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  • Wednesday, August 30, 2006

     

    A Small Tour of a New Orleans Neighborhood, Part the First


    I'm going to show you a bit of a relatively unaffected neighborhood of NOLA. I've circled the area where I took these pictures in red. That's the river to the left edge of the map in blue. St. Charles Ave. intersects S. Carrollton at a right angle near the top left. Broadway is the large street running through the center of the red circled area.

    This is a New Orleans neighborhood that suffered probably the least amount of damage of anywhere in NOLA. No flooding at all, just wind damage for the most part, although hurricane wind damage isn't to be dismissed. The steady blowing of winds, usually well over 80 mph, takes a toll quickly on even well-constructed roofs. Of course, if a house gets roof damage, it inevitably follows that some water damage will occur from rain and leaks.

    Yet, as you will see, there was plenty of damage still to be seen here in mid-August, 2006, close to a year after the disaster.

    This lavender house is in the process of being jacked up, I think. Over to the right of the doorway you can see what appears to be a stair railing which used to go to the part now being supported by the blue jack. They must have been in a hurry to jack it up because it looks like the jack ripped through the wrought iron fencing as it went up.

    These next two pictures are different angles of the remains of a convenience store/deli that used to be at the corner of Audubon St. and Magazine St. I don't really know what happened to it but the ruins show some signs of fire. There is no indication it will be rebuilt anytime in the near future. This emptiness is difficult to convey, the sense of many loose threads in the fabric of the city. There is no closure here; the rubble is a mute epitaph to someone's business and livelihood. Where are they now? Who knows?


    Below are a few shots of these portable mini-storage stations which pop up in yards and even on the streets, wherever there's room near a house. I assume that people use them for storing valuables/things they are sorting through in their house. If you aren't actually living in the house fulltime, you probably don't want to leave your possessions out, even in a locked house. This provides a kind of security for some items. I originally thought they were used to keep workers' tools during renovation, providing a means of securing tools that are in high demand in NOLA. But your guess is as good as mine. These mini-sheds are probably used both ways and others I can't conceive.



    I think I'll break here and continue later.



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