Views of the devastation

Houses were marked with spray paint as they were inspected for survivors to let other rescuers know what was found or wasn't.

Cars had been lifted by the waters and deposited wherever they sank as the waters receeded.

This was a dog care place and when the hurricane was coming, the workers left the dogs in their kennels inside to die.

Boats of all shapes and sizes were picked up and placed on land in many different places. This was still in the boat arena, but on land.

This boat ended up in the backyard on a 6' fence.

This one went through the front window of this home.

Here is a bus that was abandoned. We weren't sure why there was black material on it as you see it here.

Many fires happened after the waters receeded as this building show.

This became a problem for most homes as people returned to them. Their fridges had been without electricity and mold grew inside. They became unusable ever again as well as units that caused much sickness to the people who opened them.

Someone had come back to this home. You can tell by the little pumpkins lined up on the front porch in time for Halloween.

This sofa is no longer in the home where there was obviously a child who used to sit on it. Notice the teddy bear still on it?

Many homes were moved off their foundations and deposited in the streets. Many of the residents still had a positive attitude even after all their losses. This was noticable when driving around a home that was sitting in the middle of a street and upon looking back at it - we saw a sign saying wicked witch, with an arrow pointing down to a pair of red and white striped stockings apearing out from under the house.

I wonder who got the ruby slippers?

When the waters flooded the homes, some of them couldn't handle the pressure and the house exploded from the pressure.

Many of the homes just completely fell apart.

The homes that survived started to grow mold everywhere.

This was a kitchen which is now full of mold.

This was a moving van that was deposited on a fence next to a home.

Mud was everywhere. Now dry and hard to walk on, you could chip it off in chunks, but you wouldn't want to as it really stank.

Another view of a building which caught fire.

In order to repair their homes, drywall and the insulation had to be removed that had been under water. The beams of the homes had to be treated with mold repellant before actually re-building. This was a lot of hard work and insurance companies were not paying out for the damages yet. Many people started this repair using what monies they had left to their name in order to start getting their lives back in order.

Signs were popping up everywhere about rebuilding or demolishing homes.

We don't think this was a houseplant overgrowing its pot but a tree from outside being thrust through the window during the flooding.

This type of barricade was at the entrances of every street leading to the 9th ward.

Mosquitoes were the first to return. But fortunately, the dragonflies came and started to eat the mosquitoes. At one point, there were hundreds of them flying around one of the fields on the compound where Muttshack was. People wanted them to leave until it was pointed out they were eating the mosquitoes.

This flowering bush was beauty in itself, but then to see the butterflies flock to it made this sight spectacular among all the devestation we all had seen.

Aren't they wonderful? Nature can be both horrendous and wonderful too. We just have to learn to respect all she has to offer - good and bad.