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....)

NOLA Week, Part 2: Finding Beauty

Five days down in the South, and there's been so much to take in.
I've been listening to stories, working with locals. and listening to local news radio. And like I just told someone back on the West Coast, the sh*t is bananas.

I'm here with a fantastic nonprofit called Relief Spark that has been here since November 2005. Sydney Ray and this grassroots organziation work with many of the other non-profits; providing donations, supplies, and volunteers. And in fact, its been a very effective way to see many different aspects of the Katrina fallout; as opposed to working with just Habitat or just Hands On New Orleans. Do not misconstrue as they are wonderful organizations... just different.

First up, we took a tour of the lower 9th Ward. Things are still eerily quiet....

And guess what? Sydney Ray also has a Westie(Chica)! ... She joined us for the tour too.
You can see here 1 dog was found on 9-29 by the SPCA... Although I was told by some people that the LASPCA really only picked up dogs that didn't seem too sickly and aggressive.. And let others to go it on their own. I couldn't believe my ears...!

It was heartening to see some rebuilding in action.
You can see where the floodline rose up to on the house below. This building was lucky...

And then we happened upon the Brad Pitt house! ... Well, thats what people are calling it. It's really the Holy Cross Project.The framing wood is entirely Forest Stewardship Council certified, and is 'blue' because of the use of a proprietary 'Bluwood' nontoxic borate treatment that protects against mold, fungus and reduces the need to use toxic pesticides to frequently spray homes for termites.
I will leave you with some beauty found in the Holy Cross District. The Doullut Steamboat House was built in 1887 by a riverboat pilot. In 1912 Milton Doullut's son built its twin across the street. On a beautiful sunny day, they were a sight to behold. I have not been able to get a story on how they were able to survive however. I think its just a testament to a house built with care and technique, as opposed to most of the Shotgun Houses that populate the area.