My Visit to New Orleans

I have been following up on Hurricane Gustov's approach to Louisana and New Orleans with concern. I had just been to New Orleans at the beginning of July as a part of a three week camping trip to Texas and the Gulf Coast. My sister Hazel, her husband Aren, and their daughter Sage had been camping with us during the first week of the trip, but had to go home, while Mommy, Daddy, my sister Emma and I continued camping, including paying a visit to New Orleans and our friend Daron Douglas who lives there. It was my very first time in New Orleans, and I enjoyed it very much, but my mind kept thinking of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans three years ago. I was fascinated with watching the city's recovery process, and now unfortunately, Hurricane Gustov has started to make its fall upon New Orleans, though thankfully most of Gustov landed to the west of New Orleans. I wrote a poem shortly after my return home from my camping trip, telling about my visit to New Orleans. Now it marks a point in time shortly before Gustov formed, when New Orleans was once again full of life in its streets, marking rebirth amid disaster. May New Orleans once again start to recover, this time from Gustov.

Visiting New Orleans Three Years After Katrina

By Rachael White

What is New Orleans like three years after Hurricane Katrina?
I travel there with my family and find out for myself.
We cross the very long bridge over Lake Pontchatrain,
And take in the first glimpses of a city that was once flooded.

My perspective is from someone who has never been here.
But my parents were in the city just the January prior to
Katrina lashing out at New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Now we are witnessing the city’s recovery together.

Our first destination is a house of a friend not far from the lake.
After being welcomed inside, we hear the story
Of the house being flooded and damage being done.
I look around the living room and imagine the water coming up.

Being right there is different than reading about it on the news.
The whole thing becomes more personal and easier to understand.
Outdoors, we see a FEMA trailer still parked by a house,
Symbolizing all the trailers that had served as a home.

Just a block away, the houses are looking shabbier,
With bits of disrepair showing and red Xs on the walls.
This is a reminder that the city hasn’t totally recovered,
Containing houses that are unsafe for people to live their lives.

Thankfully, most houses that I see are looking fine,
As we drive through the neighborhoods towards the inner city.
Looking out of the car windows in fascination and sympathy,
I see damage to some of the big buildings too.

During our stay at New Orleans, we are often walking around,
Going into shops in the French Quarter and seeing the famous sights.
Along the way, we hear personal stories of the hurricane,
As we get to know some of the shopkeepers we meet.

The rain comes rushing down all of the sudden,
As we are walking along the sidewalk one day.
We quickly get under cover of the shop overhangs,
With my mind still on Katrina flooding the streets.

We eventually drive past the Superdome itself,
With me not realizing what it was until we had passed it.
I look back at it, thinking of the people who stayed there
When their very homes were flooded over.

I also spend time with my family at the Mississippi River,
And take a ride aboard the historic Natchez Steamboat.
After I eat a Mexican dinner on the deck by the railing,
The boat takes off just as thunder and lightning appear.

I’m fascinated watching the lightning from the boat,
As I listen to the commentary over the speakers.
The storm calms down as we move away from the city
And see some of the sights that are nearby.

The steamboat soon turns around to my disappointment,
And we head on back towards New Orleans,
I break away from my lookout to tour with my family,
Including watching the red paddlewheel as it rotates, splashing water.

We head to the front of the steamboat and look around
As we pass by the dock we started from.
The city of New Orleans is once again in clear view,
The French Quarter being a contrast to the modern skyscrapers.

That evening, we head over to Preservation Hall,
And listen to one of New Orleans’ jazz bands.
Though I’m not extremely fond of that type of music,
I find it to be a symbol of New Orleans coming back to life.

Stepping onto Bourbon Street, I find it to be full of people,
Now that it is after dark and the street is closed to traffic.
The big crowds and music playing in various places
Fill me with fascination as I think back to the hurricane.

What I have seen gives me hope that New Orleans
Will rebuild itself even more as time goes on.
There’s still work to be done in the hard-hit neighborhoods,
But as long as the spirit remains, New Orleans will too.


I still have the hope that's mentioned in my poem. I'm worried about New Orleans and other areas that have been hit by Gustov, but I know there's people willing to help. I'm currently on my laptop computer, which doesn't have access to my family's photos of the trip, but the photo on the title bar on top of the page shows me in front of Jackson Square in New Orleans. I'm planning to put more photos and descriptions on my blog, recounting my experiences and showcasing my creative works.