Where He leads...: Katrina and Beyond museum exhibit in NOLA

Katrina and Beyond museum exhibit in NOLA

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The day before I left New Orleans, Stacy and I had the opportunity to visit the "Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond" exhibit at the Louisiana State Museum. I recommend this as a must-see for anyone traveling to New Orleans. It will remain open until sometime in August this year.

The museum does a great job tracking the before, during, and after of Hurricane Katrina. It also covers the history of New Orleans, including previous storms that have ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Here are some photos from the museum of damages following Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

Each Gallery has a different theme of exhibits and information...

Gallery One shows Louisiana's history with water and storms. You then move into the "Evacuation Corridor" where audio clips are played of residents trying to make the best decision as Katrina approaches. Next you go into a room with the "Storm Theater". Fans are blowing you away as you watch the storm's impact on the big screens in front of you.

In Gallery Two you find an attic similar to the one that thousands of residents were forced to wait for help. You can listen to firsthand accounts of what the families went through during those difficult and desperate days.

The museum is filled with items that have been donated to the exhibit.

Here's a photo of Fats Domino's baby grand piano found in his flooded Ninth Ward house...

Gallery Three has interactive displays where you can learn more about the levees, eroding wetlands, disaster management, and more.

And Gallery Four "celebrates recovery and promotes preparedness and showcases the ingenuity of Louisianans in rebuilding their lives and communities." (source: second article below)

Throughout the museums are dozens of videos of individuals and families telling their own survival stories.

Here are some additional photos I took of the exhibits.

147 patients in local hospitals died as temperatures rose above 100 degrees...

(Above) Giant journals on sheetrock of one homeowner who stayed in New Orleans throughout Katrina and the aftermath

You've probably seen the x's on the homes following Katrina. The diagram above describes what the numbers and abbreviations mean.

This is a real garage door donated by a NOLA resident

A teddy bear found and donated to the exhibit as a symbol of all of the personal items ruined or lost in the storm

There were several screens cycling through photos of the devastation

Mardi Gras costumes made from the blue tarps that once covered wind-damaged roofs throughout the city

Here are some photos back I took during my first visits to the Ninth Ward.

And finally, here is one of many audio clips with photos that you can watch and listen to at the exhibit. This one is about a local hero who helped rescue those stranded in their flooded homes.