Day Four: Sunday, January 8
Today is Kayla's birthday! We actually took a break from chores (a short one) to celebrate. This evening, we took the ferry by our camp into the French Quarter. Things were pretty quiet there, but we were glad to have some food that didn't start out in a bulk bin, and we were even more glad to come across toilets that actually flush!
Our day began with a return to Rosie's houses and Don's house. As we were driving up, we saw the subcontractors from the Corps of Engineers using their huge excavator to remove our debris piles. It was amazing to watch the things that we had piled up through hours of work by 27 people be scooped up and hauled away in less than an hour. The whole process began, unfortunately, with a realization that we had allowed the debris to spill beyond the sidewalk edge on the house side, meaning that after removing all of these items from the houses, we promptly had to re-move them another three or four feet.
We were surprised to learn that these subcontractors were extremely appreciative of us. They kept thanking us for putting them back to work. They gave us their numbers so that we can let them know where we'll be working and they can follow us through the neighborhoods and remove our debris piles. A separate operation removes large appliances, including refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers. We got their number too. They reiterated what most of the residents said to us: "you are the first group of volunteers that we've seen in this area. NO ONE is helping these people."
Like yesterday, Shawny was "the lady in the yellow hat" whom neighbors told each other to find to seek our help. Whole extended families approached us today, asking us to do as many as three houses for them at a time. Our schedule for this type of work is probably full now, meaning that we might already be reaching the unfortunate moments when we might have to say "no."
Back at Rosie's, it turned out that we had left the backyard untouched; because a shed back there had washed away (but not the contents), things were a bit of a mess. Rosie's flooded-out car, however, was blocking our ability to transfer things smoothly. Our superhuman team saw no problem; they just picked up the whole car (first front end, then back end) and moved it out of the way. Rosie could not believe her eyes.
After finishing the work for Rosie and for Don, many of us stopped to sit with Rosie and hear more details of her story. That time sitting and listening to her stories was precious to us and to her. She thanked us again and again, and commanded us to join her in Destrahan (where she is now staying) for her excellent gumbo. We intend to take her up on her offer.
We then moved the crew to Don's parents' house. Leroy and Odessa Palmer own the house at 1836 Desire. We developed new methods of efficiency, including an unbelievable "bucket brigade" approach that cleared entire rooms in no time at all. Runners would stand outside the back door and either wait for wheelbarrows to fill or grab awkward and oversized items and run them to the front. Three rooms went from jumbled messes with soggy carpet underneath to empty rooms with bare wood floors in only about an hour.
As we finished the job, Don's entire family gathered and began snapping pictures of us. Because we wanted them to know that they are the stars of this show, we asked them to autograph our hard hats. That exchange was priceless. On Shawny's hat, Don signed his message from himself and from Smokey, the puppy from yesterday.
Rest in Peace, Smokey.
When we arrived on site, workers contracted by the city were already at work clearing the debris from the previous day's work.
The fridge and freezer that took several of our strongest teammates to move were transferred in seconds to the rolling dumpster.
We picked up lunch again at "The Hippie Camp." Today it was "brunch." We had cinnamon rolls, sausage, eggs, fruit salad and grits (which some students had never seen before). We "got creative," as Justin likes to say, about our seating arrangement. Rachel, Shawny, and Justin spaced themselves up a ladder to avoid sitting on the concrete (again).
Before leaving Rosie and Don's block of N. Claiborne St., we sat with Rosie and listened to her stories. We look forward to joining her for homemade gumbo soon.
Now that we have seen the insides of several of the flood-damaged houses, we keep wondering what will happen to them. The battles between preservationists and developers are already starting to arise. Many houses have for sale signs.
As we walked from Don's house to his parents' house, one team found this lone Bible. Religious icons and symbols of faith abound in this neighborhood and are often in almost untouched condition amidst the ruins.
Leroy and Odessa Palmer's house on Desire Street.
The contents of the Palmer's Desire street house included one of our most dreaded items: a full refrigerator that leaked what we call "Fridge Tea." The smell of Fridge Tea drove us to put Icy Hot ointment under our noses so that we could continue to work once it had spilled.
Don's parents (along with their son-in-law) pose for a picture with Shawny at the end of the day.
As we ride home from work on the bus, we select and organize pictures for our project and for this page.
As dusk falls, the whole group still manages to smile.
The harsh reality of this crushed Mardi Gras hat was especially apparent when we walked through the French Quarter tonight. At 10:00 p.m. the streets looked like a ghost town.
| <<< Day Three | Day Five >>> |
