After I returned to DC what I saw in Katrina finally sunk in and left me in a state I had never exprienced before. I felt numb. I felt guilty. It was so easy for me to leave there physically, I was flown out on a chartered jet with others from CNN. It just seemed too easy. We have that luxury.
It was most likely for that reason that I volunteered to go back the following week. I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if mentally I was ready to go back. In the end, I realized I had never left, mentally.
I arrived on Thursday and got right to work early Friday morning producing liveshots for a freelance correspondent out of Los Angeles, Dan Simon. After we were cleared by mid to late afternoon we’d go out and talk to people and look for stories to work. It wasn’t easy with the city now mostly empty but in a way, I’m glad about that. Better to see it abandoned than with people on freeways suffering in the unbearable heat without food and water.
On Bush’s third stop in the area, in between liveshots, we decided to head into the French Quarter to find a famous jazz club called Snug Harbor. Dan and my cameraman had heard that the owner had weathered the storm in his club and was staying put despite orders to evacuate even after the storm.
When we arrived police from California were canvassing the neighborhood checking in on those who stayed behind. That day they started telling residents they would not be forcing anyone out but they would stop providing food and water.
The owner of Snug Harbor is George Brumat, a slightly heavy set man in his 50s with a Santa beard. He was more than happy to talk to us and give us a tour of his accomodations inside the club. He even sang a made up tune about life returning back to normal in New Orleans and we used it in our piece. I saw him a few days later and he told me he recieved a lot of calls about his singing the day after the piece ran, I told him I’d make him a copy.
