Katrina................The Lower Ninth Ward

In 1955, Walter Harris bought a piece of land at 2144 Benton St. He built his house for 5,000 dollars and for the last 50 years that has been the home base for the Harris family. Almost every single holiday of my life has been spent at this home. Now, that house may have been totally destroyed. In 1979 my parents and grandmother bought a brick shotgun double on 5461 St. Claude St. For the last 26 years that house has been my home. No matter where I stayed, the big brick house was always my home. That house sat under 10 ft. of water for two weeks. My childhood neighborhood is gone. I hope when the developers come in and steal all the property they leave it recognizable enough for me to at least show my kids where grandpa's house used to be. Who knows what that area may become. My theory is that the area will become a scrap yard or city landfill. That way when the next great storm comes they can just flood out the ninth ward again and this time there will be no people there like when they flooded it for Katrina. I have no confidence in this area being rebuilt. All I have left are my memories of childhood. Everything else is gone.