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Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
"''The Stairs That Lead to Nowhere' Perhaps, the saddest images I've captured were the shots of empty stairs and platforms where houses once stood. When I approached a group of men sitting on one of these structures in the lower 9th ward a man pointed over to his friend and said, "This used to be his home." The stairs that lead to nowhere can be seen all throughout the most devoted areas of Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes right next to the new homes being built. A sharp contrast and sobering reminder of a painful transition." (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
"''The Stairs That Lead to Nowhere' Perhaps, the saddest images I've captured were the shots of empty stairs and platforms where houses once stood. When I approached a group of men sitting on one of these structures in the lower 9th ward a man pointed over to his friend and said, "This used to be his home." The stairs that lead to nowhere can be seen all throughout the most devoted areas of Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes right next to the new homes being built. A sharp contrast and sobering reminder of a painful transition." (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment building scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Homes and apartment buildings scattered throughout the lower 9th ward (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
MGM Casino-New Orleans (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Six Flags amusement park sits eerily abandoned 10 years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Hotel and restaurant 10 years after flood waters from Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Hotel and restaurant 10 years after flood waters from Katrina (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
School 10 years later (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Meet twin brothers Donovan and Devon, both 10 years old; they were born in the lower 9th ward just days after Hurricane Katrina. They play near their home at an abandoned home. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
A new home being built (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
A street named 'Flood' (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Displaced man takes refuge in an abandoned home that has a huge hole in the side of it from where a tree rammed into the house after flood waters devastated the area. The man now fishes and makes the best of his shelter as possible. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
Displaced man takes refuge in an abandoned home that has a huge hole in the side of it from where a tree rammed into the house after flood waters devastated the area. The man now fishes and makes the best of his shelter as possible. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless) 
'The Color of Hope' Even though most of the hardest-hit areas of Katrina are open fields and abandoned, several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels with futuristic designs are becoming more prevalent. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the lower 9th ward with affordable housing. (Courtesy: Seph Lawless)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana–It’s been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans; 10 years since it changed the city forever.
The storm hit on Aug. 29, 2005 claiming more than 1,800 lives, most of them in New Orleans after a levee was breached in the Lower Ninth Ward.
Recently, Cleveland-area photographer Seph Lawless visited the region to look at the impact on the city all of these years later. He found many homes and apartment buildings still damaged as rebuilding efforts continue in the Lower Ninth Ward.
The images are powerful. Lawless said he witnessed more people doing whatever they could to support themselves. He said in some cases that amounted to setting up a lemonade stand.
Lawless said images of ‘The Stairs That Lead to Nowhere’ were perhaps the saddest he has captured. They show empty stairs and platforms where houses once stood.
“When I approached a group of men sitting on one of these structures in the Lower Ninth Ward, a man pointed over to his friend and said ‘This used to be his home.’ ‘The Stairs That Lead to Nowhere’ can be seen all throughout the most devastated areas of Hurricane Katrina, sometimes right next to the new homes being built. A sharp contrast and sobering reminder of a painful transition,” Lawless said.
There are bright spots a decade later. Lawless’ photos show rebuilding efforts including several colorful modern homes designed with solar panels, which are becoming more prevalent. Lawless said actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started this movement with community leaders years ago with a promise to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward with affordable housing.
*See dozens of his photos above*
*Click here for Seph Lawless’ website*
*Click here for more stories on Seph Lawless*
