this community-based documentary project, we
present stories from a local point-of-view. We hope
this effort will garner continued support for the
rebuilding of a great American city.

• Category

  News & Politics

[OCFgirl]

I've been to New Orleans recently, as part of a Dutch/American exchange program (I'm Dutch) centered around water, I have visited the Lower Ninth Ward, I've done some volunteer work and I can honestly not believe how left alone these people are. But despite that, they are hopeful, warm and incredibly kind to people like me who came to help. It just really amazed me and I hope people will realize that 3 years after the storm, there are still so many things to do...

[rockonup]

theres a city that needs a bail out

[OrochiGeese7]

Actually, there are reports that state that the Army Corps did come down to NO three years before the hurricane hit and they came with supplies that would fortify the Levees and when the hurricane would hit, the levees would have held up long enough to control and isolated a great part of the flooding, thus making medical aid and damage control easier to manage. The state gov't denied them for the sake of keeping them from "interfering" with state legislature.

Incompetence FTW.

[nuage7777]

People go vote! Take America back out of the hands of the republicans! 8 years of hell was enough! Do the right thing Vote OBAMA!!!!!

[revdrclj]

I still hurt.

[kdotman]

damn, sad

[boopkid]

Being a resident of New Orleans for now going on 45 years, I understand and have lived through the plight; I too feel the pain of this wounded city. This is an accurate and heart wrenching account of the sights of Post Katrina New Orleans. Thank you for posting this excellently produced video so that others outside New Orleans may see and realize the extent of Katrina's devastation.

[kobucha1]

I compassion all people!

[flyinham]

i remember the catch phrase after katrina, You loot we shoot

[Ken Skid]

It will flood again. Not IF but WHEN. There is nothing short of a MASSIVE, TRILLION dollar levee sytem to save the ninth ward from another hurricane.

Mark this comment and mark my words.

I was born on Forstall street in the ward. My first home is a slab. The rebuilt homes will be flooded again.