K+4: Chicago and Katrina
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 29, 2009 4:30PM
It's easy to overlook today's fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall along the Gulf Coast. Of course, it's been four years since the storm came ashore and the stories have faded into the background as the city of New Orleans and the smaller communities along the Gulf Coast continue the slow road to recovery, but there are still a few stories of local interest in connection with the anniversary.
- WBBM 780 has the story of Waveland, Mississippi's St. Clare Church and the help it's received from Chicago's Old St. Pat's Church. Old St. Pat's is holding another fundraiser for St. Clare this Monday at Viand Restaurant (6 p.m., 155 E. Ontario).
- President Obama has yet to make a visit to New Orleans since his inauguration - which hasn't gone unnoticed - (granted, he's been a bit busy with the economy), but his administration has continued to work on the issue and today in his weekly radio address, he maintained his commitment to the area.
- A story that no one (least of all fellow Katrina evacuees/survivors) wants to hear: four Katrina survivors who received help from Oprah have been charged with fraud.
- The Tribune's James Janega - who had that incredible series reporting from Afghanistan - visits with local Katrina survivors.
- The Tribune also has an excellent profile of Josh Neufeld and his Katrina-centric graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After The Deluge. (Argh! Josh was just at The Book Cellar last night and we missed it!)
- The Tribune lists five essential New Orleans/Katrina reads - Douglas Brinkley's The Great Deluge remains the definitive work on the subject, in my opinion - but two other works that are worth checking out are Jed Horne's Breach of Faith and NOLAFugee's Year Zero: A Year of Reporting From Post-Katrina New Orleans (disclosure: for a time after the storm, I wrote for the NOLAFugees website).
- The New York Times Sunday Magazine has an incredible, heart-breaking piece on Dr. Anna Pou and the story that unfolded at Memorial Medical Center in the days following the storm.
Here's wishing my fellow Katrinaees of Chicago a safe and peaceful Katrinaversary. Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler.