hurricane katrina

Gustav in the Gulf: Here we go again?

A.D.

The third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina has just passed, and now another huge storm — Gustav — is bearing down on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, with forecasts of it hitting the area late Monday. Predicting a hurricane’s path is a very imperfect science, so it’s possible the city may dodge the bullet (as it had so many times in the past—before Katrina). But Katrina taught us that it’s far better to be safe than sorry.

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin called Gustav “the storm of the century” and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city today. Thousands of people are streaming out of the region as I write this. Things seem to be proceeding much more smoothly this time than in 2005, with government agencies working together to provide transportation options for just about everybody. Trains and buses are ferrying evacuees to Alexandria, Shreveport, and other northern Louisiana locations—and this time people can take their pets. To deter looting, the National Guard plans on sending a lot more troops into the city this time around. As an incentive to get everyone to leave, New Orleans is not providing any “shelters of last resort” (like the Convention Center or the Superdome), which seeing what happened at those places after Katrina might be a good thing. Even though the levees have been repaired and “shored up” since Katrina, they are still not designed to withstand more than a Category 3 hurricane; Gustav could end up as a Category 5.

The A.D. characters are all preparing for the storm in their own ways.

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"A.D." Epilogue: "Picking Up The Pieces"

A.D.

A.D.: New Orleans After the DelugeJust in time for the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (and in the shadow of the approaching Tropical Storm Gustav), SMITH has just posted the final chapter of "A.D."

Finally, after a year and a half, and 15 chapters, "A.D." concludes its online run with a final look at all our characters. In this extra-long chapter — which picks up a year and a half after the hurricane — we find out about Denise’s escape from the Convention Center; Hamid & Mansell’s rescue from the flooded store; Kevin’s years-long odyssey; the Doctor’s formation of the New Orleans Health Dept. in Exile; and Leo & Michelle’s return to their flooded home. And your humble author even makes a guest appearance.

On this third anniversary of Katrina (and on behalf of SMITH), I want to thank every reader, blogger, journalist, and teacher who believed in "A.D." And of course a special thanks to Denise, the Doctor, Leo, Michelle, Hamid, and Kevin, all of whom courageously and graciously shared their stories with us.

Now, I will get to work on expanding "A.D." into a full-length book from Pantheon (due out NEXT summer, on Katrina’s 4th anniversary).

Read "A.D."’s final online installment: "Picking Up the Pieces": http://www.smithmag.net/afterthedeluge/2008/08/28/chapter-14/

"A.D." Chapter 13: "If It's The Last Thing We Ever Do…"

A.D.

A.D. chapter 13A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge returns with a new installment, “If It’s The Last Thing We Ever Do…” Denise and her family are still trapped at the New Orleans Convention Center. The New Orleans police roll by in armored SWAT vehicles, with rifles loaded — but no food or water. This penultimate chapter of the A.D. saga on SMITH tells the real story of what went down at the Convention Center in the days after Hurricane Katrina.

A.D. Chapter 13 — FREE — on SMITH.

Vision Festival XIII panel discussion with yours truly

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Like comics? Enjoy cutting-edge music? Interested in what’s going on with New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina? Then come to:

NEW ORLEANS: Culture, Crisis, and Community — a panel discussion
How can music help heal New Orleans? What role should the arts play in rebuilding communities? Why does this city’s storied culture find itself embattled? Why are so many residents still displaced or homeless?

Moderator: Larry Blumenfeld, journalist
Panelists: Kalamu ya Salaam, poet/activist; Kent Jordan, musician/educator; Josh Neufeld [aka

[info]4_eyez

], cartoonist/Red Cross volunteer; Emmanuel Pratt, urban planning researcher/digital media artist; others

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008, 5pm (until about 6:30)

Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center
107 Suffolk Street
New York NY 10002

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Presented by the 13th annual VISION FESTIVAL as a prelude to Wednesday night’s Lifetime Achievement Celebration of Edward “Kidd” Jordan
www.visionfestival.org

"A.D." Chapter 12: "Section H"

A.D.

A.D. chapter 12A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge returns with a new installment, “Section H.” It is Thursday, September 1st, three days after the hurricane and two days after the city began flooding. Denise and her family, having been dropped off at the New Orleans Convention Center, find themselves stranded and abandoned, surrounded by thousands of other refugees. And from there things only get worse.

A.D. Chapter 12 — FREE — on SMITH. Read. Comment. Make my day. Make my month!

"A.D." Chapter 11: "Diaspora"

A.D.

a.d. chapter 11A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge returns with a new installment, “Diaspora.” In this chapter, Hamid & Mansell discover how dangerous the flooded store can be. Meanwhle, Leo & Michelle realize that they are down to their last few dollars. Nursing a Starbucks coffee in Houston, they try to figure out what to do next. In Tallahassee, Kevin’s parents deliver unwelcome news. And we return to Hamid’s store, where his concern for Mansell’s well-being intensifies. All this and more in “Diaspora.”

A.D. Chapter 11 — FREE — on Smith. Read. Comment. Make my day.

"A.D." Chapter 10: "Something In The Water"

A.D.

Just posted on the spiffy redesigned SMITH site is A.D. Chapter 10: “Something In The Water.” In this episode, the Doctor administers first aid to Katrina survivors gathered at (of course) a Bourbon Street bar. Meanwhile, Hamid & Mansell wade through the chest-high flood waters to bring much needed drinking water to an elderly neighbor. Back in Tallahassee, Kevin and his brothers learn the extent and seriousness of the flooding. And Denise and her family arrive at the Convention Center. And of course the A.D. site features all the usual links, resources, audio clips, press clips, and message board chatter.

Check out Chapter 10 — FREE — on Smith…

"A.D." Chapter 9!!!

A.D.

a.d. chapter 9After a bit of a hiatus, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge is back, with a new installment, “Neutral Ground.” In this chapter, we check in with Hamid & Mansell as they wake up from a long night on the roof of Hamid’s maintenance shed. The mosquitoes were out in full force — and other critters are about as well. Meanwhile, Denise & her family have momentarily escaped the water, and are waiting for transport out of the flooded city. And in Houston, Leo & Michelle are using the Internet to determine how much water hit their neighborhood. It is Wednesday, August 31, two days after Katrina.

Check out Chapter 9 — FREE — on Smith…

A.D. Chapter 8: "The Bowl Effect" (Part 2)

A.D.

Chapter 8, the latest episode of A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, is now up at SMITH. Titled “The Bowl Effect, Part 2,” it shows the post-Katrina flooding of New Orleans — through the eyes of grocery store-owner Hamid and his pal Mansell. Reluctant to abandon the store and fearful of looters, the two men hunker down in the rising waters.

Check it out here (where you can also catch up with the whole story, from the very first chapter, as well as read a sampling of some of the wonderful media coverage we’ve been receiving).

Please leave a comment on the site, if you’re so inclined! We love feedback.

Also, if you’re in NYC this evening, why not drop by the Comic Book Club: A Live Weekly Talk Show about Comic Books. Hosted by Justin Tyler, Pete LePage, and Alex Zalben, it features dangoldman aka Dan Goldman (Shooting War),jahfurry aka Jeff Newelt (SMITH Comix Editor, Heeb), and 4_eyez aka Josh Neufeld aka yours truly (A.D., American Splendor)

Tuesday, November 20 @ 8:00 PM.
The Peoples Improv Theater: 154 West 29th Street, 2nd Floor (between 6th and 7th Aves.)
Tickets: $5
Phone: 1-800-838-3006; Questions? 212-563-7488