Diary from the dome
Encyclopedia
Diary From the Dome, Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina is the first memoir
written about what it was like inside of the Louisiana Superdome
during Hurricane Katrina
. It was published by Vantage Press in 2008. Evacuees used the Superdome in New Orleans as a refuge of last resort beginning the day before Hurricane Katrina hit landfall
on August 29, 2005. The book details the author's experiences as a California
tourist who was unable to evacuate New Orleans as the Airport
, Amtrak
, and Greyhound Bus station all closed a day prior to the mandatory evacuation
and two days prior to the Category 3 storm hitting landfall.
The book deals with the supportive as well as the unruly behavior by individuals within the confines of the Superdome, as well as concentrating on the author's views on the power of fear
, Group Think, and rumor
to control human behavior
. The unsanitary conditions within the Superdome are described fully. The author also talks of being smuggled out of the Superdome after 3 days with a group of international visitors, where they experience more challenges to their survival.
Discussion about future ways emergency personnel and disaster relief organizations may better offer assistance to those in need are spelled out. Finally the author, Paul Harris discusses where the media
was accurate and inaccurate in what it reported going on inside the Superdome. Rumors were rampant about rape
s and murder
s within the stadium of the New Orleans Saints
, but weeks later authorities were unable to verify any of these reports, and attributed these to miscommunication and simply passing on hearsay
.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
written about what it was like inside of the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. It was published by Vantage Press in 2008. Evacuees used the Superdome in New Orleans as a refuge of last resort beginning the day before Hurricane Katrina hit landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
on August 29, 2005. The book details the author's experiences as a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
tourist who was unable to evacuate New Orleans as the Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, and Greyhound Bus station all closed a day prior to the mandatory evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
and two days prior to the Category 3 storm hitting landfall.
The book deals with the supportive as well as the unruly behavior by individuals within the confines of the Superdome, as well as concentrating on the author's views on the power of fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
, Group Think, and rumor
Rumor
A rumor or rumour is often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern" However, a review of the research on rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across sociology,...
to control human behavior
Human behavior
Human behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics....
. The unsanitary conditions within the Superdome are described fully. The author also talks of being smuggled out of the Superdome after 3 days with a group of international visitors, where they experience more challenges to their survival.
Discussion about future ways emergency personnel and disaster relief organizations may better offer assistance to those in need are spelled out. Finally the author, Paul Harris discusses where the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
was accurate and inaccurate in what it reported going on inside the Superdome. Rumors were rampant about rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
s and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s within the stadium of the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, but weeks later authorities were unable to verify any of these reports, and attributed these to miscommunication and simply passing on hearsay
Hearsay
Hearsay is information gathered by one person from another person concerning some event, condition, or thing of which the first person had no direct experience. When submitted as evidence, such statements are called hearsay evidence. As a legal term, "hearsay" can also have the narrower meaning of...
.
External links
- http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/30/nation/la-na-0830-katrina-superdome-20100830
- http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2008/10/gallery/neworleans/slide14.html
- http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_0c494137-1142-5f8b-9fb6-0e1ae48daf22.html
- http://ucdavismagazine.ucdavis.edu/class_notes.lasso?issue_season=Fall&issue_year=2008&action=browse