For Rent, Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 24, 2008. © Ellen Luckett Baker.
It’s been nearly five years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans. Too young to remember, our children saw their first images of the storm’s aftermath this week on the news. They both stopped what they were doing and sat down, mesmerized by the strange scenes of families stranded on rooftops.
In a new online exhibition, Katrina + 5: An X-Code Exhibition, curator Dorothy Moye has compiled images of the x-codes, the seemingly enigmatic symbols used by search and rescue teams to mark the homes and buildings in New Orleans. My husband and I visited New Orleans in February of 2008 and drove around the Lower Ninth Ward. Without a full understanding of their meaning, I was fascinated by the x-code markings, so I took photos of the destruction that still remained. When we visited, there were few if any restored houses and as we got closer to the levee, the area was almost completely abandoned. I’m excited to have several of my photos in the exhibition, including the one above. It’s fascinating to read about the meaning of the codes and to see how years after the storm, they remain — an indelible mark on the battered but resilient city of New Orleans.
It’s so sad how much still needs to be done.
wow, thanks for sharing this. My husband and I have been to NOLA several times since the storm, some trips to help, some just for fun. It’s very close to our hearts.
thank you for sharing this. I had no clue what the “x’s” stood for…..very interesting and very moving photos. I can’t even fathom all that that city has been through, no words.
We are traveling through New Orleans next weekend, and were planning on seeing the exhibit while we’re there.
My hsuband attended medical school in New Orleans from 99-03. Our house was in the Lakefront/West End area. Needless to say, NOLA is near and dear to our heart. We’ve been back (and photographed places we lived and frequented) twice.
As I said, we look forward to experiencing the exhibit ourselves.
Thanks for your comment, Lindsay. This exhibit is an online collection of images on the Southern Spaces website: http://southernspaces.org. I hope you’ll take some time to look through them. Enjoy your visit to New Orleans!
How sad this picture is and how sad that the rebuilding is still unfinished. My prayers are with all who lost and all those who are still trying to make a life in New Orleans.
Hugs XX
Barbara
Moore Whimsies
congrats on your show. very moving exhibition.
My city…I lived in New Orleans for 33 years and left 5 years ago to this day with a backpack, a teenager, a dog and my lap top, thinking we would return home in a few days. Everything we owned was lost…home, job, school and personal belongings. We began a new and different life in another city…but part of my heart still belongs in NOLA.
thanks for the post! very interesting to know what those X’s are for … and congratulations on having your photo in the exhibit!
Even though I live in California and have never been to Louisiana, this was definetly one of those defining moments in history for me. I remember being glued to the television for days watching the horror that was happening. Little did I know at the time that this catastrophe would bring me a best friend from Louisiana. Sadly for me, she’s going home after 5 years but I will forever treasure my friend and hope to visit her in Louisiana in the future.
Thank you for posting this article. It was very interesting.
Thanks for sharing. I had never heard about this and that article stopped me in whateveer I was doing for the night. What a huge impact such simple messages have!
i visited NOLA a couple times before the storm (strange to call it by it’s name when i am Katrina) and fell in love with the city. i did not understand the x-codes before but they are indeed oddly fascinating—thank you for sharing and congrats! it’s always good to see NOLA getting attention and i only hope it all aids in more rebuilding of the people and the city!
As I read all of the comments I had tears in my eyes. It is so heart warming for me, as a resident of New Orleans, to read these very heart felt words about my city. For the longest time we heard a lot about WHY we were rebuilding this city. It’s below sea level, crime ridden, lots of worthless people were things that we heard from all over the country. New Orleans is and always will be one of the most unique cities in this great country. I have lived here most of my life and love to go to the French Quarter, out to the lake or to City Park. My daughter goes to school in a building built by the first American Catholic saint, Fancis Xavier Cabrini. The history and heritage of this place is very worth preserving and from the bottom of our hearts the people of New Orleans thank you.