“It was like walking through a photograph from the summer of 2005. Life was supposed to go on; life went on and one day just stopped. It’s like you can pick up the pieces and start over, but it’s a strange and eerie feeling.”
In another universe, the storm would not have happened and life would have gone on, but would the park have continued?
“I think if it weren’t for Katrina, Six Flags New Orleans would certainly be open today,” Jake tells me, but also points out that there’s a long and interesting backstory to what might have happened in the documentary.
One of the main aspects of the documentary, even more than the story, was the deep feelings that the people of the area had about the park. I asked Jake about the residents and he thought for a moment and then replied, “The perseverance of the people of New Orleans cannot be underestimated. These people have been faced with the worst possible scenario, and I mean that seriously, and they have picked themselves up and rebuilt.”
I asked Jake how he saw the future of what was left of the park, and he sounded optimistic, which was interesting considering the countless failed attempts.
“We featured a gentleman in the film named Troy Henry, a former mayoral candidate turned developer. He submitted a plan to redevelop the Six Flags site and was successful. Now he’s leasing the property from the city. His plan is to tear it down and turn it into a water park, a kind of film production facility. Troy and his company have a lot of experience with buildings damaged by Katrina, so I have a pretty good feeling about this one.”
