One Brick New Orleans Trip

I am entering my fourth week at Camp Hope. I still enthusiastically greet each day and look forward to the inherent rewards from a labor-intensive day.

Last Wednesday, after returning from the job site, I ate dinner with the residents of St. Bernard Parish. Admittedly, congregating and breaking bread with the residents is my favorite part of the day. However, the conversation this night was unusually serious and solemn.

The residents shared their concerns about the public health crisis arising from their prolonged exposure to formaldehyde resultant of residing in their FEMA trailers. This toxic chemical is a known carcinogen and was used in the construction of thousands of FEMA trailers. Currently, there are approximately 86,000 families still residing in FEMA trailers.

The residents expressed frustration that 21 months post-Katrina, Congress is just now seeking information and an investigation of the toxic travel trailers. Children and adults alike are suffering from prolonged exposure to the formaldehyde infested trailers. The residents advised that FEMA knew of the health hazard long before CBS News reported the public health care crisis along the Gulf Coast approximately two weeks ago.

CBS News obtained an internal FEMA document which revealed that the federal agency knew of the highly toxic levels of formaldehyde in the trailers more than a year ago. Accordingly, and subsequent to its own employee safety department tests conducted in March 2006; 20 of the 28 trailers tested, contained formaldehyde levels significantly higher than the EPA's recommended workplace limit of .1 parts per million. According to the Wednesday, May 23, 2007 issue of The St. Bernard News, in one trailer, it was as much as 1,000 percent higher.

The residents are gravely concerned about the long-term consequence of residing in the FEMA trailers. They were all displaced by Katrina. Many of them stayed in camps and lived in tents. The FEMA trailers, or so they thought, would be the safest alternative pending the reconstruction of their homes. Unequivocally, it's blatantly immoral that victims of Katrina, in addition to their daily trials and tribulations, are now contemplating whether they'll be diagnosed with Cancer.

In the wake of the forthcoming federal investigation of the toxic FEMA trailers, residents recently received a "Notice of Interest" to purchase their trailers. Interested occupants are required to execute and mail the document for eligibility consideration. Although the purchase price was excluded on the Notice of Interest, all sales will be processed on a case-by-case basis. Restrictions apply towards purchasing any and all FEMA travel trailer, park model or mobile home.

Eligibility for purchase of the trailers is contingent upon: Paying all applicable state sales taxes; Assuming full liability; Relocating the unit within 30 days of sale; Obtaining local permits and submitting investigation notices to FEMA; Complying with local floodplain management codes and Obtaining hazard and flood insurance if the unit will be stationed in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

Jim Stark, FEMA director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office, reported: "This program will give occupants the option to buy their unit and to regain some sense of permanency while they continue to work on their personal recovery."

However, the residents of St. Bernard Parish disregard such sentiments and are offended that FEMA would profit at their expense by selling them potentially Cancer-causing homes.

After seeing porta potties at Habitat sites, I came across a box of chocolates with the same "Pot of Gold" name at a store on Thursday night. The chocolates are a must-buy for this photo op on Friday :) Click on the photo to zoom in.

Labels: box, chocolates, friday, gold, habitat, humor, pot, pot of gold, thursday, toilet

Hello fellow OneBrickers! I have finally got my act together and organized these pics. Too bad about the pic cap of 250 that I can share...enjoy!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaNmzNizYtmLnQ

I took these on our last work day (Friday. was it only 2 weeks ago?).

These amorous bugs seemed to swarm the most around lunchtime and proved to be a nuisance as we worked though they didn't bite. Many of these became victim to my misdirected hammering and evidence of their presence was caked onto the front windshields and bumpers of many a car. So the question of what a "Love Bug" is comes to mind since we were told they have no real purpose in the ecology of the area. They supposedly mate 'for life', but life for these little buggers is only about 24-96 hrs.

So here's what I found out, according to Wikipedia:
"Love bug larvae grow up in grassy areas and feed on dead vegetation. The adult love bug does not eat, but subsists solely on the food taken in during its larval stage. Upon reaching maturity the love bug spends the entirety of its life copulating with its mate, hence its numerous romantic nick names. The male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight. In fact, after mating, the male dies and is dragged around by the female. Females lay up to 350 eggs in debris, and about 20 days later the eggs hatch into larvae. The larvae may live for months before passing into adulthood...

...Popular tongue-in-cheek lore holds that love bugs are actually man-made, the result of a University of Florida genetics experiment gone wrong. [2] As the creature seemed to have no natural enemies its population was perceived to be reaching enormous levels. This is of course wrong; love bugs are not a favored food of most insectivores, but they are harmless and merely do not taste good, and thus do not get eaten. While many predators, including red fire ants, don't eat them, lovebugs' larvae -- and some adults -- are food for birds such as quail and robins, and also spiders. The apparent population explosion may for the largest part be explained by the fact that with increasing automobile use and rising population, the nuisance that love bugs may be has come to more widespread notice: at the time of Hardy's study, the density of the road network and the extent of personal transport ownership in the species' area of occurrence was much lower than it is today.

Lovebugs are beneficial because their larvae helps recycle organic material and improve the soil. The larvae also eat earwigs, beetle larvae and other pests."

Labels: Love bugs

Was longing for Louisiana. Ordered ten pounds of Cajun Andouille, boulin and gumbo from PochesMarket.com. Now sated . . . for the moment.
Poches is Casanova's supplier of things not found underwater. Casanova, a Stacy find, is the most-excellent crawfish shack down the road from Camp Hope.

Hi folks, I hope y'all made it home safely and with fond memories of the trip.
Here are my photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=1309pjkb.2o6tzjhv&x=0&y=7zl8ao So... when are we going back?!?!?!?!?!?! :o) :o) :0)
Stacy

When I arrived to Camp Hope on Sunday, May 6, 2007, it was my intention to depart as scheduled on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

After my first week of meeting and working with the residents of Saint Bernard Parish, I felt compelled to extend my stay for just another week. During that second week, I continued to learn and develop critical construction skills and had the distinct honor of interviewing residents and recording their testimonials pertaining to their lives preceding and succeeding Katrina. Thankfully, the local unofficial spokesperson and historian of the parish, Mr. Booth has invested his time, information and compassion to better assist me in understanding the misperception and blatant untruths of the August 29, 2005 hurricane.

Although Saint Bernard Parish is the only place in United States history to be 100% devastated by a natural disaster, the spirit and warmth of it's residents is completely in tact.

Three days ago, I made the decision to once again extend my trip. The residents now affectionately refer to me as "family." Unequivocally, this has been the most magnificent event in my life. Ironically, being in Violet, LA for two weeks, has reaffirmed who my true friends are and revealed the shortcomings and apathy of others back home.

Tonight, as usual, I ate dinner at the resident's table. To my surprise, I was presented with a gift from locals Bob and Carol. They said, "We just love you and want you to know we have adopted you Ebony." Such warmth and compassion is the norm around here and never the exception.

I am ecstatic to be here for another week. The work at Mr. Booth's home is progressing remarkably well. We've hung all the sheet rock, installed corner paneling, mudded and sanded the walls and will begin to texture the walls on Monday. I wish I had the power-cord from my camera so I could share the pictures with you at this time. However, I will definitely post them upon my return to California.

The totality of the experience of being in St. Bernard Parish is emotionally intense and physically demanding; however, there is no other place in the world that I would rather be. Regardless of one's political affiliation there's no denying that the local municipality and the federal government ignored the displaced persons of St. Bernard Parish.

This place personifies southern hospitality and despite the apparent lack of infrastructure, the joy and beauty of it's people makes St. Bernard Parish feel like the most wonderdul place on earth!

Pending the availability of time and computer access, I will continue to update the blog.

(In no particular order whatsoever)
This trip was very heavy, so like the sign says: “THINK POSITIVE, ST. BERNARD!”

Henry’s Alligator
Henry, a St. Bernard Parish resident, saw an alligator slithering into his pool one day. According AmeriCorp volunteer Hailey, there were fishes living in the pool when the water was pumped out (along w/other things collected from the last 2 yrs). The gator must have been fishing.

Fear of Heights vs. Fear of Falling
On the first day, first assignment: 4 other volunteers and myself were asked to climb onto the roof (albeit only 1 story high, it was still intimidating) to install drip drains. We were to get onto our stomach and slide onto the edge of the roof to hammer it in. It was only then I realized I actually have a fear of falling, even if it is just oh, 20 feet from gravel ground (which have sea shells all around the front, side-yard, and the backyard!).

Bugs Galore
I am no longer afraid of spiders. Ok, I lied, maybe not so much of the little ones. Those bugs ARE definitely bigger in the South. Good thing that cockroach in the tub at Henry's house didn't start flying. Here’s a thought: if a ladybug lands on you and it is considered as good luck, what if a pair of lovebugs land on you?

Potato Sandwich @ Tony’s
Do you know what a Potato Sandwich is? Sorry to disappoint, but it is not what you think. I often think in cartoon vision (it is my coping mechanism), it is NOT a boiled unpeeled russet potato stuck between 2 buns. It’s a sandwich bun w/French Fries in it, along w/all the fixin’s. Although I’ve got to say, that catfish sandwich there is delish. Thinking about it makes me turn into one of Pavlov’s dogs.

Sweet Bread
I’ve found out from Amelia (a recent resident of NOLA, also an OneBrick volunteer) what the ingredients of sweet bread are. I’ll just have to take her word for it that it is mighty tasty. This leads us to the next subject...

Louisiana 2-Step
Louisiana, being the 3rd most obese state in the Union, launched a PSA campaign: “Eat Less, Move more.” It is just that easy!

Paintbrushes & Power drills
Yes, I know I’ve lived a sheltered life. It was not until last wk that I’ve actually used one of these gadgets. =) (Thanks Janine!) Then the 3rd house I’ve worked on, Dave (Mr. Corner Specialist) taught me how to sand the walls to make it smooth (Thanks Dave!), still haven’t quite graduated to recognize “shadows” yet so I can’t “mud”. Although feeling the wall as I walk along the house has an eerie resemblance to (what I would imagine) an institutionalized person would do.

Door Frames
Who knew it was so tedious just to paint those darn door frames? It was really hard to stay awake (even before lunch). Surprisingly that door frame closest to the tub (w/the roach) was done very quickly.

Stop! Turtle!
A line of motorist stopped in the right lane. It turns out that the 1st driver was getting out of her car to “shoo” a huge turtle off the street (and it was an urban street too).

The most important thing I’ve learned: the long term volunteers and AmeriCorp group are beyond AMAZING!

Labels: gators, potato sandwiches, powertools, turtle

One thing we all won't soon forget from Camp Hope is the delectably metallic ambrosia that is FEMA water. The beverage we all love to hate does have its fans, however. Together, they've banded together to create this list of 101 83 Uses for FEMA Water (in no particular order):
-----


1 - Water plants
2 - Flush toilet
3 - Throw up
4 - Throw at dirty hippies
5 - Juggle
6 - THE FEMA CHALLENGE
7 - Drink
8 - Bowling pins
9 - Weapons against evil racoons and hungry giant rats
10 - Kills toenail fungus
11 - Throw at George W. Bush during his B.S. speeches
12 - Wash your boots and tools after gutting
13 - Take home as a souvenier
14 - Help the rivers flow
15 - Give to kids on Halloween and say "It'll make you grow big and strong!"
16 - Challene your immune system
17 - Give it to Kerri. She liked it!
18 - Endless amusement for Andie
19 - Birth Control (Men and Women)
20 - Backup radiator coolant
21 - A shim for heat duct in laundry room
22 - FEMA pong
23 - A practical joke on your friends back home.
23(again) - Drink
24 - Wash your dirty, dirty feet
25 - Enema
26 - It's good swill
27 - As a hand sanitizer
28 - Pour down the drain and use can to contain sweet delicious Coca-Cola Classic
29 - Insect repelant
30 - Bathe in to enhance "Chastity Musk"
31 - To fill your swimming pool with
32 - A delicious treat!
33 - Good replacement for 151 Bacardi
34 - Liquid Death
35 - Emergency stomach pump
36 - Suicide
37 - Paint remover
38 - Leave it out in the sun and use it to shower when the hot water runs out
39 - To bring back fond memories of old antique stores...smell it if you don't believe me!
40 - Holy Water
41 - Weapon of mass destruction!
42 - Use tabs as recklace beads since there is an endless FREE supply
43 - Use to remind yourself of the good times at Camp Snoopy (Minnesota) Mall of America
44 - Science experiments
45 - Nutralize garlic breath
46 - Dissolves old dry joint compound instantly!
47 - Crunk Juice/Fest
48 - FEMA water football!!!
49 - Use it to hide valuables. No one will come near it!
50 - Alternate to Syrup of Ipecac
51 - Weed killer
52 - As a night light! (It glows in the dark)
53 - Like Oxyclean - it gets your whites whiter!
54 - After a hot, sweaty cardio "superfreak" workout, use it to shower off your Rick James juices!!
55 - The missing element in finding the cure for AIDS
56 - Spoons
57 - Degreasing engines
58 - When cold can be used as an ice pack
59 - Paint thinner
60 -
61 - Indegestion
62 - Rust remover
63 - Drain cleaner
64 - Finally tasting Home Depot
65 - Build igloos
66 - Educational plays (haha)
67 - Alternative to Alcoholic Beer. Both taste bad and make you feel crappy.
68 - Hit Jeff in the balls
69 - Stocking stuffers!
70 - Short circuit your computer
71 - To get rid of a skunk's odor
72 - Assasination
73 - To remove bacteria on an open wound
74 - Conversation piece - ice breaker at parties
75 - Cure for Scurvy
76 - Pour on slugs to watch them die
77 - Chemotherapy
78 - Make your friends chug a can everytime they say "Mission accomplished" or "You're doing a great job, Brownie."
79 - Save it all! Make them serve it in the cafeteria at the Cheney Library
80 - Disease-in-a-can!
81 - Deskunk a dog
82 - Weightlifting for elves
83 - Hallway Bowling

"Though water doesn't spoil, it may eventually acquire a peculiar taste from its container, though it's still 'very drinkable.'"

- Ray Crockett, Coca Cola Spokesman, on the 'packaged water' donated to Katrina Relief Efforts.

Understatement of the year!

"Ok, so I've been curious about this 'filtered drinking water' since returning from the trip, and thanks to the marvels of Google (thanks Larry & Sergey!) I was able to uncover some of the mystery.

First of all there's more hilarious comments than you can imagine about this water on blogs just like this from volunteers all around the world. But sprinkeled in there, I did find a bit of real information. Specifically this article from The Dallas Morning News/StAugustine.com:
http://staugustine.com/stories/010206/nat_3551890.shtml

Monday, January 02, 2006 at 07:40 AM EDT
FEMA sends drinking water to be dumped
By MARGARITA MARTIN-HIDALGO
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS -- A million cans of drinking water donated for hurricane relief ended up at a scrap-metal business in Balch Springs, Texas, where the water was dumped into a sewer.

The water -- 400,000 liters of it, enough to supply a typical Dallas household for more than a year -- hadn't been dispensed when evacuees from hurricanes Rita and Katrina left shelters in Texas and Louisiana. So the 18 truckloads were sent last month to Lake June Scrap Metals, where the cans were put through a machine and drained. The water was dumped and the flattened cans sent for recycling.

"We didn't need it anymore," said Don Jacks, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who said the water came from various donors, including the Coca-Cola Co.

The cans were 12-ounce unpainted aluminum and labeled "Filtered Drinking Water." Joe Perkins Jr., foreman of the Balch Springs scrap-metal processor, said all the cans he saw were stamped with an expiration date. At least some of the cans had expired.

Coca-Cola donated about 40 million beverages during the relief effort, a company spokesman said, and more than 90 percent of the donated drinks were packaged water. Some of the containers did have an expiration date, but the spokesman, Ray Crockett, said he didn't know why.

"We're looking at it," he said.

Though water doesn't spoil, Crockett said, it may eventually acquire a peculiar taste from its container, though it's still "very drinkable." He said Coca-Cola's Dasani water, for example, has an expiration date of a year after bottling.

Jacks said Coca-Cola and other companies sent truckloads of canned water to shelters during the hurricane-relief effort. A month ago or more, shelters in East Texas and Louisiana gave pallets of unused water to FEMA, and the agency stored them at its Fort Worth, Texas, regional distribution center. That facility serves several states, including Louisiana.

Getting overstocked with supplies is not uncommon during disaster-relief efforts, Jacks said.

Many times, he said, companies simply send truckloads of foodstuffs and water to shelters or FEMA distribution facilities without knowing what the needs are "and it sort of bogs down the system, in a way."

For example, he said, at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, "We had enough water we could've floated a battleship."

As grateful as FEMA is for the donations, Jacks said, sometimes they're a mixed blessing, because when they're not used, the agency has to foot the bill for transportation and disposal.

FEMA picks up the tab and keeps the supplies, as in this case, because, "we're not going to send it back to Coke and (say) 'Thanks, but no thanks.' "

Jacks said FEMA paid a local company $250 a truckload to dispose of the cans. Perkins said a Plano, Texas, company contracted with him to get rid of the containers, and he paid that company about $2,500 for them. He said he received the first truckloads shortly before Thanksgiving.

Crockett said most of the products Coca-Cola donated were handed out to people who needed them, so the fact that some supplies may not have been used "doesn't concern me."

"Our motivation is to help (when) we can," he said.

(c) 2005, The Dallas Morning News.

Labels: levees, missing roofs, toys

We've been trying to compile all the photos that were taken on the trip. If you have a link to share, please let us know and we'll add it here!

Beth pics:
All New Orleans photos - www.flickr.com/gp/43788647@N00/25Y317

Just St Bernard project building photos - www.flickr.com/gp/43788647@N00/0TGqR2

Dave's pics: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2QbMmjlm3YuUA

Eye-protection demo :)

Labels: blocking, boarding, cutting, framing, habitat for humanity, hammering, home building, houses, measuring, nailing, retrospective, sawing, windows

---

"Thank you so much for the information on your website.  [...]  I want to thank you and your group for what you are doing in St. Bernard Parish.  It really touched me to know that there are still so many kind people in this world.  'Again thanks so much."

---

An emphatic moment of the trip...

Saturday: This story begins when my friend Mitch says, "Lloyd! Look at this." As I walk closer and ask "What is it?" He points at a photo album. Mitch and I have known each other since childhood, so we start debating like curious kids finding a treasure trove: I tell Mitch to not touch it because it contains personal effects. He responds that he wouldn't purposely leave a photo album behind, and concludes that it's probably lost.

As I ponder more words supporting my side of the argument...Mitch begins flipping through the album. It contains photos from a birthday, high school proms, bedroom cuddling poses, and a napkin preserved as memento.


My heart quickly sank, and my emotions became raw...Choking up in seeing happy memories before the hurricane, now surrounded by debris from Katrina, amidst growing grass hinting at length of time since the hurricane.

That's when something special happened...I quickly realized that I was in a "This American Life" moment, where the protagonist (me, in this case) changes from one extreme of not wanting to touch the album at all, to the other extreme of wanting to return the album to its owner.

In a 180-degree-reversal of my earlier argument telling Mitch not to touch it, I begin flipping through the album's pages for clues...

On one page, I see a photo labeled "Me!", and another that says "Friends 4-ever!". On another page, there's a label of a person's full name. Having found hints in locating the album's owner or a friend, I photograph parts of the album, and record the name that I found.

Next, I run a web search for the name via my Treo phone. One result came up - A person from the same town as the album, having graduated from a nearby university. Unfortunately, no contact info was listed.

Mitch and I stand there discussing what to do next. We decide to leave the photo album behind, while I continue looking for its owner at a later time. Since the home was missing a house number (parts of the number fell down due to the hurricane), I wrote down neighbors' house numbers, the street that we were on, and took photos of surroundings.

A nearby wall is spray-painted with "Call ... Before Bulldozing", but the same is written on the house across the street; we attribute the message to potential demolition of several houses in the area, and less so as a lead to finding the photo album's owner.

I vow to search for the owner further after I return to California...

Sunday: Last night, my search continues via online white pages. To my surprise, a match comes up in Louisiana with a phone number. I am elated, hoping that I found the owner or a friend. Out of courtesy, I wait until the next morning to call.

Monday: This morning, I call the listed telephone number. It kept on ringing, and ringing (10 times or more), followed by a click with silence in the background.

I say "Hello?" several times, only to hear no sound in response. I wasn't sure if the telephone number may have been disconnected.

A bit dejected...I hang up the phone out of frustration, wondering whether I've come across a dead-end. Regardless, I promise myself that I would try again in several hours.

This afternoon, I call the number again. This time, someone on the other end picks up. I ask, "Is this ... (the full name I saw in the album)?" She responds, "Yes".

I explain that I was volunteering in Louisiana, and nearby a work site, we came across a photo album with her name it in. I then ask whether she had lived on the street that we found the album at. She says "Yes, but a long time ago."

Overjoyed, a gush of words flows out as I explain circumstances of finding the album, how finding it deeply touched Mitch and I, and I wanted to locate its owner.

I mention that I took photos of where the album was, and whether it would be okay for me to post them on One Brick's web site where we've been documenting our volunteer experience, so she can easily locate the album. She said it was okay to post the photos of the location, and I asked for an e-mail address to send up the web address to her.

Now, I'm typing up this blog entry with photos below, so I can e-mail her this web address. This way, the lost photo album can return to her...as she's either the owner, or a friend of the owner.

Tuesday Update: Tuesday morning, I receive a thank you e-mail from the person I spoke to on Monday, whose name is in the photo album:

"Lloyd,
Thank you so much for the information on your website.  You have to understand that I was kind of skeptical when I received your call yesterday, because there is so much fraud going on with storm victims.  I want to thank you and your group for what you are doing in St. Bernard Parish.  It really touched me to know that there are still so many kind people in this world.  Again thanks so much."

Labels: album, empathy, emphatic, lost, memento, moment, photo, st. bernard parish, story, this american life

Wow.

I can't believe it's over. The past week just flew by. Though I'm happy to be home where I can go barefoot, take long, hot showers, eat organic produce, and stay out past 11, I'm already thinking about my next trip back. I'm having hammering withdrawal already. I could go on and on about the town, the people, the devastation, the food, and the great friends I made (can't wait to see some of you soon!), but in the interest of keeping your interest (ha), I'll just list some of the highlights and quotes of this experience.

Highlights & Memories:
- Tiffany, the high maintenance GPS (I can't go straight, Tiff!)
- Delicious FEMA water
- Hopscotch
- The residents bringing us beads, lunch, and teaching us to eat crawfish
- Bringing leftover crawfish to the security guards
- Erica's IHOP joke
- Derek (12-year-old future resident of Linda Lou) getting to help build and see his future room
- Team Window!
- Beignets at Café du Monde (and spilling coffee all over my pants so I could buy a new dresss!)
- “Stimulating the local economy”
- Awesome waiter at Charlie’s amazingly getting all our orders right
- Family Dollar!
- 35 pairs of flip-flops shuffling to leave at 3:45 AM
- Bob Rob and his dancing and yelling at us to put on sunscreen
- The amazingly friendly locals
- Love bugs
- Drinking liters of water and not peeing all day
- Snowballs, custard, deep fried pickles, veggie muffalettas, crawfish etoufee, gumbo, pounds of
butter
- Eating dinner from a plastic tray and having an 11pm curfew
- 2 security guards. 1 firefighter. 2 sheriffs. Assorted camp staff. 2 EMTs. The TV lounge.
Enough said.
- Palm readings
- Bourbon Street – bull riding, beads and old guys with rhythm
- Learning to saw, hammer, put up sheeting, put up siding, put in windows, and prime a house
- The AmeriCorps kids

Quotes:
- Where in “Luziana” are we?
- Stubborn as two Mississippi mules, a wooly mammoth and a housecat.
- You know, it’s love bug matin’ season.
- Is this the night crew? It’s 4 am!
- "I have caulk all over me”
- Everyone rides the bull!
- No backseat drivers
- I’m sore in my hammering, bull riding and no toilet-seat-cover muscles

What a trip! Pictures coming soon.

Here's some videos from other sources documenting the impact of Katrina on St. Bernard Parish.

This is one of the videos shown at our orientation on our first night at Camp Hope.


June 2006 - This is the second orientation video shown at Camp Hope orientation
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7536405770039931024&q=help+and+hope


These are other third-party videos. Not for the faint at heart...

August 29, 2005


August 29, 2005


February, 2006
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7824941696356227656&q=st+bernard

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2706912077473447143&q=st+bernard+katrina

August 2006 - 1 year later
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5115852355940041719&q=st+bernard+katrina

August 2006


September 2006


April 2007 - Last month!
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5452108694006803818&q=st+bernard+katrina

To give a bit of perspective of what it looked like, here's two videos of the left and right sides of the street as we drove down the block.

Left: Devastation.wmv
Right: Devastation2.wmv

These photos were all taken on 5/12/07...nearly 21 months after Katrina hit. They were all within only a few blocks from where we were working.

We even had a little live entertainment at our project...CarryNoKey.wmv

This was tatooed on the shoulder of one of the 'long-term' volunteers at Camp Hope, Kelly.

It stands for St Bernard Rescue, the date she arrived, Habitat for Humanity (the org she's been volunteering for), and 135 lives lost in the Parish.

Like all the others in St Bernard, this one, owned by Christine Keyes, was flooded with over 9 feet of water. The entire contents of her home were destroyed and there was still evidence of the fact out on the curb in front of the FEMA trailer she has been living in since Katrina devastated the area.

The drywall in the home we were assigned to had just been hung, so our task was to "mud" it. That is, cover the seams, cover the nails and smooth the walls with a paste form of sheetrock that dries hard.

There was a LOT of work to be done!

Our project supervusor, Kat, is an incredible woman. Kat used to work for a University in North Carolina. She came to New Orleans earlier this year to spend a week assisting in the rebuilding efforts, and after seeing the destruction and despair, she went home, quit her job, packed her car, and drove back to New Orleans. She's been a 'long-term' volunteer for over 3 months now, and plans to stay for as long as she can.

The other project supervisor who joined us later in the week is Lindsey. As a student at Santa Clara University, Lindsey took a school trip to New Orleans with a few classmates in 2006. She was so moved by the experience and overwhelmed with the amount of help this community needs that upon graduation, she moved into Camp Hope as a 'long-term' volunteer as well.



Lindsey and Kat are not alone. We met many people over the course of the week who have completely changed their lives to be in New Orleans, helping people get back to some sense of normalcy.

We had a great group of people working on Mrs Keyes house, and by the end of the week, we did complete the mudding project so that next week's volunteers can pick up where we left off and start texturing and painting the walls.

There's one thing that everyone has to experience here and that is the snowball. Its like a snow cone meets a slushee and it is the best tasting treat after a hard day in the sun. Ice is shaved so finely that it is like eating snow. The only problem is deciding which flavor...



The homeowner of the house on Linda Lou treated us to our first snowball on Wednesday. It was located down the street from the house.











Snowballs seemed to be sold in small shacks and they open in the afternoon when school gets out - well the good ones at least as we found out on our lunch break on Thursday.

Both of these bags were packed for a weeklong trip to New Orleans. Which one belongs to the female and which one to the male?

The walls of Camp Hope are painted with murals from the many groups that have stayed there. They switched to painting on sections of drywall so they can be moved to the new Camp Hope when they move in August. I know that some other people plan to blog about the funny ones like 100 things to do with FEMA water so I won't talk about them. The One Brick board was designed by one of our volunteers, Brenda, and was worked on by many One Brick volunteers Thursday night.