Skip to main content

Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish The first set of images are of the…

Child's drawing in purple and black pen on lined paper showing a boat with four passengers (labeled K, R, J, H) floating near a smaller vessel carrying a car, with city buildings and smoke in the background.
Child's drawing in purple and black pen on lined paper showing a boat with passengers labeled with initials (K, R, J, H), floating near a smaller boat with an airplane and car, and a city skyline with smoke.
Hand-drawn illustration on lined paper of a school bus with star-patterned windows and a driver, beside five labeled stick-figure children (K, R, M, H, J) walking with bags, one wearing a cowboy hat.
Child's hand-drawn pen illustration on lined paper showing a large twin-rotor helicopter with figures labeled Kenny, Michelle, Hethar, Rosdie, and Uncle Jeff walking toward it, alongside a separate figure labeled "H.J."

Collection

Do You Know What it Means

Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish

The first set of images are of the Belair Cemetery, on the East side of the Mississippi in Plaquimines Parish. The cemetery once belonged to the Diamond family, who had a plantation home on the property adjacent to where the cemetery is. Is is said that slaves are buried there and also Jeff Chauppetta's grandfather, Salvadore Chaupetta. In 1980 Jeff Chauppetta visited the cemetery with his father to learn more about his grandfather's life. His grandfather's tomb was the only remaining one in the Belair Cemetery. In 2000 Jeff began cleaning up his grandfather's gravesite and served as the unofficial caretaker of the cemetery until Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. When Jeff ran out of film he began to draw pictures of his family's experience post-Katrina.

Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish

The first set of images are of the Belair Cemetery, on the East side of the Mississippi in Plaquimines Parish. The cemetery once belonged to the Diamond family, who had a plantation home on the property adjacent to where the cemetery is. Is is said that slaves are buried there and also Jeff Chauppetta's grandfather, Salvadore Chaupetta. In 1980 Jeff Chauppetta visited the cemetery with his father to learn more about his grandfather's life. His grandfather's tomb was the only remaining one in the Belair Cemetery. In 2000 Jeff began cleaning up his grandfather's gravesite and served as the unofficial caretaker of the cemetery until Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. When Jeff ran out of film he began to draw pictures of his family's experience post-Katrina.

Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish

The first set of images are of the Belair Cemetery, on the East side of the Mississippi in Plaquimines Parish. The cemetery once belonged to the Diamond family, who had a plantation home on the property adjacent to where the cemetery is. Is is said that slaves are buried there and also Jeff Chauppetta's grandfather, Salvadore Chaupetta. In 1980 Jeff Chauppetta visited the cemetery with his father to learn more about his grandfather's life. His grandfather's tomb was the only remaining one in the Belair Cemetery. In 2000 Jeff began cleaning up his grandfather's gravesite and served as the unofficial caretaker of the cemetery until Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. When Jeff ran out of film he began to draw pictures of his family's experience post-Katrina.

Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish

The first set of images are of the Belair Cemetery, on the East side of the Mississippi in Plaquimines Parish. The cemetery once belonged to the Diamond family, who had a plantation home on the property adjacent to where the cemetery is. Is is said that slaves are buried there and also Jeff Chauppetta's grandfather, Salvadore Chaupetta. In 1980 Jeff Chauppetta visited the cemetery with his father to learn more about his grandfather's life. His grandfather's tomb was the only remaining one in the Belair Cemetery. In 2000 Jeff began cleaning up his grandfather's gravesite and served as the unofficial caretaker of the cemetery until Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. When Jeff ran out of film he began to draw pictures of his family's experience post-Katrina.

Original title

Item 26109

Citation

“Jeff Chauppetta, age 53, resident of St. Bernard Parish The first set of images are of the…,” Hurricane Digital Memory Bank, accessed November 3, 2026, https://hurricanearchive.org/items/show/26109.