Hurricane Katrina crippled New Orleans 10 years ago, but in some parts of the Louisiana city the devastation still looks like it occurred yesterday.
As part of his eye-opening project, a photographer working under the pseudonym Seph Lawless, shines a bright light on the forgotten Six Flags theme park that was destroyed by the hurricane.
On August 29, 2005, the Category 3 storm wreaked havoc in the city when the levees bordering the swelling Gulf Coast broke.
The uncontrollable deluge killed 1,800 people. Nearly 20,000 were displaced and forced to live in the bustling city’s cramped Superdome.
“People are still living in houses with huge holes on the side, and there are steps where houses once stood,” Lawless said of the area. “It’s enough to break you down.”
Slow government response to provide relief sparked outrage around the country, and Lawless’ new work, which shows little progress in some parts of the Big Easy, could draw even more.
“It was surreal and apocalyptic; it felt like everyone had vanished,” the “Bizarro” author said of the desolate attraction he spent weeks shooting, to the Daily News.
Lawless’ chilling images show that the once lively park has gone virtually untouched since the storm hit.
“Everything is still intact. You can see where the people would wait in long lines; the rollercoasters; the snow cone stands; the souvenir shops, and even the Ferris wheel is still there, which was decaying in some parts,” he said.
The Cleveland native’s subject was the recent setting for Chris Pratt’s box office smash reboot, “Jurassic World.” The fourth part of the dinasour series broke records by grossing $5.5 billion in one year.
Because the theme park was in such bad condition, a crew of 400 people built a new backdrop on the grounds to bring out the “modern world meets ‘Jurassic World'” feel of the movie, according to The Times-Picayune.
Another surprising sighting was a huge alligator swimming in the murky trenches.
“A lot of the flood waters were trapped there, so alligators are out there, some at least 10 or 12 feet long,” he said.
Lawless hopes his project will help to improve the area.
“I don’t want people to think that this is just an abandoned part of America. This is still home to some of the poorest people in the country,” he said. “I want constructive dialogue; I created this project because sometimes words just aren’t enough.”
