Today, it Rained in New Orleans as I Am Beginning a Project Centered Around the 20th Commemoration of Hurricane Katrina
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE is a poetry and storytelling project in tribute to Katrina survivors and a tale of natural disaster, manmade negligence, and its effect on changing a city’s future.
It is raining today in New Orleans, and per local weather reports, it is slated to rain the rest of the week, and flooding is expected throughout the area. It is my third month post-relocation to South Louisiana, and I am quickly getting reacclimated to the frequency of heavy rain blending with warm temperatures.
The Gulf Region is just under a month from the start of hurricane season, and the potential for damage that comes with aggressive winds and torrential downpours. After nearly five years of living in the DMV, in an area where I had never encountered severe weather threats, I am also getting reintroduced to the act of storm preparation. To remembering the importance of stocking up on canned food items and batteries in late spring/early summer. To re-familiarize myself with the possibility of being rendered powerless on account of a powerful storm surge.
In New Orleans, a city structured below sea level, a repetitive rain pattern is always cause for concern, as it is easy for the city to fill up like a bowl when a storm front is persistent. When the Crescent City is at its wettest, it is a sobering reminder of the unpredictable danger that lies in wait when drainage systems fracture or when weather predictions cannot account for Mother Nature’s true temperament.
This city is deeply familiar with the depths of Mother Nature’s wrath. It is 2025, a consequential year of remembrance for New Orleans, as 20 years ago, the combination of a once-in-a-generation storm, combined with federal neglect, almost permanently altered the soul of this great American landscape. The name “Katrina” is forever tethered to the New Orleans that existed before August 29, 2005, and the city that was left after the tides washed away.
Its story, and moreover, the stories of Black New Orleanians who endured the wrath of Mother Nature and the folded arms of Uncle Sam, is the inspiration for my next creative project, DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE is a poetry and storytelling project in tribute to Katrina survivors and a tale of natural disaster, coupled with manmade negligence, and its effect on changing a city’s future. Over the next few months, I will be in conversation with various Black New Orleanians who resided in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina made landfall, to get audio testimonies from those who survived the literal and sociopolitical storm that upended their lives.
As a native of Baton Rouge who resided there during Katrina, this project will allow me to revisit some conversations I previously had with my “neighbors to the east” and to hear new accounts from culture bearers, artists, educators, hospitality workers, and many others who were personally impacted by this historical event. I am eager to sit in conversation with these resilient folks to get their testimonies of what their life was like before August 2005, what non-material things the storm took from them/their families, and what happened during that time that no one outside of that environment would ever understand.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE is the latest project of The American Audit, a series of multimedia spoken word poetry historical accounts chronicling the nuances of Black American life. Other titles include The American Audit, Blood on the Bluff, and Rhyme Travel.
I have conceptualized many other projects under The American Audit umbrella and have set up a Patreon account for anyone interested in supporting these endeavors. I cannot promise all kinds of fancy gifts for backers of The American Audit Patreon, but what I can offer is a commitment to creating thoughtful, engaging, community-driven, and nuanced projects that tell historical and present-day stories of Black American life.
Looking forward to this project, Donny. Probably make a good book!