Photos and story by Monty Siekerman
Marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is an extensive display of maps in the Elzay Gallery of Art.
The maps tell the story of death and destruction that hit the Louisiana city on Aug. 29, 2005. Many of those who were displaced and disbursed never returned.
CLICK HERE for comments by Jimmy Wilson
The display, curated by Jimmy Wilson, is open from 1 to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday until Dec. 13.
Prof. Wilson was in New Orleans a decade ago, working with the Department of Transportation while completing his Ph.D. at Louisiana State University. He now teaches management and geography in the business college.
"The maps not only show the approach and aftermath of the powerful hurricane, but also tell the story of how technology has advanced," he said.
"Today we can gather information for maps and analyze the situation rapidly, then disperse the facts to people, media, and emergency responders," he explained.
"In only 10 years we have gone from what was a time-consuming effort to make maps on paper to making lifesaving information available on computers, tablets, and cellphones for everyone," he said.
Prof. Wilson even made a map for President George W. Bush when he visited to access the tragedy.
As Prof. Wilson tells the story, he had been up for several days drawing maps for emergency responders. He was finally told to go home and get some rest. Shortly thereafter, he was called back to the office to prepare maps for the President's use.
The professor occasionally returns to the Gulf Coast to visit friends. Reflecting on that tragic time, he said he does not like going into the city, knowing what it was like before the hurricane, experiencing the storm, and knowing how much yet needs to be done to rebuild.
His thoughts: the hurricane hit a city with many poor people already, the city was built mostly below sea level and should not have been built there, but it developed there because it's at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Prof. Wilson is a former village councilman. He taught in the College of Arts and Sciences for several years but joined the Business College this fall.
