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Published: August 6th 2007
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Well, have returned from New Orleans. It was a week of mixed emotions. We spent last Thursday and Friday volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. We were working in the lower 9th ward and I was amazed how much a bunch of novices like us got done. The amount of destruction which remains floored me considering it's been 18 months since Hurricane Katrina (or post-K as they put it). We saw house after house with the tell tale spraypaint on the front marking the date it had been searched and if any bodies had been found thus indicating that the owners had not yet returned. If you need a reality check, that's one.
The house we were assigned had the foundation and flooring done and that was it. It was hot and humid. It rained most of Thursday morning and we were drenched while we worked. In the afternoon, the sun came out and the humidity kicked back up and we never dried out. It was great. We had one habitat coordinator at our site and about 20-25 volunteers. None of us had much building experience but by the end of day one we had finished all the exterior frames on
the house and mounted one complete length of wall. Wow.
It was really touching when we had folks who had moved back into the area come up and thank us for "being there". Made it all worthwhile that we were helping even though it was in such a seemingly little way. On Friday, we went to a different site and worked on a house a little further along. We stapled up tyvek, worked on interior walls, mounted outside trim boards and put up siding. Again, I was amazed at how much we were able to get done. Habitat is also working on this incredible Musician's Village which will be really cool when completed. The Village was our gathering point for assignments each morning. It was an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience and I left wanting to do more.
We were told by civil rights advocates that people are still fighting to get water and electricity turned on to their homes so people can rebuild. Yet, they are still being billed for taxes and expenses and sometimes even electricity and water for those who have had it turned on but unable to get back to rebuild. The school system
St. Louis Cemetery
Cemetery with French Quarter office buildings skyline behind it. is apparently a mess. We also saw some of the levies which were not breached and some which were and are still in process of being rebuilt. Such destruction. And yet, each day advancements are made. We met some folks in the lower 9th who had finished fixing their church and would be reopening it last weekend. We saw scattered housing which had been rebuilt (can tell by the fresh paint and lack of spray painted date on the front). We also saw art. Signs, murals and art in the form of plastic soda bottles noting that people would be back and they would overcome.
We were able to do a bit of site seeing as well. We stayed in the French Quarter which was apparently not flooded. There was still wind damage visible and the businesses aren't open as late as I remember from when I visited in 2004 but for the most part the French Quarter is up and running just fine.
New Orleans has these incredible above ground burial vaults due to water levels. As a northerner, we don't see these elaborate multi-story vaults where I come from. I was able to walk over and
Art
In Lower 9th Ward take a look at St. Louis Cemetery #1 which is billed as the oldest and most famous of the cemeteries. It's my understanding that the St. Louis cemeteries had some flooding but were mainly untouched from Hurricane Katrina. I did see quite a few broken statues but I'm not sure if that was from age or wind.
We also walked through nearby Armstrong Park which appears to be somewhat neglected probably due to the more pressing issues in the city. The water is very, very green and looks unhealthy. There are a number of birds and turtles in residence. From my online looking, it appears that a predominance of algae causes the green water which may or may not make it unhealthy. The grass was mowed but you could see damage and the public was not allowed into a section where a new wire fence had been erected to keep folks out.
We also walked down to the Mississippi River and viewed the statues and memorials all along the Riverwalk. There are quite a number and it was a very pretty view, and cool walk, in the evening. Lots of activity there with tourists, joggers and gamblers catching
the ferry. I also got some pictures of the Andrew Jackson statue and St. Louis Cathedral. A church has been in the spot of the Cathedral since the early 1700s. The current structure was built in the late 1700s and looks brand new. It faces the Mississippi River.
And food? New Orleans has some of the best. I ate more seafood, po-boys and bread pudding than I could work off. And then, there's Bourbon Street. Wasn't super busy while I was there but still plenty of the usual activity. I loaded up a few of the pictures I took of the signs and Street.
New Orleans is an amazing city. I'm betting it'll be back better than ever and can't wait to see it.
Updated paragraph: I was really torn about posting pictures of the destruction. The problem is that most of the pictures I have are of people's homes in the neighborhoods we were working in. I was torn between trying to show how little has been done and the help needed vs. the privacy of those involved. Regardless if they are living there right now or not, it's their home and it just doesn't feel
right for me to post pictures. That's just how I feel. I wouldn't want someone doing that to my house. Others may feel differently and that's their choice. There are some web sites talking about the court cases to get money to those who were promised it and need it but which still have not received, cases filed to get the schools opened, cases on the housing which was not flood damaged but folks are not allowed access anyway, as well as a few documentaries which have been created this year addressing the destruction and showing plenty of pictures of all the homes that are left to be fixed. For example, one of the residents in the neighborhood of the first house we worked on, told us the week prior was the first visit to her home by her insurance agent. That's insane.
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Alpinemel
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I can't wait to hear the stories
The pics look great... makes New orleans seem normal. You should have posted at least one pic of the areas still in need. The greenish water actually looks kinda pretty.