Reporting from Biloxi

Interviewing people is a delicate process that takes years, if not decades, to master. Interviewing hurricane victims is even harder.

These past few days, I've run around Biloxi and Pass Christian talking to people who were here when Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi. I wanted to capture their stories on paper but didn't want to bring back their emotional trauma during the storm. I had no idea how hard it would be.

One particular woman I interviewed, whose name I will leave out to respect her privacy, stepped away to cry for a few minutes when I interviewed her. She said she hadn't cried like that since the hurricane first came. She was one of many who hadn't until I interviewed them.

Many of the people in Biloxi are still in shock from the hurricane. Asking them about the hurricane can add salt to their open wounds. I've been fortunate enough down here in Biloxi that many of these people have showed me their open wounds.

It is awkward standing there when a person I'm interviewing starts crying. It's not necessarily my fault and I debate whether I should offer a hug or something. But all I can really do is stand there and wait.

It's really hard to avoid making these people cry. I don't want to directly ask the Katrina victims "How did you feel when the hurricane hit?" I just want their responses to that question, if that makes any sense. The public needs to feel these victims' raw emotion too.

I need to report their stories because in many cases nobody else has already. What I have to do is gently walk them around the question with my buildup ones. I have to make them feel comfortable before they can start opening up to me.

# posted by Aman Ali @ 12:22 AM