Sun Herald reporters Josh Norman and Mike Keller started a blog before Katrina hit to share the experiences with their readers in real time. Little did they know that Dancing with Katrina would prove to be a lifeline for people seeking information about people in Biloxi, Gulfport and surrounding areas.
I started reading their blog in early September when New Orleans was still under water and no one was talking about Mississippi at all. Their blog was gripping and real — what they didn’t say in newspaper articles was put on the blog. Their outrage at the apathy and sluggishness of FEMA and the feds at large was inspiring, and convicting.
Josh and Mike are closing their blog. The happy ending to their story is the award of a Pulitzer prize to the Sun-Herald and the Gold Medal award to them as individuals (for public service).
A hearty congratulations to both of them. They were strong voices in a din of confusion and I will miss their occasional updates.
Josh plans to start a new blog — Biloxi Banter for personal stories about life in Biloxi, if you’re interested in following him there.
Even though their blog has reached its natural conclusion, Katrina’s devastation is nowhere near such neat and tidy resolution, sadly enough. Tim is still blogging about life in New Orleans and the challenges associated with rebuilding. Just today, his already-devasted-by-flooding-home caught fire and burned, highlighting the ongoing concern about all of the empty rotting homes in New Orleans and the dangers they present.
Kmilyun just visited Mississippi and saw the devastation firsthand, just as fresh as it was on August 30th even though it’s six months later, sparking inspiration to keep talking about reconstruction efforts (or lack thereof).
The 2006 hurricane season is predicted to be worse than 2005. Levees in Sacramento are swelling and some are breaking; the levees in New Orleans will not be shored up or rebuilt to withstand better than a Category 3 storm. Instead of applying creativity and the best minds in the country to the problems associated with Katrina’s aftermath and the larger problem of aging levees, rebuilding infrastructure in New Orleans and Mississippi and reinforcing infrastructure elsewhere, the Bush administration is focused on eavesdropping on our Internet activities, bombing Iraq, and lying to us all. I shudder to think what this country will be like when he is done with it.
Technorati Tags: biloxi, new orleans, hurricane katrina, reconstruction, FEMA
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