In the months leading up to the 10-year anniversary for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, employees at the Hill Memorial Library wanted to look back at hurricanes from the past and review their effects on the people that lived through them.
The result, “Tempest: Storms in the Archives,” is an exhibit that explores the consistencies in hurricanes over the past two centuries by presenting photographs, official documents and oral accounts.
By searching through the archives, exhibitions coordinator at LSU libraries special collections Leah Jewett and the director of the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Jennifer Cramer have discovered the effects from storm to storm remain relatively similar no matter how much time progresses.
“Once you look at the resources that we have, or any other institution have about hurricanes in Louisiana, you can see that some of the problems that come up, including sometimes human response or planning, it is the cycle of the hurricane repeating,” Jewett said. “While it can be depressing, it can also be informative.”
Cramer said hurricanes Katrina and Rita did not happen in a vacuum, so they have a history of storms, as well as natural and manmade disasters.
“We have a rich collection of resources that can help researchers look into the past to provide context for the present and the future. One of the most interesting aspects of the information we have is the recurring themes that are present throughout the history of these storms. Reading documents from 1850s and listening to stories from the 1960s, the stories for the most part remain the same.”
While the archives include the scientific and engineering factors of storms and what happens when they evolve, the exhibit focuses on the humanizing aspects of what happens during and after hurricanes. The stories range from tragic to hopeful and everything in between, and hearing the stories told by people who lived them allows the listener to realize how real these events were even a century ago.
“By looking through history through primary sources such as photographs and oral recounts of events, we can really learn from the past to prepare for the future. With storms and floods, there is no ‘if’ another one comes, it is a ‘when,’” Cramer said.
Many of the stories and documents in the exhibit show how people can lose everything and come back under the most dire of circumstances, as well as show their darker sides. Part of the exhibit’s goal is to instill a unique emotion in each attendee, much like each storm gives a unique experience to every person it affects.
“We are hoping to ignite the curiosity of the people, not just researchers,” Cramer said.
“Tempest: Storms in the Archives” runs until Sept. 12. Admission is free to the public. There also will be a series of brown-bag lunches that will take place in mid-August through September with set dates coming soon. A Katrina and Rita symposium in memory of the 10-year anniversary of the storms will be held on Aug. 28 in the LSU Digital Media Center where Cramer and Jewett will be participating.
“It is inspiring to look at people from these past generations lose everything and then come back. It shows their resilience,” Jewett said. “Some of the stories are terrible, but these storms can also bring out the best in people. It is wonderful to listen to people who have gone through something so awful, only to keep going. At the same time, there are some stories in the exhibit that you can say did not end well.”
“Tempest: Storms in the Archives,” a new exhibit about Louisiana hurricanes that have left an impression on the environment, is on display June 8-September 12 at Hill Memorial Library.
