Hurricane Katrina Tours-NOLA

[caesar68]

I am sure eventually this thread will get bumped but I am hoping to get some quick responses...

I am looking for some information about the Hurricane Katrina tours offered in New Orleans. I heard there are some good ones and some not so good ones.....Looking for some feedback from NOLA visitors or residents.

Thanks!!!

[MikeM]

I am sure eventually this thread will get bumped but I am hoping to get some quick responses...

 

I am looking for some information about the Hurricane Katrina tours offered in New Orleans. I heard there are some good ones and some not so good ones.....Looking for some feedback from NOLA visitors or residents.

 

Thanks!!!

You have to be kidding! Hope it gets bumped asap.

How about a Haiti tour - geese...

[FightOnRon]

It's like here in Los Angeles they have the ghetto tour where you can tour south-central LA and see the birthplace of the LA gangs,,crips and bloods. Why would anyone want to see that,,and why would anyone want to be a disaster tourist?

 

Grab a hammer and a shovel and go help them out if thats what you want to see.

[caesar68]

You have to be kidding! Hope it gets bumped asap.

How about a Haiti tour - geese...

 

 

Actually I heard that it is quite historical and informational. I heard with some tours most monies go to charity....that is what I am looking for.

[firefly333]

I can see your interest, sorry about the negative posts.

 

Galveston has a high water mark drawn on a building from where the water reached during Ike that Iv seen too.

[GlendaleCruiser]

I worked on a Habitat for Humanity build in Covington and we went to NOLA for a day. There is a Gray Line cruise shack next to the Cafe du Monde. The tour gives some of the proceeds to rebuilding. They take you to the levees that broke and are now repaired and you can see how low the homes are next to them (and imagine what they went through). They take you by the golf course that was washed away and provided an enormous amount of money for NOLA park and rec through high-class, high-dollar tournaments. They take you to St. Bernard's parish and show you where Harry Connick Jr. has sponsored refurbishing some homes (another Habitat project) for muscians who cannot afford to do it themselves. Most of the FEMA trailers were gone when we went (2007) and it is historical. This isn't anything new. Alaska used to have earthquake damage tours.

[1980dory]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.

As to tours: Your reasoning would preclude a tour of Mt. St Helens, a Titanic exhibit, ground zero at Hiroshima, a **** concentration camp, Pompeii, WWII bunkers in the white cliffs of Dover, the Normandy Beaches, ground zero at the world trade center, Dealy Plaza in Dallas, or for that matter, any place where someone died, to include cemetaries, churches, etc.

Don't be so quick to judge the motivation of others. I doubt if there are many who have macabre intentions. For most, such tours can be a real educational experience and nothing more.

As a Katrina survivor, I am happy to share my experiences with others who are interested in what happened here.

[MszKitty]

I worked on a Habitat for Humanity build in Covington and we went to NOLA for a day. There is a Gray Line cruise shack next to the Cafe du Monde. The tour gives some of the proceeds to rebuilding. They take you to the levees that broke and are now repaired and you can see how low the homes are next to them (and imagine what they went through). They take you by the golf course that was washed away and provided an enormous amount of money for NOLA park and rec through high-class, high-dollar tournaments. They take you to St. Bernard's parish and show you where Harry Connick Jr. has sponsored refurbishing some homes (another Habitat project) for muscians who cannot afford to do it themselves. Most of the FEMA trailers were gone when we went (2007) and it is historical. This isn't anything new. Alaska used to have earthquake damage tours.

 

My sister & I took this tour while we were on a land vacation in NOLA. At first, I was a bit hesitate but she really wanted to do it. I am so glad she talked me into it. While the touristy areas of NOLA are up and working, it shows that there is still ALOT of work to be done to help those areas. It it a part of history that needs to be shared. Photos and newsfilm don't capture the reality of it.

 

I highly recommend it.

[FightOnRon]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.

As to tours: Your reasoning would preclude a tour of Mt. St Helens, a Titanic exhibit, ground zero at Hiroshima, a **** concentration camp, Pompeii, WWII bunkers in the white cliffs of Dover, the Normandy Beaches, ground zero at the world trade center, Dealy Plaza in Dallas, or for that matter, any place where someone died, to include cemetaries, churches, etc.

Don't be so quick to judge the motivation of others. I doubt if there are many who have macabre intentions. For most, such tours can be a real educational experience and nothing more.

As a Katrina survivor, I am happy to share my experiences with others who are interested in what happened here.

 

The part that rubs me wrong is some company making a profit out of others misery, when many are still feeling the pain. I would love to hear the stories of survival (I just recently met a WWII vet who was on the beach on Normandie,,,just amazing) and if the people that survived the misery can benefit out of thier tales I am 100% behind it.

 

If there are Katrina tours that help the people that survived by somehow putting money back into thier community and educates people so that we can learn from the errors of others (for example whomever built those levees) I would say it great,,,but if some tour company just drives tourists around and keeps all the profit for themselves,,IMHO that is just wrong.

[MszKitty]

The part that rubs me wrong is some company making a profit out of others misery, when many are still feeling the pain. I would love to hear the stories of survival (I just recently met a WWII vet who was on the beach on Normandie,,,just amazing) and if the people that survived the misery can benefit out of thier tales I am 100% behind it.

 

If there are Katrina tours that help the people that survived by somehow putting money back into thier community and educates people so that we can learn from the errors of others (for example whomever built those levees) I would say it great,,,but if some tour company just drives tourists around and keeps all the profit for themselves,,IMHO that is just wrong.

 

 

Actually....the bus driver and the tour guide were both Katrina survivors. So working for the tour company helps them. They felt very passionate about this tour as it helped educate others about how far they still have to go

[Sargent_Schultz]

Actually the local president of Greyline lost his house in Katrina and conceived the tour. While the tourist areas are fine, much of the residential areas still need work. People need to know the job isn't done. I'm all for anything that brings money into the area and helps the recovery.

 

Besides Greyline, there is also Tours by Isabelle which has been featured in the press: http://www.toursbyisabelle.com/tours_neworleans.html

There are others, and some people even just rent a taxi for a few hours, but now sure how many are decent tour guides.

 

One of the films at the Imax theater downtown is Hurricane on the Bayou - very good sound track and very informative about the wetlands destruction that allowed so much water to innudate the city.

 

Yes, Mississippi was ground zero for Katrina, but the area isn't as populated and it isn't the bowl that New Orleans is. I was lucky enough to be in Biloxi for Camille and that was bad enough.

 

For those who can't make it or don't want to, here is a Katrina tour or two in a nutshell, including some pictures from Mississippi a year after the storm:

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.com/katrina/index.htm

[jamstew]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.

 

Well said. Having lived in MS for several years and having many, many friends on the coast who lost everything, I was appalled that the state got so little attention.

[caesar68]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.

 

No I didn't know that. Now I have to investigate Waveland....:rolleyes:

As to tours: Your reasoning would preclude a tour of Mt. St Helens, a Titanic exhibit, ground zero at Hiroshima, a **** concentration camp, Pompeii, WWII bunkers in the white cliffs of Dover, the Normandy Beaches, ground zero at the world trade center, Dealy Plaza in Dallas, or for that matter, any place where someone died, to include cemetaries, churches, etc.

 

In fact I have been to many of these places both here and abroad. What can I say I am a history buff.

Don't be so quick to judge the motivation of others. I doubt if there are many who have macabre intentions. For most, such tours can be a real educational experience and nothing more.

 

Thanks for your support. I can assure that there are no macabre intentions with my post or interest.

[caesar68]

If there are Katrina tours that help the people that survived by somehow putting money back into thier community and educates people so that we can learn from the errors of others (for example whomever built those levees) I would say it great,,,but if some tour company just drives tourists around and keeps all the profit for themselves,,IMHO that is just wrong.

 

Exactly why I was looking for information....glad you put the "flame" out and we can agree on this.

[Traveler353]

While New Orleans can use the income generated from any kind of tourism if you want to see where Hurricane Katrina actually hit come on over to the the Missisippi Gulf Coast. If it had not been for the levees breaking NOLA would have little to no damage. The towns of Waveland/Bay Saint Louis were for all practical purposes destroyed. The media has been able to rewrite history but those of us who live here and survived will not let the truth be forgetten.

[futaba951]

While New Orleans can use the income generated from any kind of tourism if you want to see where Hurricane Katrina actually hit come on over to the the Missisippi Gulf Coast. If it had not been for the levees breaking NOLA would have little to no damage. The towns of Waveland/Bay Saint Louis were for all practical purposes destroyed. The media has been able to rewrite history but those of us who live here and survived will not let the truth be forgetten.

 

We are actually contractors to HUD, but became defacto contractors to FEMA immediately after Katrina, so we had access to areas where the public was not being allowed. We have photos from Pascagoula of furniture and clothing and other stuff perched up in tree branches 25 feet up in the trees. We have photos of slabs and lots that were so literally swept clean by the storm surge that it looked like a ready clean building site. Nothing to indicate that a house was ever there except the slab. I have a couple cousins in NOLA that would show their rotting and molding houses to anyone interested. They have all moved north of the lake now, but still have to maintain their yards to keep from being fined even though their houses are uninhabitable and will have to be torn down.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Yes, the people of Mississippi are to be commended for pulling them selves up by their bootstraps and rebuilding. I am sure there is more to be done there, too. I remember seeing pics of Trent Lott's home gone from the slab. If that one tree hadn't been there, you would never have believed it was the same lot. I am glad to hear that Jefferson Davis' home has been restored again also, after the extensive damage it sustained.

 

We only went to NOLA because we were in Covington. Not my favorite place, but wonderful cafe au lait and beignets.

[getmeontheship]

After the storm that is all you heard about was New Orleans and how bad they had it. Well we had Katrina come on shore in Bay St. louis an you do not hear any thing about us. There is still people trying to put their lives back together. We had the winds and they had a levee brake and cause all their damage. Come to the Mississippi Gulf Coast an tour it .

[jenelizab]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.quote]

 

Very sorry to hear your experience, congrats on surviving...this is how these things always are, though. I survived the Mississippi Flood of 1993, we lived in a town of about 50 people. But watching the national news you would think it only affected St. Louis, never mind that STL had a 50 ft concrete wall protecting it, and we had a dirt levee we sandbagged ourselves (with the help of the incredibly awesome National Guard) to get to 49.75 feet, the river crested by us at 49.5. Never mind all the communities which weren't as lucky as us. The media goes with the biggest stories (and the places with the nicest hotel accommodations?)

 

These are the things you have to laugh at to keep from crying...also I learned a very valuable lesson at a very young age: Never trust what you see on the news!!

[conchead]

For years my wife and I have wanted to move to Biloxi..or right around there,

Pass Christian, Long Beach..somewhere in that area.

We had been making several trips a year just visiting and getting a feel for the area.

 

We had been there just 2 weeks before the storm hit.

Our first trip back after Katrina was truely shocking. It reminded me of photos of a place that had been nuked. This was just less than 4 months after Katrina. We went driving around and taking pics and video, to show others what the news didn't show. NOLA got all of the attention, Mississippi went virtually unnoticed.

 

We stayed at the IP (formerly Imperial Palace) and basically at that time the only place a visitor could get a room. After riding around we came back and hooked the video camera to the TV. I rewound the tape and hit play.

 

I didn't know that I had the same tape in from the visit before Katrina. The video started right at the end of our last trip, Pre Katrina. We weren't expecting that. When it switched to the newly taped part. I was standing within a few feet of where the first part left off. We were both in shock, it was like the difference of night and day. We both almost cried at what we saw.

The people of Mississippi stood up and got to work, they didn't wait on the govt to come and take care of them.

 

They did what they had to do.

No one was going to do it for them.

[lizzytobias]

The part that rubs me wrong is some company making a profit out of others misery, when many are still feeling the pain. I would love to hear the stories of survival (I just recently met a WWII vet who was on the beach on Normandie,,,just amazing) and if the people that survived the misery can benefit out of thier tales I am 100% behind it.

 

If there are Katrina tours that help the people that survived by somehow putting money back into thier community and educates people so that we can learn from the errors of others (for example whomever built those levees) I would say it great,,,but if some tour company just drives tourists around and keeps all the profit for themselves,,IMHO that is just wrong.

 

Any way you get people spending money down there, you are helping to refurbish the community. They are doing AMAZING things with NOLA, and I encourage anyone to visit; it's an amazing place. But even riding the trolley down to through the Garden District shows just how terrible the damage really was. The most beautiful neighborhoods are still rebuilding.

[Sargent_Schultz]

The part that rubs me wrong is some company making a profit out of others misery, when many are still feeling the pain. I would love to hear the stories of survival (I just recently met a WWII vet who was on the beach on Normandie,,,just amazing) and if the people that survived the misery can benefit out of thier tales I am 100% behind it.

 

 

Speaking of WWII, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans is also well worth a visit:

 

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/

[hankandteri]

To the OPs original question:

 

I'm a longtime New Orleanian (15 years) who moved after Katrina. The Katrina tour offered by Gray Line comes highly recommended. I've never taken the tour (I lived it and that was enough), but friends who have gone on this tour say it was enlightening and well worth it. Just Google Gray Lines New Orleans and you'll get all the information you need.

[gtalum]

Did you know that Hurricane Katrina actually came ashore at Waveland, MISSISSIPPI? Waveland is not a big place, so the media ignored it. They could make a bigger story out of New Orleans and so ignored many of these little 'facts'.

 

The media didn't ignore where Katrina came ashore. The fact is the magnitude of the total damage and the toll of human lives was just significantly larger in New Orleans.

[1980dory]

I really do appreaciate everyone's comments and understanding! I have actually had people from 'up north' argue with me that Katrina did not hit Mississippi because they heard it on the news!

It was an absolute atrocity that all those peole were left in the Superdome for two weeks. That indeed was big news and those responsible should still have to pay.

Another big story the rest of the world is unaware of is the second 'hurricane' that hit after Katrina. I refer to the wholesale and massive rape of policyholders by the insurance industry after Katrina.

For those contemplating a move to the MS Gulf Coast, everyone will welcome you! But look out for the horrendous home owners insurance rates (IF you can even get insured)! Rates increased as much as five times after Katrina!

We here on the coast can come to accept the destruction of Katrina. But its very difficult to accept the damage by the insurance industry.

Rest assured that ANY tour of our coast or NOLA will be a benefit to the area and help everyone get back on their feet.;)