Dauphin Island after Katrina

Alot of you may not know it, but I met my biological father for the first time when I was 21. My Dad and his family are from Mobile, Alabama which lies on the gulf of mexico about an hour and a half to the West of New Orleans.

You see, my Grandfather whom I never got to meet died just before I was able to make it out. Consequently, I ended up staying in Alabama to help take care of my grandmother through her greaving state.

After a few months, I moved to a small Island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 5 miles off the coast of Alabama. Afterall, I am a surfer, and even if I had to surf crappy wind swell waves in the gulf, it was better than nothing.I lived in an A-fram house right on the beach with my friend Gary Sutton.

I don't want to take away from any of the attention given to other areas effected by the hurricane, but I feel that this area of Alabama could use a little more attention. The following photos show my Island after hurricane Katrina. The home I lived in is no longer there, and many of my friends homes are also destroyed.

Here it is coming in, this photo is not DI.

It started to come in Sunday morning

Had to get out by Sunday or else this.

And the aftermath

My street!

Jasons house

Carmens House

Half a house

Alligator from the fresh water lake

One of the Oil Platforms was washed into the Island

Houses Gone

Help Comes

Nothing Left

Use to be a boardwalk here

Have you seen the movie "Forrest Gump" this is Bayou La Batre which is 5 minutes from the Island. It is now a location for refugees of Katrina.

More Boats

Use to be a car

From the Air

To my friends, I wish I could be there to help you rebuild. Maybe in the coming days it will be a possibility that I can be. My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of Katrina.

David

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Comments (7)

	shaunna: 09/15/2005 2:42 PM These are amazing - in the sense of horrifying - pictures. I don't know what kind of outside arrangements are being made to help these people with supplies, but if they have an organized location to send items (and a list of what's needed) they may want to get in touch with: http://gracedavis.typepad.com/katrina blog/ She's a woman in Santa Cruz who has a blog for Direct Katrina Relief who's been working with someone in Mississippi. There's a list of sites to send items, and what's needed. Maybe these people can be added to the list. Take care.
	beachut: 09/15/2005 2:59 PM Wow, makes me think about my beachut...which is only 50 yards from the sea...Damn shame about all the houses, hope some help comes soon...great story and photos
	steve: 09/15/2005 3:36 PM damn. good photos man
	rabani: 09/15/2005 10:40 PM How do you get through this? How anyone could ever got over this?
	runemason: 09/16/2005 3:23 PM Thanks for reading guys. I talked to my friend Chad and Amy, and they are snding me more photos. The good news is that there was no deaths on the Island attributed to the Hurricane, but Alabama will not be the same without the Island. Let's see if they try to rebuild.
	babs: 09/26/2005 6:07 AM I am so sorry David
	denise: 03/10/2006 5:27 PM I understand you, a little bit. My sister lost everything (after Katrina). She lives in New Orleans.