Lakeside Mall Christmas Display After Hurricane Katrina

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Lakeside Mall Christmas Display
After Hurricane Katrina

Photos by Spillway Review Staff
1/1/06

Every year Frank Evans creates an elaborate Christmas display in Lakeside Mall. Lakeside Mall is located in Metairie, Louisiana, just west of the 17th Street Canal. On August 29, 2005, the eastern levee of the 17th Street Canal and some other levees broke during Hurricane Katrina and flooded New Orleans. Neighboring Metairie experienced some flooding and extensive wind damage. Lakeside Mall remained closed until late October 2005.

Mr. Evans' Christmas display shows the damage from the Hurricane with great detail. There were complaints after the initial installation of the display, and the display was removed. The reaction to the removal of the display was approximately 50 to 1 in favor of replacing the display and Mall authorities soon asked Mr. Evans' to restore the display.

Some of the display shows scenes from the response to the Hurricane emergency, such as the helicopter rescues. The blue tarps on roofs, and many other details show the condition of New Orleans and surrounding areas as they still appeared at the time this photo collection was posted, seven months after the hurricane.


The snow is not realistic, but everything else is accurate.	Click on photos for larger images.





Helicopter rescue.	Almost 100% of the refrigerators in Orleans and the East Bank of Jefferson Parish had to be discarded after Hurricane Katrina. The refrigerators were duct-taped closed and placed in front of homes, as pictured above.

Most people in New Orleans do not have chimney's as the climate is warm. Many people who tried to weather the storm had to extricate themselves from their attics when flood waters rose.	E-mail in favor of Mr. Evans' Katrina-aftermath Christmas display sent to Lakeside Mall authorities.