Katrina Video Archive launched on the Web

By DAVID FAUCHEUX

The second anniversary of Katrina is nearly upon us. Much has been written about who did what, who did not do what, and what they should have done. I won't attempt to sort out the blame game here. I recently received this item from a friend and thought I'd post it on my blog. I hope special attention is considered for the stories of Katrina survivors with disabilities as they can often get lost in the floods of ink and miles of video utilized to bring the macro picture to America.

I am not sure I'd want to return to New Orleans. The August 2007 issue of National Geographic suggests that it's just a matter of time before the entire scenario replays again; implying that each time the city has been hit by hurricanes and subsequent floods, the damage is worse because more and more people are living there. Reminds me of a skip in an old vinyl record.

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We all know the headlines dominating the public conversation around Hurricane Katrina: politicians making declarations but doing very little, levees not being rebuilt, and thousands of people who want to return home but can't.

But we rarely get a chance to hear Katrina survivors speaking in their own words, talking about where they are today and how they are moving forward to rebuild their lives. On the second anniversary of Katrina, we wanted to connect folks around the country, as directly as possible, to Katrina survivors -- creating a window into their lives. And we wanted to provide a platform for Katrina survivors to make their stories heard, now and into the future.

The result is VoicesFromTheGulf.com. Check it out and participate here.

Hurricane Rita devastated Southwestern Louisiana a month after Katrina, and I issue a challenge to someone out there! Do for Rita survivors what these generous people have done for Katrina survivors.

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IMAGINE That!