Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Response

April 11, 2008

By Steven A. Chin

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Special Report

KATRINA, RITA AND THE HOUMA
ABOUT THIS SPECIAL REPORT
  • "Katrina, Rita and the Houma" special report is the product of a new reznet project, in which journalism students — Mary Hudetz, a Crow reporter from the University of Montana, and Martina Rose Lee, a Navajo photojournalist from Arizona State University — are teamed with veteran professional journalists — Victor Merina, a former Los Angeles Times investigative reporter, and multimedia journalist Steven A. Chin — to produce an in-depth story on a complex issue of importance in Indian Country.

Michael Dardar is a tribal council member representing Houmas who live in Plaquemines Parish, one of the first communities hit when Katrina made landfall. Before the storm, he lived there with his family. When they fled to escape Katrina, they expected to return soon. But his home was destroyed, as were many of the area businesses, and the family has resettled 110 miles away in Raceland with no plans to move back. Dardar drives to Plaquemines Parish several times a week, delivering goods and groceries to struggling tribal members.

Steven A. Chin is reznet's managing editor. A former new media specialist at the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and former reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, Chin is principal of MKmedia, a web development consulting firm.

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