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Hattiesburg – Two University of Southern Mississippi alumni whose photographic coverage of Hurricane Katrina’s impact helped earn their newspapers a shared Pulitzer Prize say recovery from the storm is slow, but evident.
Tim Isbell and Ted Jackson, both news photographers for the Sun Herald and Times-Picayune newspapers, respectively, were in Hattiesburg last week to be inducted into the university’s School of Mass Communication and Journalism Hall of Fame, held during the Southern Miss Photojournalism Summit. The two were members of the papers’ news teams that shared the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Aug. 29, 2005 storm took the lives of more than 1,800 people and caused more than $80 billion in damages. “The recovery has been slow and painful for many people, and government has failed us on every level,” said Jackson, who has been a member of the Times-Picayune staff for 23 years. “So many people are far from being whole, both in their property and their soul…the scars run so deep that they will be there forever.” Like Jackson, Isbell also believes the recovery is slow but that progress can be seen. Even days after the storm, he tried to stay positive, jokingly describing surrounding piles of debris as “getting neater.” “I’m really optimistic about the coast,” he said. “But the full recovery is probably five, 10 years down the road. The main challenges are getting the middle class back down here and dealing with these insurance issues.” During the summit they presented examples of their work, along with Southern Miss photojournalism alums Steve Gardner, Jeff McAdory, Michael McCarter, and Marianne Todd, who were also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Retired Southern Miss professors Jim Bishop and Ed Wheeler were also inducted that day. Isbell and Jackson’s work capture a multitude of images, including poignant displays of the storm’s emotional toll on residents in the affected areas. The experience has given them an insight into what it will take to heal – both emotionally and physically - from what has been called the worst natural disaster in modern U.S. history. A photo Jackson took of a woman on her knees crying for help in front of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans captures the desperation of the thousands who fled their flooded homes and neighborhoods for safety there and at the Louisiana Superdome, where they waited days for food, water and medical attention. The heartache displayed in that photo and many others means Jackson often finds himself as much in the role of grief counselor as photographer. He has freely lent the subjects of his work an ear and words of comfort as they grapple with the challenges of their life post-Katrina. Jackson said a year ago he took a friend on a tour of the city, and it was then he began to notice that, slowly, some of the scenes of destruction that he photographed were gone. Efforts to clear away debris and damaged buildings and reinforce levees are going forward, but what is also needed is more patience for the work of recovery, he said. “Things are starting to move in a positive direction. We just have to come to terms with the fact that this (recovery) is going to take a long time,” Jackson said. Jackson likens his work as a journalist to document Katrina’s impact on the city he loves to rushing to cover the scene of an accident, and then discovering the victim is your son or daughter. “The impact is all too personal, he said. “It’s impossible to stay detached.” He has avoided going to the Mississippi Coast to see the impact of Katrina there. On a personal level, covering New Orleans for the last two years since the storm has been more than enough for the veteran photojournalist to absorb without seeing the devastation to his home state. “This has had a profound effect on me,” Jackson said. Working 14-hour days after the storm, Isbell said he began to grow weary of shooting scenes of destruction. “You just wanted to jump off a bridge,” he said of the constant reminders of the storm’s wrath. “I wanted to get a picture of something that expressed hope.” That opportunity presented itself the weekend after the storm, when the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi held a service next to the slab where the church stood before being wiped away by Katrina. Isbell snapped a picture of a member of the church’s congregation, Chloe Guice, draping an American flag over a cross left standing at the church’s foundation. “To me, that said ‘Were coming back.’”
Cry for Help in New Orleans – A woman cries for help outside of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, days after thousands of the city’s residents evacuated to the facility and the Louisiana Superdome from their flooded homes and neighborhoods. The photo is one of the images captured by University of Southern Mississippi alumni Ted Jackson, a veteran photographer on the staff of the Times-Picayune newspaper.
Undying Faith – Chloe Guice, a member of the congregation of Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, drapes an American flag over a cross left standing near the foundation of the church, which was wiped away by Hurricane Katrina. The photo was shot at a service held on the church grounds the weekend after the storm hit by Sun Herald photographer Tim Isbell, who worked 14-hour days following the storm.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.
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