Oral history interview with Bert Pickett, December 18, 1999
Subtitle: interview K-0285, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Thompson, Charles D., Jr. (Charles Dillard), 1956- interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2005
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Hurricane Floyd, 1999; Floods; Flood damage; Disaster relief; Disasters; Psychological aspects; African Americans; Religion; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States
Other titles: Interview K-0285, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Bert Pickett, December 18, 1999; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: In this interview, Pentecostal pastor Bert Pickett provides a compelling description of the abject despair that accompanied Hurricane Floyd's devastation. Pickett lost nearly all his possessions. The interview sees Pickett articulating his coping process -- he avers his dignity and pride but confesses his absolute grief as well. He worries that he will lose the respect of his son and talks at length about the presence of evil in his community, whether manifested in people who defraud aid organizations or the destructive power of the flooding. This is a rich interview for someone interested in learning about the psychological impact of environmental disasters.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Oct. 11, 2007).

Interview participants: Bert Pickett, interviewee; Charles Thompson, interviewer.

Duration: 01:00:08.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Natalia Smith and Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Steve Weiss and Seth M. Kotch.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 124.3 kilobytes, 110 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0285, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Original transcript: 33 p.

Funding from the University of North Carolina Library supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.