Monday, February 11,2008

Monday, February 11, 2008

Our first day on the job! We were up and out by 8 and spent the morning working under the direction of AmeriCorps volunteers for the Trinity Community Center.. We will be paired with Habitat for Humanity but their work week is Tuesday through Saturday in order to be available on a weekend day for local working people who want to volunteer. Most of us spent the morning painting a house that is being rehabbed for a middle-aged lady, who has her daughter’s family living in the home. With almost 30 of us working, we painted most of the house in the three hours we worked, using plastic drinking cups as our paint ‘cans’. It was delightful to see this frame house being transformed from a dingy pink with white trim, to a brilliant blue with white. The owner of the home, Mrs. P. was thrilled to see her house getting a face lift. Bothher home, two doors away, and this house were severely damaged and she has been trying to get the inside rooms done one at a time, as she can. She was eager for her daughter to come home from work. “She’ll drive right by it and not even recognize it,” she said with glee. She was very grateful and we were filled with joy at helping her.

In the afternoon, members of the Presbyterian Women of St. Charles Ave. Church came to fulfill their mission to ‘provide tours of our hurricane devastated city to RHINO volunteers’. As they said “We take seriously the words ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’” We had quite an experience as they guided us in small groups throughout the city for about 3 hours. It was evident that they loved New Orleans and they had great passion about sharing the story of Hurricane Katrina and its destruction. For us, it was overwhelming. Even after two and a half years, we saw so much devastation. Homes were standing empty, their windows broken, roofs and walls damaged, seemingly beyond repair. Many have been deserted with owners having no intention of returning. Others were being worked on and there were piles of debris in the yards. In other areas, homes and businesses have been bulldozed leaving large gaping areas where there used to be active communities. It was apparent that the chaotic water was not discriminating, as we saw the same results in both low-income and upper scale communities.

We saw several churches for sale. Most were heavily damaged and members either have no resources to rebuild them or have moved away, leaving empty buildings with no members. We were taken to the areas where flood walls had given way allowing the water to rush in until the level of that water was at the same level as Lake Pontchartrain from whence it came. In some areas the water stayed covering the area for up to three weeks. We saw Tent City where homeless people lived in 50 – 60 pop-up tents, forming a community under the bridge of Interstate 10. We saw FEMA trailers standing in yards where homes are being rehabbed; water stains on buildings and retaining walls, and concrete pads where houses once stood, all grim reminders of the past.

What are our reactions? “It breaks my heart to see it all.” And “It reminds me of all my blessings. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life.” And “It makes me think – how prepared am I for a disaster?” And “the chaos of change is no respecter of class.” And " What is being done for their emotional and spiritual health? What is our church doing?” And “Many people are using this disaster as an opportunity for change - both for themselves and for the city.” And “Perhaps the greatest disaster is the loss of community for so many people.”

It was an eye-opener for all of us. Amidst the chaos, we seized upon the hope that people have for a brighter future. A good expression of that was in Musician’s Village where Habitat for Humanity is building new homes and helping with rehabbing existing homes, and they are all painted in bright varied colors in the tradition of New Orleans. Community is being rebuilt.