Having grown up in a suburb of Philadelphia, the only weather phenomena I was ever troubled with (or as a 6 year-old, delighted with), were snow-storms. Even so, the largest storm I can remember was that of 1996, when I believe we received about 3 1/2 feet of snow in one fell swoop.
Searching the archives of Hurricane Digital Memory Bank, I encountered horrific images and first-hand stories of the death and destruction brought on by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Categorized by images, stories, oral histories, video, map, and tags, HDMB offers various ways to peruse the site's collections of media.
The site hopes that by allowing those directly affected by the tragedy to share their stories, a "positive legacy" will be created, and those in the future can look back and remember not just the storm, but the people whose lives it changed forever.
In order to add a memory to the site's data bank, one has only to click, click, type.... and it's sent in. You can publish by name or anonymously. Very easy to use, very inviting to search and learn. Additionally, the color palette is calming and appropriate for the subject matter.
This site excellently gives "status" to American memory, providing it a place in the archival world right alongside academic research and communication.
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