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MSS 332 - "Writing Katrina" (Spring 2006) Collection: Inventory

“WRITING KATRINA” (SPRING 2006) collection

(Mss 332)

Inventory

Earl K. Long Library

University of New Orleans

August 2006

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.