“WRITING KATRINA” (SPRING 2006) collection

(Mss 332)

Inventory

Earl K. Long Library

University of New Orleans

August 2006

Contents

Contents

Summary

Historical Note

Container List

Index Terms

Procedures for Requesting Special Collections Materials

Summary

Size: 1.5 linear feet

Geographic

locations: New Orleans, La.

Inclusive

dates: 2006

Summary: Interviews with persons who experienced Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) and/or its aftermath in the New Orleans area. Each interview file contains a transcript, related documentation, and audiotape(s) and/or videotape(s) and/or CD(s). Some additionally are accompanied by photographs. The interviews were conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University of New Orleans course HIST 4991, “Writing Katrina: Oral History Theory and Practice” (Spring 2006), taught by Dr. Connie Z. Atkinson.

Related

collections: The Times-Picayune Hurricane Katrina Editions Collection (Mss 331)

Source: Gifts, May 2006

Citation: “Writing Katrina” (Spring 2006) Collection, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

Historical Note

Hurricane Katrina was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record and the third-strongest to strike the United States. After crossing Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on August 25, 2005, it entered the Gulf of Mexico and, as a strong Category 3 hurricane with a Category 5 storm surge made its second landfall near Buras, Louisiana, on August 29, 2005. The heavy winds and storm surges associated with Katrina weakened the levee system that protected the city of New Orleans from flooding. Many levee failures were reported, including major breaches at the Seventeenth Street, London Avenue, and Industrial Canals, which allowed water to inundate at least eighty percent of the city. Katrina proved to be the costliest hurricane and one of the deadliest disasters in United States history.

More than eighty percent of area residents evacuated in advance of Katrina’s arrival, many did not. As the world watched in growing horror, rising floodwaters forced many to flee for their lives or to await long-delayed rescue in attics or on rooftops. The disaster had significant and enduring economic and political implications on local, state, and national levels, as well as an uncalculable personal toll on the hundreds of thousands of lives it touched.

The course “Writing Katrina” introduced students to the methods and practice of collecting interviews. Students learned about interview preparation, research and technique, the nature and character of evidence, transcribing and editing interviews, and legal and ethical concerns in conducting and making available oral histories. The course stressed the documentation of recent experiences of New Orleanians during and after Hurricane Katrina.

Container List

	NARRATOR	SUBJECT	INTERVIEWER	DATE
332-1	Funti, Mary	Tulane University Hospital	Akins, Virginia C.	2006-04-05
332-2	Havrilla, Elizabeth (Liz) Ashe	In Slidell on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain during the hurricane	Arnold, Carolyn	2006-03-27
332-3	Matute, Oscar	Migrant workers helping to rebuild New Orleans	Bernal, Julio	2006-04-20
332-4	Dye, Lois G.	Obstacles faced by a displaced family	Brown, Isha Michelle	2006-04-02
332-5	Frey, Adam	The hurricane and its aftermath in Chalmette	Clements, Curtis	2006-04-18
332-6	Pscenicka, Michael, III	Evacuation to Houston	Fontaine, Shelley	2006-04-08
332-7	Patterson, Nick	Katrina-related experiences of a Kenner police officer	Fuselier, Karen	2006-04-03
332-8	Lee, Reginald	Rescuing stranded family in Mid-City	George, Zachary J.	2006-01-29
332-9	Havrilla, Elizabeth (Liz) Ashe	In Slidell on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain during the hurricane	Arnold, Carolyn	2006-03-27
332-10	Blum, Ed	Evacuation from New Orleans East after Katrina	Johnson, Colby S.	2006-04-04
332-11	Labeaud, Valerie	Rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard	Lathers, Colleen	2006-04-01
332-12	Weick, Toni	Flooding in Mid-City	Mathews, Jamie	2006-04-10
332-13	Mattingly, Ryan	Surviving Katrina in Gentilly; slow pace of recovery	Peychaud, Stephen Joseph	2006-04-06
332-14	Kirkland, Glen	Losing a home to Katrina; encounter with an intruder	McBride, Daniel	2006-04-06
332-15	Branch, Christine Meche	Hurricane-related experiences in Uptown	Surcouf, Michael T.	2006-03-17
332-16	Robinette, Dwight, Jr.	Search-and-rescue experiences of a state trooper	Willis, Sheila H.	2006-03-23
332-17	X, Mr.	A newcomer’s first hurricane	George, Zachary J.	2006-04-20
332-18	Peyton, Jeannette	Evacuation experiences	Peyton, Robert K.	[2006-04?]

Index Terms

Blum, Ed

Branch, Christine Meche

Dye, Lois G.

Frey, Adam

Funti, Mary

Havrilla, Elizabeth (Liz) Ashe

Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Kirkland, Glen

Labeaud, Valerie

Lee, Reginald

Mattingly, Ryan

Matute, Oscar

Patterson, Nick

Peyton, Jeannette

Pscenicka, Michael, III

Robinette, Dwight, Jr.

Weick, Toni

X, Mr.