‘Faces of Katrina’ Shows Amazing Family Photos That Survived the Hurricane
When Hurricane Katrina spun through New Orleans 10 years ago, the Crescent City’s residents scattered. Many suffered catastrophes — the loss of homes, cars, precious heirlooms — but as this photographer’s collection of water-damaged family photos proves, the little losses have just as much power to move us as the big ones.
Full Coverage: Hurricane Katrina 10 Years Later
After the hurricane, photojournalist Charles Ommanney discovered a somber souvenir of the storm’s aftermath: physical photos left behind by families who had fled.
“All around, one was surrounded by what looked like a nuclear aftermath,” Ommanney told the Huffington Post. “We started clambering through piles of rubble, and there they were. In virtually every garden, people’s personal photo albums lay strewn among the wreckage of their former lives.”
The mud-, salt-, and water-stained photographs were damaged in evocative ways, inspiring Ommanney to create a photo series called Faces of Katrina, some of which we’ve highlighted here.
“The salt in the water had grossly distorted the images and in one go told the story of how the great storm had changed everything.”
One particular set of images has stuck with Ommanney, even 10 years later.
“I still find the images of the families vacationing by the water that would eventually consume their lives very chilling,” he said.
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