Hurricane Digital Memory Bank
Reviewed by: Julesa Grimes
Review started: February 26, 2023
Review last updated: March 10, 2023
Site Link
Data and Sources
- Images and videos taken by survivors of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita
- Written first hand accounts from Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors
- Interview Transcripts from Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors
- Blog Posts
Processes
- Creation and curation of themed collections of 25,000 first-hand accounts, images, videos and blog postings
- Mapping
- Tagging
Presentation
- An interactive archive enabling users to browse a collection of images, stories, oral histories, videos and maps.
- Landing page feature items
- Tag enabled searching
Digital Tools Used
- RSS
- Leaflet
- Apache
- jQuery
Languages
- English
Review
Hurricane Digital Memory Bank is an archival website created to preserve and present the impact of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in New Orleans, Louisiana organized in part by George Mason University’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, the University of New Orleans and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History Through funding provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank was able to curate first-hand accounts, blog posts, on-scene images and videos that provided users with a unique and personal glimpse of the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes.
The Hurricane Digital Memory Bank home page showcases featured content which allows users to quickly familiarize themselves with how the information is presented. Users can navigate the memory bank by choosing between “images”, “stories”, “oral histories”, “video” and “map” tabs. I found the “map” tab to be most interesting because it allowed me to place the content spatially. Being able to view images, videos and text in context of where they occurred on a map enhances the reality of the experience of Hurricane survivors.
This project includes a “collections” tab where users are able to navigate selections of related media grouped together. The “New Orleans Science and Math Charter High School: Reflections of New Orleans High School Students after the storm” collection, for example, contains five files pertaining to students who attended New Orleans Science and Math Charter High School. One of the files is a Hurricane Katrina book project created by students, Dudley Grady, Ashleigh Joplin and Kristopher Chambers that features stories by students coming home after the hurricane stories, as well as interviews and surveys of New Orlean residents. This collection, in particular, exhibits how young adults, more specifically students, were affected by the hurricane and offers insight on their fear and concern about the future.
The goal of this project was to preserve the memories of Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors, and I believe the goal was met. The vast library of first hand accounts paint a very clear picture of the experiences of New Orlean residents. I was disheartened to see that the contribution phase has ended and individuals can no longer add to the project, because I am sure that there are a plethora of stories regarding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that have yet to be shared.