Skip to main content

-

Hurricane Archive

Collecting and Preserving the Stories of Katrina and Rita

Advanced Search

The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University and the University of New Orleans organized the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank (HDMB) in 2005 in partnership with many national and Gulf Coast area organizations and individuals. HDMB was awarded the Award of Merit for Leadership in History, and is the largest free public archive of Katrina and Rita with over 25,000 items in the collection. Read More.

Items tagged “Hurricane” (229 total)

I thought hurricane Katrina was a joke. The previous year we had a huge hurricane warning…

I thought hurricane Katrina was a joke. The previous year we had a huge hurricane warning…

Damaged house with mauve siding, broken window panes, and spray-painted markings "9-21" and "NE" on the wall; overgrown grass and weeds in front, with debris scattered below the window.

Quiet residential street with a dark sedan, white trailers and RVs parked along the road, utility poles with wires overhead, and an overcast sky.

Quiet residential street with single-story brick homes, one showing roof damage, under an overcast sky; a fire hydrant, utility poles, and a few parked vehicles line the empty road.

Damaged storefront with a torn roof and boarded windows next to a "Philadelphia Ministries" sign displaying a partial message, with yellow parking bumpers and a quiet street in the background.

city of brotherly love

A red minivan severely damaged with its roof torn open and side door missing, sitting on muddy ground amid storm debris and damaged trees.

Weathered white house with a rusted roof, boarded windows, and a chain-link fence overgrown with vegetation; spray-painted markings including "910," an X symbol, and "9-22" appear on the facade, likely a post-hurricane search/status marking.

A wrecked, overturned red and maroon airplane is tangled in bare trees amid storm debris, with a man in a green jumpsuit walking nearby to assess the damage.

Unhappy Anniversary

A young man in a brown t-shirt smiles at the camera near a gray military helicopter with spinning rotor blades, while personnel in uniforms and helmets unload boxes and water in the background.

Bent traffic signal poles stand empty of lights above a sandy lot, with scattered streetlights and a tree line under a partly cloudy sky.

Where Traffic Lights Once Stood

A roadside scene with a tall, stripped sign frame missing its panels, a golden-arches sign in the background, and a "Brooks Plumbing, Inc." billboard beside an empty lot.

Destroyed Signs

A severely bent metal sign post leans at a sharp angle over an empty, overgrown lot, its sign frame twisted and stripped bare, set against a partly cloudy sky.

Ultimate Display of Power

Rusted hull of the "S.S. Hurricane Camille" shrimp boat sits grounded in a grassy field beside a roadway, with a car side mirror visible in the foreground and a billboard in the background.

Shrimp Boat Tossed Like A Toy

A storm-damaged, roofless building with rusted metal sheeting sits overgrown with vegetation beside a highway, debris scattered around it under a clear sky.

More Katrina Aftermath

Cracked, empty parking lot with faded lane markings and weeds growing through the pavement, bordered by a low concrete wall, light poles, and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Another Block, Another Foundation

Elevated concrete building with its ground-floor walls stripped away, leaving exposed support columns; a yellow fire hydrant stands on the grassy curb in front, with a boat visible through the open structure beyond.

Saved by Breakaway Walls

View from inside a vehicle on a coastal roadway with traffic signals overhead, a car ahead, and a collapsed wooden dock structure lying along the shoreline to the left.

A row of storm-damaged buildings with sections wrapped in white Tyvek weatherproofing, open garage bays, and a leaning sign post, set beside an empty road and grassy field under power lines.

Repairing What Has Been Lost

Concrete steps and rubble remain where a church once stood, with a yellow and white banner in front, street lamps nearby, and a cloudy sky overhead.

The First Thing We Saw

Damaged McDonald's sign with bent golden arches stands beside power lines and a storm-damaged lot with debris, viewed from inside a vehicle with a side mirror reflecting a passenger's arm.

No Longer \"Lovin\' It\"

Abandoned multi-story motel with boarded windows and a chain-link fence surrounding an empty, overgrown parking lot; a faded sign reads "Special" and a banner advertises "the Best Choice in Spray-On Liner."

Wasted Best Western

Tall construction cranes line the side of a long bridge over open water, photographed from inside a car with the side mirror visible in the foreground.

Lake Ponch Bridge

View from a boat railing across murky water toward curled slabs of broken concrete flooring and a brick building reading "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL," with rail tank cars parked alongside.

Yes, That\'s Cement

A displaced floating dock sits grounded along a tree-lined riverbank, surrounded by murky brown water under a hazy sky.

A stained interior wall with mold spots, a taped paper reading "After every miracle there is life" above a newspaper clipping, with a blue and black jacket hanging to the left.

Narrow hallway with mold or water-damage spots covering the walls, leading to a window and doorway at the end; a metal floor grate is visible in the foreground.

Water-damaged room with a wooden table holding newspapers, cloth, and a puzzle box; a "Family 6 Game Center" box sits below, surrounded by charred, soot-covered debris on the floor.

Exterior view of the Superdome with a large banner reading "REOPENING 9-24-2006 GO SAINTS," trees and smaller buildings in the foreground, under a partly cloudy sky.

Suuuuuper Dooome

Aerial view of a white RV with an awning extended and a dark pickup truck parked on grass beneath an elevated roadway, with railroad tracks and support pillars visible in the background.

Large white banner on a building reading "REOPENING 9-24-2006 GO SAINTS," featuring an Atlanta Falcons helmet and a New Orleans Saints helmet, with trees visible below.

Group of people stand outside a brick house examining a white door marked with spray-painted orange symbols, near a mailbox numbered 6055; one person wears a shirt reading "Tunnel of Oppression."

Interior of a flood-damaged car showing dirty, mildew-stained seats, a chunk of concrete debris on the driver's seat, and a yellow plastic fuse box or storage case wedged against the door.

Interior room with pink walls and ceiling heavily covered in dark mold growth; a small framed picture hangs on the wall, with a wooden plank and outlet visible below.

Green "CAVALLO" charter bus parked on a residential street beside a sidewalk with scattered debris and weeds, with houses, parked cars, and utility poles visible in the background under an overcast sky.

Interior of a storm-damaged room with peeling, water-stained walls, a doorway, and a built-in shelf unit; two people wearing dust masks and gloves stand near a worn sofa under a ceiling fan.

A residential street with a damaged roof on a brick house, a parked silver sedan, a wooden fence, trash bags on the grass, and bare trees under an overcast sky.

A closet or storage area with severe mold damage on the walls and ceiling, with plastic-wrapped packages on a shelf and various clothing items hanging on a rod below.

Interior room with heavy black and brown mold covering the walls and ceiling corner, torn curtains hanging by a window, and three picture frames mounted on the moldy wall above cluttered furniture.

Mold-covered walls and ceiling surround a debris-filled room with a rusted desk, overturned bucket, wall clock, and framed document, evidence of severe flood damage from Hurricane Katrina.

A damaged house from Katrina

Damaged pink-walled room with extensive black mold on the walls and ceiling, a broken louvered window, and a framed sign reading "AMANDA" hanging on the wall.

Damaged, mud-caked bathroom with a grime-covered toilet and sink, a striped towel hanging on a rack, and a checkered shower curtain, showing extensive flood damage and debris on the floor.

Water-damaged room with peeling, stained wood paneling, a torn curtain hanging from a barred window, an overturned wooden chair, and a wall-mounted telephone with dangling cord.

A group of volunteers wearing protective masks and gloves, with shirts reading "Illinois State," "We Ain't Got Time To Breathe," and "Making a Difference," line up to enter a brick house.

Outside a hurricane damaged house

Folded white t-shirts printed with "Girls Gone Wild" above two orange hurricane-shaped graphics labeled "Katrina" and "Rita," with "New Orleans" text beneath.

Hurricanes Uncensored

Mold-covered walls surround a wrecked room with an overturned wooden table and chairs, debris-strewn floor, a brick fireplace with mirror, and a soiled couch in the foreground.

Inside a hurricane damaged house

Three framed waterfall pictures hang on a badly water-stained and moldy wall inside a damaged house, with a metal cabinet visible in the lower right corner.

Inside a hurricane damaged house

Three framed waterfall photographs hang on a water-stained wall, the center one inscribed with the Serenity Prayer text in white script.

The Serenity Prayer

A brick house with a plywood-covered garage door spray-painted with "SEE U SOON" in white letters, address numbers 7821 mounted beside an arched window.

Framed Serenity Prayer print with waterfall imagery hangs on a stained, water-damaged wall, flanked by other picture frames with fogged or discolored glass.

Inside a hurricane damaged house

Heavy black mold covers the walls and ceiling of a child's room, with a floral border near the ceiling and faded Winnie the Pooh decals still visible amid the damage.

Inside a hurricane damaged house