Checking In From New Orleans
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Hola, Kelkians! I hope that all of you are doing well. As the title of the post indicates, I'm in New Orleans. I've been here for 4 days now, and it's been an interesting experience so far!
I'm currently staying in the Upper 9th Ward of the city. The drive from the airport to the place that I'm staying showed me a glimpse of what I was to witness in person. Buildings are still deserted, some haven't been gutted yet, and the city is just in bad shape. Of course the Bourbon Street/Canal Street area is up and running, but other areas are just so quiet and desolate. I'm currently staying in an old Catholic school building that has been transformed into a communal living space. There are about 150 people staying here. Everyone is responsible for cleaning and helping out with security and kitchen duties. It's not the cleanest of facilities, but I'm just grateful that I have a place to stay free of charge.
It was difficult getting used to the heat since there is no air conditioning in the building. The weather in Louisiana is very hot and humid, so it can get really sweaty (and smelly)! We sleep on cots in an old classroom...there are 13 people sleeping in my room. I was excited since I got hot water in the make-shift showers today! Although it's hot outside, it's nice to have some warm water to scrub the dust and soot away.
My particular group is responsible for gutting houses in the Lower 9th Ward (the hardest hit areas). We work 6 days a week doing so. It's really tough work and even harder with the heat. The houses we enter have not been touched since Hurricane Katrina...nearly a year! So we have to wear protective equipment: suits, respirators, goggles, gloves, boots. We start off by moving out all the furniture, carpet, and everything else. It's left in a pile on the curb and street (since no one really lives in the neighborhoods anymore and not many cars traverse the streets). Then we have to tear down all the walls and ceilings. This is my favorite part since you get to swing away with a crowbar...get rid of some anger and aggression (j/k). The next step is to tediously pull out all the protruding nails from the wood beams. Finally, we have to sweep up and clear out the house, leaving just a skeleton inside. It took us three days to finish one house...and tomorrow we will start a new one.
What was really nice about the whole experience is that we were able to meet the home owner. She was an elderly woman who had lived in the house for 30 years. Her children grew up there and her grandchildren were living there with her when Katrina hit. She told us some stories, shared memories, flipped through a photo album we were able to salvage, and thanked us. It felt really nice to be able to help her out. She was such a sweet woman, and I hope the best for her in the future.
I've gone on long enough, but I'll leave you with a few photos that I took. Though I'm not around the blogs and podcasts for a while, I'm still thinking of you guys. Drop me a comment or e-mail and let me know how you are doing...since I get a few opportunities to check my e-mail. I'll try to update again sometime soon.
This is the street we were working on. Some of the houses were already gutted, some still need to be. The vehicles have been destroyed and just sit there until the city picks them up.
This is the house were gutting. People had come by previously to clear away a pile of trash that was about the same size. But this isn't even half the trash we ended up with. Wood panels, dry wall, and other debris were added to the pile the next day.
This is the kitchen after we removed everything. The worst part was moving the refridgerator. It still contained remnants of food that had been sitting in it for almost a year. It turns into a black sludge that smells horrid! 
And this is what it looks like when it's all done!
posted by em @ 5:03 PM,
6 Bowls of Rice:
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At 10:19 PM,
Tigerblue shouted...
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Em, you are doing a great thing helping out in New Orleans.Thank you for posting an update.
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At 11:40 PM,
shouted...
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gday em...you are definitely doing an awesome job over there...stay safe...thankx for the update..Ag :)
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At 3:30 PM,
s:onthego shouted...
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wow i am impressed that you take the time to go and help people. it's great. I can't belive how bad it is. Thanks of the update and the info.
xxx, s -
At 9:44 AM,
amg shouted...
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Hey girl,
Man, you're awesome for dedicating so much of your time and effort. :)
Drink lots of water!
amg -
At 12:10 PM,
dutchie shouted...
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hey Em! It's great to hear from you again :)! And I think ur doing a great job in New Orleans! It's been interesting to read what the current situation is in New Orleans and how you are experiencing it at the moment. Anyway ur doing a lot of good helping out the people there in New Orleans! You're awesome ;)! So thnx for the update and take care!
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At 6:03 PM,
shouted...
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Em,
I'm sorry that I didn't check into your blog sooner to see your update on your work and stay in New Orleans (writing this on July 29th).
You are doing great work...and I am wishing you well.
~Love, Minnie