Day Seventeen

The Transformers helped us to document a rather emotional day. Click below to learn about our experiences.



We woke up to a strange and unusual phenomenon today: sunshine. We seriously have almost forgotten what a clear blue sky looks like, and we were happy to be reminded as we stepped off the bus this morning. We sang songs from the Partridge Family, Sesame Street, Blind Melon, and anyone else that sings about sunshine or the end of the rain. We had real eggs for breakfast this morning, because we already used up all of our dehydrated ones. We also had real cheese, left over from our pizzafest last night. It was utterly luxurious.

Though we had a very happy morning for all of the reasons listed above, we have sad news to report: one of our members has gone home. Julie, who aggravated a pre-existing back injury last week, has decided that her condition is not improving here. Recognizing that she needs help from her hometown doctor, she decided to fly home today. Though we miss her already, we agree that it is best for her to be with her family so that she can recover. We will reconnect with her when we return to California next week.

Today we headed out to a very special job to all of us, but especially to Courtney. Last December, the group helped to clear the home of Courtney’s cousin Gail. This time we went to Gail’s sister Kathy’s house and cleared out what remained of it. Kathy and her husband Bobby had already claimed most of the items that were really meaningful to them but there were still a few things that they had never found. Though they love and cherish their home (especially because it is the house in which Kathy was raised), they have already resigned themselves to demolish it and have placed themselves on a list so that their house will be bulldozed by the government. They keep asking what they need to do to ensure that their property will be taken care of, but they never get any helpful information.

As they continue to be unable to get instructions from local officials, they are also hearing that property owners who do not take immediate action on their homes face seizure of their property. Thus, their virtually untouched house seemed vulnerable to this threat. When they heard that we were coming, they wondered if we could help. Of course, we were eager to do so.

We went out to their house in an area that was almost totally unoccupied. When we arrived at their home, we talked about the importance of our day’s work. Courtney had gotten a list from Kathy and Bobby of things that they still hoped to find in the house. The two items that we definitely hoped to find were needles in a haystack: a small pendant that Bobby had given Kathy early in their relationship and a glass pitcher that had belonged to Kathy’s grandmother.

As we put on our hard hats and filter masks, Shawny, Chris and Justin went into the house to assess how we should tackle the job. We were surprised to see Shawny crying when she came back out. She said later that she was overwhelmed by “the swirl.” The houses that we have undertaken on this trip have almost all been dealt with in one way or another and are mostly cleared of the primary contents that houses usually hold. This one not only contained most of the possessions that had ever been inside it, but all of the contents were also covered with a thick layer of ceiling material and insulation, both of which had dropped down long ago after being soaked in the flood. The space was a bit of a puffy pile, with furniture from all different rooms scattered throughout so that it was difficult to differentiate the living room from the bedrooms or the kitchen. This general state of being was what Shawny meant by “the swirl.”

We each passed through the house rather solemnly and then got to work right away. Vanessa immediately located a necklace that seemed to be the one we were seeking. Soon thereafter, someone found another one almost like it. (Later, we discovered that neither of these was the right one. Unfortunately, we never found it.) Not too long after, the pitcher that we hoped to find emerged from the pile. We found lots of mostly intact photos that Kathy and Bobby never expected us to find. We located many salvageable items including pottery pieces and dishes of various types. We also found an item that was not intact, though we saved it anyway, just in case: Kathy’s wedding dress.

Aaron spent much of the day sifting through the insulation layers in the master bedroom, hoping to find THE necklace that Kathy sought. His efforts, though noble, were not fruitful. Bobby stopped by around lunchtime to see how things were going. He looked at the small pile of intact items that we found and talked about the origins of each. He told us about the neighborhood and how it used to be. He talked about the enormous trees that lined all of the streets and most of the yards, always teeming with squirrels. We could only imagine what he was describing, as none of those trees still stand and no squirrels were anywhere in sight.

Bobby told us about different neighbors, where they are now, and what their plans are. Almost no one expects to return. Bobby’s prediction is that it will take twenty years for New Orleans to return to the city it was before the storm. As we stood with him on his treeless street and contemplated the approaching bulldozers that will soon destroy most of the houses, we feared that he might be right.

We asked Bobby if there was any “silver lining” that he could see in the aftermath of the storm. Though he first was clear that there was no such thing, he later changed his tune and talked about the kindness that different people showed to each other in the days after the hurricane. He had dozens of examples of people performing totally selfless acts as they helped others to recover from the devastation. He even referenced us as an example of the goodwill and human decency that he has seen more clearly than ever before. He also talked about a change in himself, saying that now he is patient, though he never was patient before.

In all that we have seen in our time here this month, we recognize that patience is a distinct necessity. Everyone patiently awaits their payouts from “The Road Home” program or from their insurance companies. Homeowners patiently wait for contractors to get to their houses to do plumbing or electrical work. Bobby and Kathy patiently wait for the bulldozers (scheduled for October 7, 2006) to demolish their house. Sarah waits patiently for the rain to stop so that we can finish painting the trim on her house. (Her patience paid off today. The Knucklebusters returned and began to repaint her trim in a new color: blue.) And many strangers that we have never met patiently wait for a group like us to come along and help them out.

We wish we could do more. . . .


There are still homes untouched in the city of New Orleans. For some us, it was an emotional experience.



This living room was untouched when we saw it this morning, seventeen months after Hurricane Katrina.



These books remain after rising floods waters over a year ago. Notice the book furthest to the right entitled Treacherous Waters; an ironic reminder of what happened as a result of the Hurricanes.



Tommy Bell reaches for the water line left by the flood, which is about eight feet above an area of land that is below sea level.



We returned to Sarah’s house to finish the paint job we started over two weeks ago. Sarah picked a new color for her house’s trim, navy blue. The more we paint, the more we love the way it looks.



The crew was up and ready to go early this morning. It looks like a tight fit but it feels like home!



The mission of the day was to find 2 precious items that the family was hoping to recover. Aaron and Chris took on the search for the pendant the couple was hoping to find. They sifted through the room that it had been lost in piece by piece. To no avail, we are sad to report it was not found.



One of the treasures found in our search was a picture of the home owner’s son Steven and his wife Melissa’s wedding picture. We were happy to sift through the home to find anything else that could be recovered.



Soraya and Linzy snuck off to the school close by only to find it too had remained untouched since the storm. It was an emotional walk as they passed by the vacant classrooms frozen in time.



The hallways felt so empty and lacked the energy that once filled these school halls. It is still unknown when the school will reopen. This is in part due to lack of funding for repairs and the fact that many of the children and their families have not returned. It is good to note that this particular neighborhood was 11 feet deep in water.



Below are pictures of Courtney’s family’s home (master bedroom and living room). If you glance closely at the walls, one can see the water line, which reached over 11 feet of water.



Yessenia washes some of the few items recovered from the storm. Items included: china, pots, a high school diploma, and a hospital wristband from when Courtney’s cousin gave birth to one of her sons.



Rachel reflects upon the salvageable items, while doing all she can to wash off rust and dirt off the various objects.



Rachel, Kate, and Soraya watch street cleaning workers take everything away removed from the home. Silence and reflection overcame everyone, as we witnessed objects and memories being swept away.



Juan, Yessenia, Courtney, and Tim sweep up the last of the debris and place it onto the trash pile.

Day Sixteen

The ONEders put Elijah in charge of editing their video offering for today. He kept a camera on our job in a mudhole. . . Click below to get the scoop.



We awoke this morning in a surprisingly orderly fashion, as every person only needed to be awakened once by Shawny! Waking up quickly turned out to be worth it this morning, as we were treated to M&M pancakes by Team Mannschaft. The multi-colored food pleased all of our palates, though there were also plain pancakes available to those who so desired.

Today, we finally met up with Parkway Partners, the organization that last year's Jan Term group worked with to "gut" landscapes so that they can be ready to garden. So that's what we did (with the exception of Tim and Justin who finished some floor work at Don's house)- with rakes, saws, shovels, power tools, and our hands, we were able to clear the lot down to a giant mud puddle by the mid-afternoon. A few events made the morning especially exceptional. We invented and exercised a variety of games to make the somewhat dreary task more upbeat and fun. Our first noted instance of someone getting down and dirty was in the tire-rolling race between Soraya and Megan. The two started at the edge of the area which had we had already cleared of weeds and debris, and had a marked finish line where the lot met the street. At Juan’s gesture, the two were off, each pushing tires that almost matched their heights. Within about fifteen feet of the start, Soraya’s tire seemed to overpower her, as she plummeted into the mud. Seeing that the competition was slim, Shawny flipped over a tire of her own, and had a come-from-behind victory.

The soggy, muddy crew took a much-needed break at lunch, when we unpacked and marveled at the complexity of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). Our friend Yvette (who already joined her mom in providing fried chicken, red beans, and bread and butter for us on Monday), brought us some MRE’s last night, knowing that they would be better lunches than the ones we were eating. The menus varied from Sloppy Joes to Roast Beef to Spaghetti in Meat Sauce, each having a variety of side dishes and beverages. For those of you fortunate souls who don’t know what MRE’s are, they can most simply be described as several powdered and non-perishable food items in plastic containers and cardboard boxes. The complexity comes in cooking the meals, as the food-containing pouch must be placed in the heating pouch, which is really just a heating pad activated by water. Then, it has to sit for about five minutes, a short time period that most of us, for some reason, had a hard time waiting. Sloppy Joes just don’t taste quite as good when partially uncooked and accompanied with freeze-dried wheat crackers. However, a few meals came with a powder to make milkshakes, a treat which none of have tasted for over two weeks.

As soon as we had finished our boxed lunches, we were eager to jump back into our job, so that the work and the games could continue. Battle Shovels, a game created on last year’s trip, made an appearance again this year, as can be seen in the photo below. There were also several attempts by certain members of the group to shove other particular members of the group face-first into the mud, but the names of the latter will not be mentioned.

Macon and Jean, our Parkway Partners hosts, were very glad to get this lot cleared. This is the first piece of property that will actually be owned by Parkway Partners, rather than being a city property that they tend and manage. The lot was massively overgrown and the bids to clear it were enormous for a non-profit agency to contemplate. When they found out we would be available this January, they put this new property first on their list of jobs for us. Though we left only a mudpatch, we imagine that the future of this patch of dirt will be beautiful for all to see.

When we stopped our muddy work, we wrapped ourselves in plastic and jumped back on the bus to return to the house we’ve been clearing the last couple of afternoons for Catholic Charities. We learned today that the house’s owner is Delores Thomas, who currently lives in Baton Rouge. We hope to call and talk to her so that we can connect our work on the house to an actual person. We continued work that was already in progress, except for one new job started and completed today by Tommy Bell: total demolition of a downstairs tiled bathroom, complete with chicken-wire base. He was a wrecking machine. We also ripped out doorframes that we had left intact in our earlier sessions in the house, as we thought we were instructed to do so. Vanessa turned out to be a master of doorframe disaster, as she used her crowbar to rip the trim off the walls much faster than virtually anyone else.

We came home super dirty but very excited, as The Transformers had come up with a scheme to make pizza on our rusty old barbecue. We ran to the store for a few extra items, and went into pizza prep mode unsure if the plan would really work. Fortunately, it worked. It really worked. We had fantastic pizzas made with Spam, Velveeta, canned chicken and barbecue sauce, and even M&Ms.

We also had a visit from a guy we met here in the neighborhood named John Schwab. John is the Chief Operating Officer for charter schools in Algiers. He has a lot of fascinating things to teach us about the area in general and the importance of education in the future of New Orleans. We will visit a couple of his schools on Friday morning (if our plan holds) and learn more that we can pass along.

Tomorrow we will gut a house that has been almost untouched since the storm. It belongs to Courtney’s cousin Kathy, whose sister Gail’s house we cleared last year. For our newcomers, this will be their first time to enter a house that still holds all of its contents. We’ll let you know how they react. . . .

By the way, we have another injured teammate: Janeva. She was painting yesterday at Habitat for Humanity, got on the bus, and realized that her back really hurt. Once she lay down for awhile, she had trouble getting back up. We took her to the emergency room where she got lots of immediate help for her problem and a prescription to help her continue to manage it. She needed rest today so we sent her back out the unofficial MASH unit we are running at Lisa Trigo’s house. She is much better today and expects to rejoin us tomorrow. We miss her!


Shawny addresses the crew before a day of work clearing brush and vegetation with our friend Macon from Parkway Partners.



Matt Pelascini rips a stump in the foreground as Elijah Galarza, Jed Friedman, and Tommy Bell plan their next move.



By the end of our job, our boots and pant bottoms were a mess from treading through inches of mud.



The lot we cleared today was completely overgrown with shrubs and a row of trees with hanging vines. In this picture Jed and Macon use clippers and a machete to make a path for the rest of us to work off of.



It took several of us to carry out some of the largest branches on the lot. This was a perfect example of our team motto: Everyone All the Time.



Courtney continues her gutting all the way down the stairs into the basement of Ms. Thomas’ house. We thought we were getting close to being done, and then we remembered the basement…



Lindsay and Courtney started to deconstruct the dry wall in the basement when they found these posters. These two along with one other poster were glued to the boards behind the dry wall. We aren’t sure who these people are but we suspect they are a few generations old.



Soraya cheerily carries a bundle of brush to the pile we created on the street. By the end of the afternoon, she was covered in mud from her fall in the “pond” and a little bit of “mud wrestling.



After creating the shovel battle on last year’s trip, Elijah and Chris show the rest of the group how it is done.



Elijah and Matt are overjoyed about the MRE we had for lunch today.



Shane poses with the biggest toad that we have found so far. Today we also encountered skinks, small lizards whose legs are so short they look like snakes.



Vince and Matt pull fencing out from the overgrown Parkway Partner’s property. Along with the wire we also found a tractor, a sewing machine, and a shopping cart.



The Luggable Loo crew gets ready to assemble our portable bathroom. From the looks on their faces, they are so excited.



Matt removes a concrete block from the Parkway Partners site. Others behind him begin detaching mulch.



Dr. Arnold and Juan remove one of the many tires that were abandoned at the future community garden. It was difficult to roll them out of the swampy-like land, but these gentlemen make it look easy.



Aaron shows his master kung fu skills with two machetes. (We’re happy to report that no individuals had any limbs removed).



Here, Soraya and Shane enjoy their MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Soraya waits for her food to warm up, while Shane pouts because he spilled his cherry drink.

Day Fifteen

Today the Knucklebusters documented the work that we did. Click on the video below to see what events they captured . . . .



Today was a BIG day! While most of the group headed out to their various jobs for Habitat for Humanity, Courtney and Julie remained back in Algiers Point to do the laundry. By our best estimation, Courtney and Julie washed over 327 pounds of laundry (but that is just an estimate). It took over five hours to complete this task but it was well worth it. Everyone was excited to have fresh, clean, and neatly folded clothes!

Our original plan was for the group to split up between our two jobsites, with half of the group continuing to gut the house for Catholic Charities, while the remainder of the group headed out to Habitat for Humanity to work on Natasha’s roof and siding. Knowing our history of slow starts in the morning, we decided it was best for the entire group to begin at Habitat where we would get the most accomplished as a cohesive group before continuing the gutting that we started yesterday.

Thus, we rolled out of camp at about 7:45 a.m. after quickly eating a scrumptious breakfast of oatmeal, granola, and soymilk. Once we arrived at the Habitat site, we were divided into three groups. One group continued working on Natasha’s home, one began (they actually finished) painting another house down the street, and a third started attaching siding to a different home on the same street.

At Natasha’s home, members of our group worked alongside other volunteers that were from Wisconsin. They began chalking the house in preparation for the siding that would cover the entire exterior. It was a little frustrating because the chalk lines were very difficult to keep straight and ended up being rather arbitrary once the siding was put up. Emily, Justin, Juan, Matt, and Shane braved the roof as they nailed decking.

At the painting site, Kellie and Janeva overcame their fear of ladders once again. Together with Feke, Vince, and Soraya, the five finished painting the entire home. They even had some time to spare to begin applying a second coat! Even though we have not had the chance to meet the homeowner of this site, we hope that they will enjoy their brand new peach colored residence.

Even further down the street, the third group began siding another home, while installing windows and building stairs. Pete, the supervisor of the job site, proceeded to give the group a plethora of handy tips including a special technique on how to properly nail siding so that it would be strong against harsh elements.

When lunch time came around, we all enjoyed a delicious meal (prepared by the Fab 5) of Mexican rice, tortilla chips, “meat” (sausage flavored texturized vegetable protein), and velveeta cheese topping. It wasn’t exactly your ideal plate of nachos. Nevertheless, it disappeared quickly with people coming back for seconds.

The clock struck 3pm and it was time for all three groups to quickly reassemble because only half of the day was completed. A short ride later, we arrived back at the Catholic Charities house. Given the new rule that the last person off the bus must set-up the luggable loo (our on-site luxurious restroom), we began gutting in no time. Since we started from the rear of the home, some of us began removing ceiling pieces from the front rooms, while others did meticulous detail work on the rooms that had already been cleared. The various tasks included: removing bathroom tile, pulling out nails, chipping off remaining drywall around door/window trim, knocking out final walls, and of course, shoveling the debris into the pile in the front yard. By 5pm, we were all exhausted and had lost daylight to continue on. We then decided to head back for camp for the day.

During the bus ride home, some of us decided that we would quickly hop on the ferry immediately upon arrival at camp to grab some beignets at Café Du Monde. We unanimously decided that we would have dessert before dinner and beignets would be perfect, especially after this long day of work. While those who went on the beignet run were retrieving our treat, the rest of us proceeded to have a dance party in the kitchen tent. Some partook in meringue, while others stuffed their faces with popcorn. This mini fiesta was just what we needed to lift our spirits.

Tomorrow we will experience a change of pace: gardening. To prepare, some of us headed to bed around 11pm while some us took a little more time putting away our crisp and clean clothing.

A newly-styled Justin and Matt take measurements for roof decking. Last night what started out as simple haircut became a bit of entertainment as Kellie, Courtney and Emily convinced Justin to go with a Mohawk and gleefully performed the job with an electric shaver. We found it so entertaining that many of the guys and at least one of the young ladies were on the verge of sporting Mohawks themselves.



Matt and Shane perch upon the rafters amongst the trusses with Alisha, one of our Habitat for Humanity staffers.



Aaron makes a very precise cut for one of the braces for the roof. This tricky job required a great deal of trial and error and patience, which Aaron and his partner Elijah exhibited in abundance. It involved compound angles and brought them nightmares of high school geometry.



Keith, a Habitat for Humanity long-term volunteer from Virginia is known as “Commander-in-Chief of the Roof.” Here he stands at his post upon the roof decking and surveys what needs to be done with some of his “troops” for the day, Justin, Emily and Juan.



As the saying goes, “Waste not, want not.” In order to conserve that precious resource we know as powdered sugar, Bryan with mouth open wide catches the excess that drifts down after Bree takes a bite during our quick beignet run to the world famous Café Dumond.



Today Jed helped fix a bent nail for another group. He assisted many groups during the day that needed help.



During our lunch break, we inhale our “NOLA Nachos,” prepared by the Fab Five. Mexican rice, ‘meat,’ and Velveeta cheese.



Our large group split up today leaving half of the group to finish the roof on Natasha’s house. We were excited and honored to take part in the construction of her house.



This was an abandon building across from one of the houses we were working on. The scene from the backyard was very eerie.



Sonrisa Colgate! En un dia lleno de nubles y frio se encuentra el senor Feke y su dama Lindsay. Los dos companeros pasaron su adventuras trabajando como abejas pero sonriedo como ninos. (for English press SAP)



SMC students join forces with the invincible Habitat for Humanity leader, Caitlyn, to complete an outstanding panting job. This job only took them one day. Way to go Team!



Janeva and Kellie demonstrate their artistic skills while also showing great balance on a 24-foot ladder.



Is it a bird, is it a plane, no no no it's mighty mouse Soraya. Literally, the woman climbs ladders that make grown men cry. For example, here below we can see her in the Habitat for Humanity’s house in action painting at an incredible speed. GO Soraya.



The team returns to the hotel on wheels (bus) after a hard day with Habitat with Humanity. Their task consisted of installing windows and putting up a siding around the house. As you can see they were all happy with the outcome.



Bree chugs the remnants of her pickle; anxiously drinking the pickle juice from the bag. Everyone on the bus cheered her on as she finished proudly.



Emily stands tall on the ladder as she tries to tear down the upper wall. Efforts like these have brought us close to completing the gutting of this house.



After a day at Habitat for Humanity, the group poses for a picture!



Vince, Janeva, Soraya, Feke, and Kellie painted a whole house in one day! We’re sure the homeowners will be pleased with the nice peach color.



Rachel meticulously takes measurements in preparation for the siding which will be adhered to the new home.