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The size and scope of Hurricane Katrina sent New Orleans residents across the country, and many still want to return. But without a house, it's not an easy task.

With Squandered Heritage, Karen Gadbois, Laureen Lentz, and Sarah Elise Lewis banded together to track lists upon lists of demolitions for the community—sometimes being the first to tell homeowners that their homes were on the chopping block. They've spend countless hours at citywide meetings, scanning through documents, photographing homes, and helping their neighbors rescue the unique heritage of the Crescent City.

In the midst of all their work, the trio still had time to share what inspires them and what they love about New Orleans.

What made you decide to start Squandered Heritage?

Karen: To capture our city as it was Post Katrina. Then tell the story of demolitions and the impact of loss.

Laureen: I met Karen at a small soirée last August. Architecture has been a lifelong passion since my teenage years in Chicago, and one reason I love New Orleans. Our streetscapes provide an enchanting background for the mundane routine of daily life and work. I was beginning to become concerned about the impact of the demolitions on our historic districts, and was already taking photos of hand demolitions done before Karen and I met. So the partnership was a perfect match. Read the full profile...

This "webcomic" from SMITH magazine opens with the quiet and the denial that gripped so much of the Gulf Coast (and the rest of the U.S.) before the storm came crashing through the levies to batter everything in its path. Artist, writer, and cartoonist extraordinaire Josh Neufeld is only three chapters (and two prologues) in to the tale so far, but we couldn't wait to feature it. The panels have been set up, the characters introduced. And even though we know how the overarching story will unfold, we're on the edge of our seats wondering about Hamid, Kevin, Denise, and the others whose real-life tales wind through "A.D." Start at the beginning, with its lush aerial shots of New Orleans and the ominous renderings of Katrina's approach. One fan has commented that "the mounting tension is stifling." We would only add: "and addictive."

Prior to 2005, Louisiana coast wetlands lost an average of 25 square miles per year. Preliminary USGS estimates show that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have destroyed an additional 100 square miles. To glimpse more, tour these sophisticated audio slideshows of subsidence, levee history, and wetland changes. Then hit the interactive map and work your way in from the coast, starting at Grand Isle. Hear a local fisherman talk about how the land footprint has changed dramatically at Golden Meadow. Witness a restoration project in a coastal marsh—one of 615 sites across the coastline. Make a final stop in New Orleans for the above-ground tombs of St. Louis Cemetery #1 and the Audubon Zoo, which holds Louisiana species that don't exist anywhere else in the world. All are pieces of a delicate and ever-changing existence within the unique cycle of the Mississippi River delta.