A Katrina Diary: On the Road to Recovery

A co-worker and I journeyed to the Gulf Coast region to document the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. What follows are some notes from our five days in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama filming and talking with people who lost so much yet were willing and gracious enough to talk with us. For our complete video report, visit Insurance Journal’s Web site at www.insurancejournal.com/katrina.

Oct. 25 – New Orleans and Slidell

After arriving in New Orleans, we spent the first hours of daylight driving through the Ninth Ward, which was one of the hardest hit areas when the levees gave way and flooded street after street. How eerily quiet it was. The neighborhood school had broken windows, doors off hinges and debris scattered around the silent playground. We found one neighborhood resident, about 80 years old, driving up to what was left of his residence. He has returned to see what could be salvaged from his property. He told us about surviving the raging waters and how he and his 88-year-old cousin managed to make it across the street to the school, maneuvering through water up to their chests. Later that day we drove out to the Slidell area, one of the hardest hit. On the way, we passed one house with its microwave and kitchen sink still intact, but without any doors or walls. That was one of the better places we viewed along a several mile stretch.

Oct. 26 – Gulfport and Mobile

The day began with a visit to insurance agent Scott Naugle in the Gulfport, Miss., area. Naugle and his staff were working out of a tent, assisting policyholders. Many agents and staff like Naugle’s had been putting in long days since Katrina struck in late August. They had an even greater appreciation of what their policyholders went through, having suffered personal losses. About a mile down to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, walking among the debris, a stuffed teddy bear rested in a pile of other children’s momentos across from what was left of a housing complex. We trekked a short distance to what was left of Fire Station No. 7, where we spoke with the deputy fire chief. He talked about the searches and rescues his crew undertook and how they would rebuild their station. He pointed to a spot on the other side of some trees where he said several dead bodies had been discovered. Next we drove to Mobile, Ala., and our hotel for the next two nights. It was the closest hotel we could find to New Orleans/Mississippi.

Oct. 27 – Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis

The morning began in Pascagoula, Miss., and an interview with insurance agent Aulton Vann. Vann, a longtime resident of the Magnolia State, had major damage to his office and lost his home. After interviewing him in what was left of his office, he took us on a tour of his neighborhood which overlooks the Gulf and showed us what was left of his home. He had the house bulldozed down because it was too painful for his wife to keep seeing the remains of their home. They are now temporarily living out of a trailer, but are determined to rebuild. We drove with him down the coastline and viewed other homes completely gone, including the home of Sen. Trent Lott. We then drove to Bay St. Louis area and met first with agent Dave Treutel, and then with Richard Davis, president of the Mississippi Big ‘I’ Association. Treutel and his staff were working out of a trailer. He got in our car and took us to see what was left of his neighborhood. While his home was still standing, it would need major repairs. Then it was back to Mobile for one more night.

Oct. 28 – Grand Bay and Chalmette

Our first order of business this morning was a phone interview with Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale. Dale said that his office had never received as much negative mail before as they had with Katrina. One of our hotel’s employees directed us to Alabama’s Grand Bay/Bayou La Batre area. The bay’s shrimp boats had been flipped over like they were little toys. Although the property damage wasn’t as bad as in the other two states, it was obvious Katrina had paid a visit. We then began the drive back to New Orleans for our final 24 hours. We met up with Mark Moon of Crawford & Co. in Chalmette, La. He would tell us about his experiences as a claims adjuster during the last few weeks and put us in touch with a couple who had lost several properties. The woman broke down several times during our on-camera interview.

Oct. 29 – New Orleans and San Diego

Our final day began with a surprise. At a local eatery, we came across New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who declined an interview, but did pose for a picture. We viewed more neighborhoods and went in search of the broken levees before boarding our plane to return to San Diego.

For the complete video report, visit www.insurancejournal.com/katrina.

Topics Agencies Mississippi