K + 11, remembering

Eleven years seems like a lifetime when you look back at where you were.

And in some ways, it seems like a long time since Katrina. And in some ways she never leaves our memory.

Back then, people communicated via text messages and forums. Since Katrina Facebook, Twitter and
a myriad of other social media have taken off. I'm so glad that we have these methods of communications now.

11 years ago was the birth of the Katrina blogosphere.

Throughout the past eleven years, the areas' blogs have marked August 29th each year by saying We Are Not Okay. That sad anniversary sometimes showed things not much better than the previous year.

I can speak only for myself in saying that I guess we're okay now. But not in a lot of ways. Our coasts are still vulnerable to just the right conditions of steering currents, the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico and other things. Yet we stay. And people ask why. In the past 11 years we have seen a LOT of crazy weather, climate-change related or not. So I ask you people in tornado alley, the California coast where there are wildfires and mud slides, you guys up in the Great Lakes and Northeast with your insane winters WHY DO YOU LIVE THERE? Because you love it. That's why. So PLEASE try not to question our choice of homes.


What I'd like to do today is share - with whomever is interested - some of the most in-depth, well-written Katrina
blogs I discovered and read daily way back then and still visit them now and then.

I cyber met so many wonderful, smart, funny people thru reading their blogs. I cried, laughed, learned new words
like "fuckmook", "asshat" and the phrase "fuck you, you fucking fucks" .

Katrina was a mindfuck, and not only to the people in New Orleans. , In fact, post Katrina mental health issues may still linger in some poor souls.


Out of this group of fantastic writers was born Rising Tide, a conference about the future of New Orleans in the Post-K world. I never made it to any of the conferences (too shy, didn't feel I was "good enough" to be in the company of these people), but followed the proceedings via the NOLA Blogosphere.

Combing thru my list of Katrina related blogs created in 2006, I am making a list here of the blogs that are still available to read.

Toulouse Street , in my opinion the best Post Katrina blog. The writing, the feelings and pictures Mark Folse creates were addicting to me.

Michael Homan's account of going through the storm and the aftermath was riveting as well as heartwrenching.

Mosquito Coast, written by Swampwoman. You'll get a good feeling of how it was back in July of 2006.

After the Deluge, by Josh Newfeld . Josh remembers events via comics (not the funny kind), using real people's experiences after the flood.

Varg Vargas, an artist and reverend, recalls the haunting and hilarious after the storm in New Orleans.

NOLAblogger brings back those "great memories" from 2006.

Library Chronicles . Jeffrey - who acts like the grumpy old man he WILL BE in 40 or so years - will give you a great perspective of what was happening in his world back then.

Metroblogging New Orleans. Check out the list on the right side of the screen for the blog authors. The ones that begin with 'no_' are your post Katrina blog observations. Good reading here. Especially Craig.

Bayou Creole, written by a now Facebook friend.

And last, my blog posts beginning in 2006. I was new to blogging and wanted to get the truth out there, that's why I started: to tell the world out there the TRUTH.

If you read any of the links above, I hope you will come away with a bigger picture in your mind about the way this area has healed since Katrina the bitch visited us. Thanks to all.