Still a ways to go...

I'm finally home from my trip to New Orleans. But this blog would not be complete without the message that there is still way more to be done. It will probably take another 10 years to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward. Many people can't understand why it's taking so long. Perhaps the person who can explain it best is Fred's neighbor Errol Joseph.

Errol and I are standing in front of the frame of his house. He lives across the street and down a couple lots from Fred Robinson's house that we've been working on. Errol is a building contractor by trade, and has stopped in from time to time to see how our progress has been going, offering some bits of helpful advice where he can. At the same time, his own house has been on hold for 5 years. The framing which has been exposed to the elements since 2009 while Errols case has been tied up in one agency after the next, is now beginning to show signs of deterioration.

Errol Joseph's story landed in the New York Times last February of 2013. You can link to his story here. Katrina Red Tape Keeps New Orleans Homeowner in Limbo

His story was also featured on the PBS News Hour just this past December 28, 2013. You can see the video here.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/nation-july-dec13-lower9th_12-28/

The debate continues over whether or not the Lower Ninth Ward is worth redeveloping. Part of me doubts this would even be under discussion if this were the French Quarter or a predominantly white neighborhood. It seems that lower income people, and probably more so for blacks than for poor whites, are seen as expendable. Mr. Joseph told me that the Lower Ninth Ward had never flooded before. Other parts of the surrounding area had, but this area did not. He told me a rather controversial thing which was that many people believe that the levees were intentionally bombed to flood the Lower Ninth Ward in order to save the French Quarter. You can read the debates about it if you want,  to see why people thought that happened. It's an element of the story that seems like a conspiracy theory, but the truth of what really happened has never been proven.
http://www.infowars.com/articles/new_orleans/locals_believe_levees_blown_intentionally.htm

I'll close with a couple photos from my last day. After we packed up the work site to go home, people hung around, not quite ready to go just yet. Getting the roof rafters in place was a major accomplishment, so when people feel proud about accomplishing a big task, they hang around to savor it, and that's kind of what it felt like. So since they were just hanging around, I got out my camera. 

                                                                    (The silly picture)

(Background-Fred to right of truck)
 L to R- main roofer guy, Errol Joseph, Darren (standing), me, Steve Robinson, Alyssa Mendez and Eddie, both from Lower Nine.

And finally on Valentine's evening I was treated to a lovely send off dinner at Cafe Dauphine in the "hood," by the family and friends of Fred Robinson. It was a perfect ending. Darren said "She's part of the family now." It was a nice sentiment, and even though i'll be 1000 miles away, these folks will stay in my heart. I was privileged to be allowed into their lives for this slice of life.

L to R- Stephanie (Steve's sister), me, friend named Pat, Fred, Steve, His wife Jackie, Alyssa and Darren

I'll probably post additional pictures on Facebook that didn't show up on this blog. Thank you for reading this account of my experiences in New Orleans. 

A funeral and a roof raising

Today was a day that had been anticipated for quite some time. We had some professional helpers come over to set up the roof rafters after we finished the ceiling joists yesterday. And yes that is the first time I've ever used rafters and joists in the same sentence and actually knew what I was talking about! It felt almost like a barn raising. There were a lot of extra helpers and a flurry of activity.

What made it seem even more like a barn raising (not that I've actually been to one, mind you) was all the extra activity going on across the street. There were lots of cars parked on the road and the yard, kids running around, families gathering and bringing food into the house. It was the poignant combination of quiet respect and the sounds of a family reunion, a funeral luncheon for the woman of the house who passed away a few days ago. It was a perfect illustration of life in the Lower Ninth ward, where the signs of death as well as life live together side by side.

Hope is not crushed by death. The gathering of families and friends  coming together to celebrate a life brings a legacy into full view. Life continues, the green grass sneaks up between the dormant thatch, and neighborhoods that were destroyed are coming back one house at a time, one roof at a time.

Fred Robinson, the man we're building the house for, said it best today. He has some difficulty walking, and in the parking lot of the lumber yard this afternoon, he took my arm and said, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint". Hope lives on.

Progress on Fred Robinson's house

Fred Robinson is a man in his 70s who has lived his whole life in the Lower Ninth ward. Before Hurricane Katrina, he knew all his neighbors, and his son and family lived 2 doors down the block. The neighbor across the street told me that Freddie was a good man, always there for his family. She volunteered, "Not all black men are there for their families, but Freddie was always there for his." When Fred's house was finally starting to be rebuilt from the ground up, they hired a contractor who was a neighbor of theirs to do the work. The raised foundation was laid, and then....nothing. This man whom they trusted, made off with $20,000 of Fred's money that was to have been put toward the construction.

Unfortunately this is a story that would be repeated several times over in the Lower Ninth Ward. Contractors stealing from the people who had already lost everything. Insurance companies sending checks to homeowners for $18,000 for a house that was worth well over $100,000. Ironically if you didn't have homeowners insurance, FEMA gave those people a check for $150,000. One homeowner couldn't collect a claim for his house because it floated away and crashed into another house. The insurance company said it did not cover collision!

The non profit lowernine.org comes in to help people like Fred, providing skilled and volunteer labor to help get people back in their homes. Although the weather has hampered us somewhat, we've made a lot of progress, especially in the last few days. Here are some pictures to show you the progress.

                                               Wrapped tyvec around the whole house early last week.

                                         No more ladder to go up and down. Real steps!

Started work on the deck last Thursday

                

With the exception of one board, the deck was completed Friday. At left is Darren my team leader. He has also lived in the Lower Ninth ward his whole life.

I am the go to girl when it comes to cutting deck boards, 2X4s and roof joists.This week the joists started to go up. The rain cut us a bit short today but progress will continue! I have 4 more days here so hopefully ill have more pictures by the end of the week. 

Introducing some of the volunteers

The "lowernine" organization through which I've been volunteering to fix homes in New Orleans, provides housing and meals for the volunteers. I was somewhat prepared for the rustic conditions, but I was not prepared for the roaches that lurk in the kitchen and emerge every so often when you're not expecting it. The condition of the house is pretty much how I would imagine a fraternity house would be. (No pictures of it- I don't want to scare you!)

Fortunately I have a refuge in my room. I had a room to myself for the first few days but since last Wednesday I've been sharing the room with a woman named Sandy Marcus with whom I've become fast friends. We are similar in age and outlook, and, like me, she is a native New Yorker. We are the "senior citizens" in the house, with the rest of the volunteers being in their 20s. We had to laugh when, after Sandy put yogurt on the shopping list, they bought a couple dozen of the Activia brand! (If you haven't seen the commercials, the product is marketed toward a "mature audience") They claimed it was on sale. We believe them ;/ but it was funny nevertheless.

I thought I'd spend a little time introducing some of the people in the house that I spend my day with. Up until last week, we had 3 kids from France. There was Fiona whom I didn't get to know very well because of the language barrier. We were only here 5 days together since she went back to France last Friday. The other 2 French kids are Axel, who is a quiet, soft spoken guy, (except I heard a report that he can belt out "Wrecking Ball" after he's had a couple drinks)  and Tom Tom who is 6'7". His real name is Tom but we call him Tom Tom to distinguish him from the other Tom in the house who is from England. Tom Tom plans to be a commercial pilot which is awesome. Part of his interest in volunteering was to be able to learn English. I find it entertaining to hear him laugh because to my ears, he laughs with a French accent!

              L to R.  Tom Tom, Axel, Fiona, Sandy, and Lael (one of the team leaders) on the porch of the "Rock and Bowl" (Bowling, Zydeco music and dancing and a bar rolled into one)

We have a couple girls from Kansas City named Maus and Monster. They have actual names but no one calls them Micah and Chelsey. Darren my team leader also calls them Heckle and Jekyl. (I wonder if they even know who those birds are?) They are both in Roller Derby. They were on a team in Kansas City and are getting into the New Orleans team. They are planning to become residents in this city.

                                       Maus (hat) and Monster (hoodie) on Bourbon St.

Alyssa (pictured on the left above in glasses) is from Fresno CA and will be celebrating her 21st birthday Wednesday at 12 midnight since her English honey Tom is going back to England on Thursday. (Her birthdate) The house will be getting gradually quieter by this weekend. Tom (below) has thoroughly enjoyed the partying side of the New Orleans experience.

We had a dinner at our directors' house last week. It was a lot of fun. Below are a couple shots of that event.

L to R- Laura (director of Lowernine), Allyssa, Tom and Tim (another team leader who lives in the house, a guitar player and a Dylan and Grateful Dead fan.)

Dinner party with lowernine volunteers and some other invited guests.

Sandy and I have been enjoying exploring the sites and sounds of the city on our days off. Last weekend we traveled to the Garden District and had a lovely lunch at a restaurant called Salu. She has become my social director! Since it was a warm day we didn't wear coats but since we were meeting the rest of the kids at at NBA game later, we realized we might get cold, so we scored a couple great bargains at a vintage store which transitioned us into the evening. She got a shirt and a pair of slacks and I got a great black and white jacket. (No pics)

  Well that's it for today's installment. I hope you enjoyed sharing my slice of life and the people in it. 

Getting Down to Business

I am volunteering for 3 weeks with an organization called "lowernine.com" which mainly refurbishes existing homes in the Lower 9th ward of New Orleans, but they've also done complete rebuilds which is what our team is working on.  What appealed to me about the organization was that they would teach you different construction tasks. You didn't have to come with a full slate of construction talent, just willing hands. They have housing and food provided along with the cost of supplies and running the house for $165 a week. I also naively thought it would be WARMER down here in January, but this winter has been rough across the board. However it looks like the weather will finally get warmer this weekend.

This first week has been a little slow, somewhat due to the weather. I think I've spent more time in the van and in Home Depot than on the home site! The first day we screwed plywood onto what will be the front porch. And assisted Darren our team leader with cutting out a space for a bathroom window. I've learned how to use a circular saw and a miter saw. I've become the go to girl whenever lengths of wood need to be cut. Wednesday brought an ice storm and temps below freezing so work was called off for Wednesday. Schools were closed, bridges and some interstates were closed and I heard they were still planning to keep schools closed on Thursday even though the high would be 50 degrees. However I was not looking forward to sitting around the house all day Wednesday. My team leader Darren doesn't like to sit around either so he and I worked on an inside project they had going where I spent a good part of the day painting doors, trim and spackling. (AFTER another trip to Home Depot!)

Thursday and Friday we were back at the home site working on wrapping tyvec and doing a bunch of other carpentry tasks. We spent part of Thursday morning however, scraping ice off the floor. I'll post some pictures below so you can see what we've been doing.

This is Darren my team leader

The porch we worked on.it will have cement and tile over the top they tell me.

Yours truly. (We had a little too much down time one afternoon waiting for Darren to come back and tell us what to do next)

That's it for now! In the next installment i'll tell you a little bit about the people who are running the organization and who some of my house mates are. 

And yes, there will probably be more touristy pictures. Unlike ministry, we have actual weekends off. Actually, this is kind of an enjoyable wilderness!