I’ve climbed the bleached plywood steps to knock on the tinny door of the travel trailer. The air is still. As I give it one more tap while scanning the ghostly emptiness of the sterile trailer park, the door creaks open. Hunching in the doorway, blinking into the sunlight, is a man so emaciated, so pale, I’m certain he is a breath away from the next world. I adjust my NGO-issued baseball cap and clipboard and explain my purpose.
Thus writes Miranda Bryant in her essay From New Orleans to South Sudan: How I Healed by Moving to a War-Torn Country. In this moving essay – from the forthcoming anthology, Chasing Misery – Miranda recounts the surreality of responding to a disaster in her own city. In late August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States wreaking unprecedented damage. In total, 1,836 people died, millions were left homeless and property damage was estimated to be $81 billion USD. On its own doorstep, the United States experienced the death, damage and displacement normally associated with natural disasters and wars in other countries.
When asked why she wanted to be involved in the Chasing Misery project, Miranda said:
Ironically I’m not one to subscribe to gender disaggregated bodies of work. But, in this case I felt compelled to write about an experience that left an indelible mark on my life. My essay is about the early days of my career. No matter how many locations I have since worked in or titles I have had, I never forget what it was like to be working as a root-bound resident of a large-scale natural disaster location — to realize that this “ruin is my surround.” It’s been an honor to be part of this work that I hope will have readers appreciating the emotional complexity of working in this business that is equal parts bitter and sweet.
Miranda’s essay can be read in Chasing Misery, an anthology of essays from women working in humanitarian responses. The anthology will be published on 8th March, 2014, and will be available from Amazon in paperback and eBook formats.