NOLA Week, Part 3: K-Ville

It was not all just observing and taking pictures while in New Orleans. Through Relief Spark I worked with the grassroots volunteer organization Common Ground Relief in the lower 9th Ward. For a day I joined them at their compound and distribution center to help clean out their tool lending library. It was a "slow" day in the sense that no big projects were in the works so I got to spend time talking to locals.. and getting to know some of the other volunteers better.

Front and center at the Distribution Center

Evidently, nowadays not only can you sign up for tours to see the Garden District homes and the French Quarter, there are fliers in hotels advertising tours to see the Katrina Devastation. Air conditioned tourbuses packed with tourists drive by occasionally.

The tool lending library. It was a wonder people could find anything in here.
Calvin wanted me to sort all the tools so we could put them back in an organized manner. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I had no idea what half the tools were!! I ended up with a big "miscellaneous tools" pile....

A few of the volunteers were out mowing lawns and hacking away weeds.
After 2 years, city government is concerned about the general decay of property in the decimated areas. Homeowners are being fined up to $100/day for overgrown yards, even if families have not received their Road Home grants yet and have not moved back. So there is a lot of volunteer work available to those who can just weed and mow lawns.

This was the womens bedroom at the volunteer compound.
Needless to say, I was really glad I didn't have to live here for a week.

What surprised me was my visit to St. Bernard's Parrish.
These were middle class neigborhoods that were also devasted by Katrina. Floodwaters rose up to 10 feet. I saw blocks and blocks of amazing homes where the bottom floor was completely gutted out, but the second floor is pristine. Most homes were still empty though... and this Dollhouse in particular is up for sale.

Your friendly neighborhood FEMA trailer park.I was so glad to actually see a dog in town..... while driving through St. Bernard's Parrish, I learned of a most horrific crime here. .. I cannot believe that I had not previously heard about the massacre of animals that were forcibly left behind as residents evacuated. Two deputies have already been indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans on charges of felony, aggravated cruelty to animals. Read more here.. but be prepared.. it sickened me and brought me to tears. ( Sydney Ray first told me about it while we drove through town; but even now I start sobbing when I read the articles I find online.) I guarantee you, if I had known about this before my volunteer day at the Animal Rescue... this little ball of sweetness would have come home with me!

(I couldn't possibly leave you with such cruelty. Take a look at this face and just let the smile creep back onto your face. I will tell you more about Chloe and her cohorts next time....)