Introduction 
A Historical Snapshot - Early Years - Visitors - Diversity
Modern Culture - South Beach - Pop Culture
The Art and Architecture - Art Deco A Tourist's Perspective
Works Cited |
 |  Photograph Unaccredited (Bush 77) Photographs of downtrodden souls standing in front of the remains of their houses and places of work dominate hurricane photographs. Hurricanes are about destruction and this is what natrually gets photographed. The hurricane of 1926 killed 113 people and destroyed over five thousand houses (Portes 223). They pose in front of the camera to show their resolve and mark what was theirs. It gives the sense of "look at all we lost, but we will get it back." The photographed appear still in shock too, looking down at flash flood that surrounds their ankles.  Photograph from MH (Bush 197) A far worse storm hit the United States in 1992. Being the southernmost tip of Florida, Miami was hit especially hard by Hurricane Andrew. It is difficult to derive the emotions of this woman due to the ambiguity of her body-language and facial expressions. This is almost as powerful a tool as straight pictoral representation. The viewer, if they so choose can place the emotion of hysterical crying on the person on this photograph. She also may be looking up into the sun through the opened roof, squinting with her hands covering her eyes. Which effect(s) this photograph enacts on the viewer are not as important as the overall interpreted effect and documentation of the scene.  Photograph by Sue Chaffee (Portes 121) This photograph of a tent-city for Hurricane Andrew victims provides an interesting contrast. In the foreground are two girls in long nightshirts and in the mid-ground is a military officer in charge of the refuge center. The girl on the left seems to be striding in step to the personnel. Many people might view this as playing... which would seem odd given the situation. But as the most important health care provider to the homeless in Miami said about the situation, "I've learned from Hurricane Andrew that as a community and as a country we can work togehter to make things happen." (Bush 197) The little girl and the personnel are working together without realizing it. This unity is what the photograph captures. |
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