There have been many brilliant, shocking images coming out of the Katrina disaster and its aftermath, and there can be no doubt that the photographers who documented the struggle in New Orleans will see their work praised and rewarded for years to come. But it's more than two weeks since the storm; I didn't expect to be shocked, moved, saddened, angered, and touched deeply by a new photograph. Yet there it was, and even in a middle seat on the shuttle down to DC on business today, pressed in by work and competing elbows, it took my breath away.
I won't show it here, but would like to describe it; then you can click on the link. [The photo was taken by Bruce Chambers of the Orange County Register and distributed the the AP].
The picture shows a rescue team emerging from a white, two-family house in New Orleans. A big husky guy in U.S. Army atigues with the name Ramos on his chest holds the truly emaciated body of a naked, elderly black man. The victim's head lolls back at a strange angle; consciousness does not dwell there. His ribs and breastbone are prominent, and his body is smooth; age appears only in the well-worn hands and the ancient feet. He wears an oxygen mask and is hooked up to an IV drip. The team has taken the time to drape a towel across his genitals. Clearly, the man's life hangs in the balance, but this group of rescuers saw the need for some slight dignity.
Then there is the face of Ramos. It is a powerful face, late 30s I'd guess, going to jowels. A man who likes his cold ones and his football (pure conjecture, but it's my blog). Ramos is hell-bent to save the dying man, that much is clear. All camo fatigues and determination, he is the face of a real Federal response to disaster. His energy is the abundant source of movement in the photo, the complete contrast to the limp, thin victim.
There are others: A woman with a navy shirt that apparently reads New Orleans Medic holds the patient's legs as the group descends some concrete steps. She wears a blue handkerchief on her head, and her brown braids are the only sign of youth and beauty in the picture. Her colleague, a man in dark shades, holds the victim's shoulders aloft. They are local EMTs, supporting the shoulders and the legs of a man being rescued by the Federal response team. A hand with a camouflage cuff, the rest unseen, holds the IV bag.
This is New Orleans two weeks after the flood. Two weeks.
To see the photo, please click here.
The story of the rescue, including the backgrounds of those involved, is here.
Take a look please; I'd love to know if your reaction to this picture is a strong as mine was.
