KQED's Forum Remembering Hurricane Katrina With Clint Smith, 20 Years After the Storm
Aug 28, 2025
Clint Smith, a poet and staff writer for The Atlantic, shares his journey back to New Orleans, two decades after Hurricane Katrina. He reflects on haunting memories, such as a ruined wedding dress and a birthday cake left behind, revealing the emotional weight of returning to a devastated home. The conversation tackles themes of resilience, racial inequities, and the personal artifacts that echo a community's struggle. Smith invites listeners to explore their own experiences, fostering a powerful dialogue about loss and recovery amidst ongoing challenges.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Packing Memories Before Evacuation
- Clint Smith describes evacuating to Houston with his family and packing photo albums and art to protect memories.
- His father's decision to save those items preserved essential family history after Katrina.
The Haunting Orange X Marks
- He recalls the orange X on houses indicating search date, team, and number of bodies found, which frequently showed zeros.
- Seeing occasional nonzero numbers haunted him with questions about rescue outcomes and deaths.
Home's Strange Salvaged Objects
- Returning in October, Smith found mold-lined walls, a chandelier holding a chair, and his birthday cake miraculously intact on a floated table.
- Those vivid objects anchored his memory of the home's destruction and strange preservation.
