Prelim

New Orleans
Opinion

The images and stories surround us and the magnitude of loss is testing our comprehension.

This week KnowledgeFarm offers two selections addressing the land use anatomy of New Orleans along with several links to photography sites. It may seem a stretch to address Katrina's devastation under the heading "Land Use" but in the bigger picture of global environmental knowledge it makes sense. A cascading series of decisions over a period of years allowed protective barrier islands and marshlands between New Orleans and the Gulf to be compromised and misused. The potential for loss was seen, understood, discussed and ultimately tabled; it is important to know that.

The selected articles, for which links are provided this week, are about the anatomy of the landscape surrounding New Orleans. The first, titled Drowning New Orleans was written in 2001 as a scientific summary of the high hazard anatomy of New Orleans and it's surroundings. The second, a powerfully poignant piece, is titled Hurricane Force, Anatomy of a Flood: 3 Deadly Waves. It portrays the rapid sequence of levee failures in the early morning hours of Monday, August 29, acting out the predictions of the first article.

Drowning New Orleans
"In 2001 Mark Fischetti, a contributing editor at Scientific America, wrote "Drowning New Orleans," a hauntingly prophetic article about what actually transpired this past week." It includes site visits to shrinking marshlands and science laboratories as a basis for developing a model of disaster. It helps spell out what may have been done and also serves to outline what needs to be done if there is to be a long term future for the city.
    By Mark Fischetti | October 01, 2001
    Scientific American
Web Link - read the article
 

Hurricane Force, Anatomy of a Flood: 3 Deadly Waves
"On Aug. 29, as Hurricane Katrina brought chaos to this city, three massive waves of water poured largely unseen into the eastern section of town and neighboring St. Bernard Parish." This article portrays the events in a first hand manner.
    by Jeff D. Opdyke, Evan Perez and Ann Carrns and 21 other contributing writers
    September 7, 2005
    Wall Street Journal
Web Link - read the article PDF file - read the PDF file
 
 

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Satellite Images - NOAA

Following are links to satellite images from NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Airborne digital imagery
Base Map
Web Link - Base map for satellite images of the Gulf Coast after Katrina

New Orleans
Web Link - New Orleans area
 
The next link selection provides remarkable on-the-ground photojournalism starting immediately after the storm and documenting human and inhuman conditions.

Ground level panoramic images
On the ground panoramic images of New Orleans and Mississippi. Go to Gallery List - there are numerous photo galleries - look for the gallery with the "Panorama" title called "Katrina's Destruction" It may be left of center near the top of the page.
    August/September 2005
    Washington Post
Web Link - go to panoramic images