An enormous mural has appeared on the Industrial Canal floodwall along Jourdan Avenue, near North Galvez Street in the Lower Ninth Ward. The painting, which by our measure is over 500 feet long and 12 feet tall, is a lively, colorful addition to what was a blank and bleak concrete expanse.

Despite its upbeat appearance, the huge painting marks one of New Orleans' most tragic sites.

On Aug. 29, 2005, as Hurricane Katrina's winds roared across the city, a large section of the floodwall failed, allowing a tsunami of muddy water to surge into the adjoining neighborhood, sweeping some homes off their slabs, and inundating hundreds to the roofline. Some residents lost their lives in the sudden catastrophe.

The giant painting was created by students of master muralist Brandan "Bmike" Odums'

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