JLP - In the News

Thanks to the great people at The Publicity Agency, specifically Director of Publicity and News Justin Herndon, I was able to share my story of Hurricane Katrina coverage with Tampa Bay.

I was interview by 10 News reporter Kathryn Bursch, ABC Action News reporter Jeff Butera and Fox 13 anchor Ann Dwyer. It was an honor to be interviewed and I hope I gave some insight into how covering a major hurricane looks from a photojournalist’s point of view.

If you missed the blog series and would to like read personal journal entries, see unpublished photos or leave a comment, please click here.

(CBS) 10 News interview:

Fox 13 Good Day interview:

ABC Action News interview:

There’s always a time during a disaster when feelings start to switch from desperation and chaos to generosity and normalcy.

I drove to a huge fire on Royal Street a week after Katrina hit and found that firefighters from New York were helping their NOLA brothers in need. They were all working harmoniously, even without standard fire hydrants available. Helicopters dropped tons of water on top of the blaze to keep it from spreading. No one was panicked—everyone knew they had a job to do and it didn’t matter that they weren’t on duty or that they weren’t in their home town. That’s a sign of good things to come.

Then I met Ed Garcia from Port St. Lucie, Florida. He rented a U-Haul with two friends, gathered $8,000 of their personal money and bought as much food and water as they could. They drove to Lacombe, Louisiana where no government help had arrived yet. The sight of a U-Haul truck filled with supplies was a sign that maybe someone did care about them. Maybe someone was trying to help, even if that help was offered by strangers from south Florida.

September 4, 2005 journal entry:

“I was sent out on a mission today to go to the shelter at LSU to see seven kids (coincidentally named the Love family) who are being flown to San Antonio, Texas to be reunited with their parents. There’s a mile of red tape getting into this shelter because there are medical patients and kids involved. A guard escorts us to the parking lot where the volunteers are saying goodbye to the kids as they load into a van. I’m so glad I caught them when I did! The volunteers were having a hard time letting go, as were the children. They were together for a week while the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tried to locate their parents. What amazed me about the Love family was that there were seven children under ten years old and they stuck together, found shelter, told an adult what happened and got out alive. That’s perseverance.”

The best sign of normalcy I found was when I stumbled upon Johnny White’s Sports Bar and Grill on Bourbon Street a week after Katrina made landfall. I walked in to find the bar buzzing with activity and a bartender behind the bar taking drink orders. Francis (the Times reporter) and I looked at each other like “Really?” We started talking to patrons with bandages on their hands and head who were ordering shots of Southern Comfort like it was a Friday night happy hour. And a 14-year-old cardboard sign was still taped behind the bar that read "Never Closed."

Even though I couldn’t imagine drinking alcohol at a time like that when I had lost everything, I understood the need for normalcy. Only two bars were open on Bourbon Street by then but locals were flocking to them, just to get a taste of what they knew to be real. If ordering a round of shots for your friends helps you heal, I’m all for it.

Throughout this Hurricane Katrina blog series, I’ve tried to remember the good, the bad and the ugly. I wrote this blog so people don’t forget. Just like journalists that covered 9-11 or the Tennessee floods or the BP oil spill want to bring awareness, so do I. I hope that by reading this blog, you’ve gained a new perspective on the victims, the journalists and the recovery process.

If you feel moved to help but cannot make it out to New Orleans personally, you can always make a monetary donation. I believe in donating to well-established organizations and doing your homework first before giving away your hard-earned money. The Red Cross and The Salvation Army are always accepting donations and if you want to check on a charity before donating, look them up here.

But of course, the best way to give back is to go visit "Nawlins"...grab a coffee at Cafe Du Monde, watch a Saints game at the Superdome or join in on the Mardi Gras fun.

The success of a disaster aftermath is usually determined by the response of rescue crews, volunteers and the government.

Seeing locals standing in the rain for hours on Interstate 10 at a temporary staging area was difficult. They waited for hours, sometimes all day to catch a ride on a bus headed to a shelter. They didn’t know where they were going but they knew any other place had to be better than here.

One of the uplifting parts of covering a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina is seeing all the good that comes out of a community. Rescue crews were organized and determined to get to help to as many people as possible. Most were also kind to the media by allowing reporters and photographers to do “ride-alongs” in helicopters and boats to assess the damage and talk with victims.

Volunteer Reggie Seals is a man I’ll never forget. Not only did he take me out on a boat (that I was technically not supposed to be on) but he also gave me a level of protection I didn’t know I needed. He said he would treat me like one of his daughters and make sure I got back safely.

September 5, 2005 journal entry:

“I’m not quite sure I’m going to make it through this week without losing my mind. I’m out on a boat in the middle of nowhere, breathing exhaust fumes, waiting for a rescue crew to take us out to see the damage in the worst areas. I’m hungry and I’m tired but at least I’m safe. Reggie is our boat driver and as we head out, he tells Francis [the Times reporter], ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect Jessica’. Reggie brought gloves, masks and a gun. Fantastic! I feel a little fearful that he thinks we need that.”

“As Reggie [a rescue volunteer] drives our boat towards the Ninth Ward, we meet up with another rescue crew that just is leaving the area. They said they searched for people stranded on their roofs but only found bodies floating in the water and angry, desperate people. I immediately said I wanted to go in and take some shots. One of the men in the boat took me aside and said he could not, in good conscience, let me go. He said if I went in, I’d come out a changed person. I was a little surprised by his chivalrous speech so I asked him to explain. He said people left in the Ninth Ward are armed and attempting to take over any boats that come into their neighborhood. He was afraid for me, being a young woman, that I may not make it back out…

…I have no clue what I would have found if I got to enter the Ninth Ward. I do know I have that man to thank for talking sense into me and reminding me that no photograph is worth my life.”