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This trip was an amazing experience. Before going down I really did not know what to expect. It was a rude awakening to see how terrible the situation was down there. I know a lot of people don’t undersatnd the full extent of the problem since the media has not brought attention to it, so for most people since it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. However, there is no doubt that New Orleans needs a lot of help and I am grateful I was bale to do my part. I really enjoyed getting to meet people on the trip. Not just the fellow students form Rutgers and Stockton but also the long-term volunteers and the residents of New Orleans. I really give it up to those who have spent an extensive amount of time rebuilding in New Orleans because it is not easy work. It’s labor intensive and can even be dangerous to your health through being exposed to things like lots of dust and lead paint. Moreover, it was important to put a face to a house we were working on. To know that our efforts were going to make it possible that this person regain part of their life back. In particular, it was nice to meet Mr. Turner and know that when his house is finished he will no longer have to live in the trailer alongside his home. What brought this trip full circle were the discussions we had at night. We reflected on our days and could compare our experiences to the other volunteers. We also talked about issues around Hurricane Katrina like the failure in the government’s response to the disaster and the social injustices that coincided with that. Additionally, we looked at other issues like the environment and the toll that this Hurricane has taken on it especially in reference to water quality. Furthermore, it was great to learn a little more about New Orleans as a whole. For example, I learned what a shotgun house was and how many of the houses in the Lower Ninth Ward were built this way. A shotgun house is a particular house design that allows for maximum ventilation during the hot summers. It gets its name from the fact that if you shot a bullet through the front door of the house, it would go completely through the house and out the back door since all the doorways of the house were lined up in a row. Also, I appreciated the eye-catching color schemes a lot of the houses had. Bright colors both inside and outside the house really bring cheerfulness and delight. Overall this was truly a life-changing trip and I will definitely be traveling down again to help out even more and encourage others to get involved also. If you cannot volunteer you time per se look into donations or at least talking about New Orleans and making sure that people not forget this tragedy and that many people still need help.
Last year when my sister and I organized the trip through Water Watch we were completely unprepared for the destruction we saw in the Lower Ninth Ward. There were houses completely leveled leaving only a few cinderblocks and the front steps on their plot of land. There were houses that were completely untouched after two years.
The city itself was like a ghost town with the past wieghing down heavily. It was completely heartbreaking to see people's lives left behind and it seemed that this town would never get back tot the way it was. There were only a few houses that were being worked on and even fewer people living there.
This year the lower ninth ward was beginning to show some signs of activity. There are many houses being worked on and people are beginning to return. There are people that have rebuilt and live with their families in the Lower Ninth Ward. There are still the houses the haven't been touched and empty fields near the levees where houses were completely destroyed. There are still streets of empty houses and the parts that are completely abandoned. But then you the houses that have been rebuilt and the houses that are being worked on. New Orleans still has ten years of work ahead and they are nowhere near the lively and vibrant city they were. The city however shows signs of life thanks to the wonderful volunteers who have devoted theri time and energy into helping this city.
The first picture posted here is a house next to the lower ninth ward levee that broke during the Hurricane letting through water at 400 mph. It was just the frame and studs.
The second picture posted is the same house a year later almost completely rebuilt.
Today is Wednesday, March 19th, and we have been in New Orleans for 3 days. I spent my first 2 days working on the house I am sleeping in, which is right next door to the Lower Nine headquarters. Mr. Turner is the owner of the house - he lives behind us in a small trailer with his wife and dog. We have been hanging drywall, "mudding" as Turner calls it, sanding, primering, and painting his house. He's a cool guy, he has taught us alot and he's always kidding around. Some time I have trouble understanding him so I bring the hammer instead of the sander, but that's okay.
I can't believe we've been back in New Jersey over a week now. I left my heart in New Orleans. Since we've been back, I think I've listened to Kermit Ruffin's "Drop me off in New Orleans" at least a dozen times. I can't seem to get the Zydeco out of my system (or the paint off of my jeans!) since our return to New Brunswick.
This Spring Break was all that it could have been and more! Eight mini vans carrying forty five college students and five Water Watch Americorps Volunteers headed off to the Cresent City bright and early (6:30am) on Saturday March 15th for what would prove to be an epic journey full of good music, new friendships, Sonic Burger, painting, sanding, mudding, and eye opening discussions on race relations, poverty, and environmental injustice.
After a two day drive to NOLA, 28 of us ended up in the Lower Ninth Ward, a neighborhood completely devastated by a broken levee during Hurricane Katrina. Two years after the storm, the Lower Ninth looked like a ghost town with just a few rebuilt homes. One school I walked past everyday still had a sign that said, "Welcome Back, classes start August 30th 2005." We stayed and worked with an organization called lowernine.org (check out their sweet web page at www.lowernine.org). Every day we woke up to pancakes and grapefruit, then headed out to work were we removed trash, installed base board, and learned how to put up dry wall. I worked on Miss. Eula's house and spent most of my time painting the kitchen and caulking trim! After dinner we spent our time getting to know each other and the city of New Orleans. We spent two evenings in the French Quarter, eating Beignets at the famous Cafe Du Monde and listening to live Zydeco.
My favorite part of the trip by far was getting to know the Rutgers students who gave up their spring break for a week of hard labor. They slept on cots, waited hours for a shower, and ate MREs for lunch! My conversations with these students gave me hope for the future of my country. They are unwilling to remain complacent when social injustice occurs in our country, and they sacrificed their personal comfort to help out their fellow Americans.
Thank you everyone who supported us on this trip! You allowed us to do great work, while helping to provide us with an experience that will last a lifetime.
