Tampa Photography Blog

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.”