Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast is an album which presents songs recorded in September and October 2005, shortly after the failure of misdesigned levees flooded New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (see: "Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans") With the destruction of their hometown fresh in their minds, New Orleans artists set about making music that directly acknowledges the city. Funds from the sale of the record is donated to Habitat For Humanity to aid those affected by the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans news networks citing blogs like Interdictor and Gulfsails for reports of what was happening in the city. Amateur radio provided tactical and emergency communications and handled health-and-welfare enquiries. By September 4, a temporary communications hub was set up at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown New Orleans. The first television pictures out of New Orleans shown on national TV were from Houston's ABC owned and operated KTRK which flew its helicopter to New Orleans in the days after the storm. Most of the city's major roads were damaged. The only route out of the city was east to the east bank