In the next few days, we will be doing field recording in some of the areas most heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina. These images are just a glimpse of the devestation in St. Bernard Parish and the Ninth Ward.

In the lower 9th Ward, this area next to a broken levee is essentially unsalvageable. Most homes will have to be completely demolished. Try enlarging some of these images to get their full impact.

Above is a rebuilt levee in the Ninth Ward. It had a barge stuck in it, which channelled water around this tree, which is the only thing left standing a in a field of debris.

Below are pictures from a neighborhood in St. Bernard Parish where the levee was topped, not breached. Many homes will need to be gutted after sitting under water for many weeks; others were destroyed completely. Water rushed through the streets, smashing cars against lamposts and picking up everything in its path.

The contents of a decimated house in St. Bernard Parish. In the background is the levee. Below, the same levee through the window of a partially gutted home.

This house and its concrete foundation were swept right into the middle of the street. The entire structure remains in the road.

Piles of rubble indicate buildings that have been gutted, or striped down to their bare frames, which is the first stage of rebuilding. But many homes have not been touched since they were submerged up to the second floor eight months ago. Inside, furniture and belongings look as if they were at the bottom of a swimming pool. Residents who return to their homes must face emptying all of this debris before they can rebuild.

A calendar in a girl’s bedroom, inside a house waiting to be gutted. It’s edges are curled over a month notated with birthdays: August, 2005.