Somber Visit to New Orleans

Expecting a full day of thunderstorms today! It was really nice and sunny early this morning so we got out for a walk as soon as we got up. No sooner did we get back, the clouds rolled in and the humidity quickly climbed! Won't be long!
We had walked over to a lake that borders the campground and I was really drawn to this awesome little lakeside place. Nice spot!

It's a wet, dreary day here today so we hopped in the truck and did a driving tour of New Orleans. Drove by several major landmarks...then we entered the Lower 9th Ward. With that, our mood suddenly took a turn for the worse. This was ground zero for the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Sad. Very sad. The destruction and devastation from Katrina is still very evident even after all these years.

Foundations with no buildings, foundations with partial buildings and foundations with derelict buildings about to collapse. All still remain. And, sadly, you can still see contents like couches, chairs and tables lying about in vacant lots. The houses were gone, but household items remain. But amid all this debris, life goes on. There were houses that have been rebuilt using partial walls, houses rebuilt from surviving walls and houses totally rebuilt from the ground up. There were houses reduced to rubble with only a pile of debris marking where it once stood. But these resilient residents of the Lower Ninth Ward persevered. They have rebuilt their lives, going to work, going to school and trying to live a 'normal' life.
I have to admit, it was a very moving experience to drive among the ruins.