Today Carol the volunteer from Denver drove a few of us Berklee folks around the lower 9th and St. Bernard’s Parish.  She has come to New Orleans before and worked gutting a house.  Because of this, she knows her way around and has some stories about the time she spent here in the past.

We drove over a bridge from where we were working on N. Galvez and entered a ghost town.  It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen. It reminded me of this empty military barracks that is in a state park where my family camps in the Finger Lakes. Only difference–this area was only recently abandoned and it was a neighborhood (vs. buildings abandoned 40+ years ago that the military just left to fall apart…).  As Carol drove around, a few people were outside working on their homes (or what remains of their homes) but it was strangely quiet. 

We turned down a street and came to a school.  We decided to get out and explore. I was surprised that the area was not blocked off because what we saw was just shocking. Were I ever in a war zone, it is what I imagine it would look like.  If I ever figure out how to load pictures into this site, I will put some of mine up. Though, I am sure one of my fellow tourists will post a few.  The images are, truly, haunting.

Two years later…If you think about it, it’s really not that long.  I have a new realization of the true nature of the destruction.  Horrible.