5 Real Bloggers

2008-08-03T18:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a slide show of photos from our trip. Picture at left is from a trip Dinah and Dave took to the Garden District before our plane left.

N'awlins, goodbye for now

2008-07-26T10:27:00.003-05:00

As I began the trip to New Orleans, I thought this would be our last trip as volunteers, but now I'm not so sure. Yes, most of the damaged homes have been demolished, however, there is still much rebuilding to be done.

On Friday (Day 5), we finished up the work we could do on Otha's house and it felt good to check off many of the items on the 'punch list'. There is still a lot to be done at her house. We worked all week without electricity and running water. When it rained, we worked in the dark. When we needed water, we went to a neighbor (Bessie) who was nice enough to let Andre use her water, but we had to use a wrench to turn it on and make sure it was closed off tight so there was no dripping.

Friday afternoon, Otha's daughter drove her by the house and we all had the opportunity to meet her. She was so grateful for all the volunteers who come to work on her house. She was very lively and she told us when we come to New Orleans, to come to her house on Orleans Avenue and she'll have a 'throwdown'!

I want to thank First Congregational Church of Bakersfield and our friends and community for supporting this mission trip, it was worth the efforts!

Katherine

Saturday - Good-bye!

2008-07-26T08:08:00.003-05:00

After a wonderful dinner last night, we spent a little time "debriefing". This has been an incredible experience for all, and once again, for some of us. Amazement at the hope and fortitude of many of those who have literally "weathered the storm," and are back to rebuild; dispair that there are still so many who are unable to rebuild, due to lack of funds and/or, having been scammed by unscrupulous contractors; contentment on finishing as much as was humanly possible with the seven of us this week for Andre` and Otha Charles; weariness because we have muscles aching that we may not even have known existed; and humility at having had the priviledge to be a part of the rebuilding efforts here in NOLA. The tee-shirts we have this year say, "Rebuilding Homes - Rebuilding Hope". It has been an awesome feeling making something "go up" rather than be a part of making something "come down and go out on the street".
The UCC Disaster Relief Ministry is a strong and viable ministry here in New Orleans. It is making a difference in many folks' lives. Its help is greatly appreciated by those on the receiving end. Thanks to all at FCC Bakersfield, who have helped us with contributions for our rental vehicles and gas. The rental vehicles were critical for getting both us and much of the equipment to the worksite each day. We will be making a donation to HOPE SHALL BLOOM, the disaster relief fund for NOLA, with any of the remaining funds.
Thanks for the prayers of support during this work week.
God Bless New Orleans!

Marty

Friday

2008-07-25T23:31:00.009-05:00

(Behind the Charles house Kathryn paints a closet door, Marty prepares to clean tile.)

The PLAN for Friday was to quit early in order to do our clean-up duties at Little Farms (Clean the bathrooms, mop the kitchen, vacuum the dorms...the usual camp chores) BUT we got to wanting to finish our tasks: Dave and Fenton managed the miraculous; framing an impossibly catawampus (sp?) door and making it look almost symmetrical. Dawn and Kathrine, Marty and Erma scrubbed and scrubbed grout haze off tile and sealed the grout on 4 rooms on Otha's side and Erma grouted several rooms all by herself on Andre's side. Dinah finished the chili pepper decorations on the transom and joined in the grout-sealing party, so it was 4 pm before we finished. We loaded up the equipment, came back to Little Farms to clean up, ourselves and the place. While the others started the clean-up, Marti, Dinah and Dave took a trip back downtown to see what if anything had been done on the house on Marengo that we gutted last year.

(The house on Marengo we gutted last year)

It was something of a reality check, to see that nothing at all had been done; the same broken-down office chair that we used to rest on during break time is STILL sitting on the front porch along with a small pile of old lumber. Two neighbor men sitting in front of their home, watched us take pictures, clearly wondering what we were doing. I went over to explain that we had gutted the house last year and we wanted to see what if anything had been done. He told me the now-old story of how his mother had been scammed; spent $100/hour for $2 worth of work.

While seeing that house was a low point for the 3 of us, it also highlighted the remarkable quality you see in some people who can be clear-sighted, hard-nosed, yet still hopeful and willing to bet actual money on it.

Our last in a series of remarkable New Orleans meals, (whatever the weather and work-related stresses we suffered, gastronomic privation wasn't one of them) was at Saltwater Grill, where we had the best meal all week. We talked for a long time with our delightful waitress who had transfered to school in New Orleans from Mt. Holyoke, was familiar with Bakersfield because she had attended camp at Rankin Ranch with her Dad and was working at an Arts camp in the 7th ward and loving it.

Roasting Chili Peppers over the transom

Dinah

At the Charles' House

2008-07-24T22:50:00.004-05:00

(Detail: Roasted Chili-Pepper House)

Today, there were some visitors to the Charles' house. Andre's aunt, Rosalie, came by to see the progress. It seemed it was her first time to see all the wonderful colors that Andre had selected for all the rooms in both his and his mother's side of the house. Hillary, from Beecher Memorial Church, where Otha Charles is a member, also came by. We met Hillary our first year we came to New
Orleans. He is a dynamic man and very active in Beecher Memorial Church. He has a lot of vision for Beecher in the community.

After our productive workday, David, Dinah, and Marty got to go to the Hume Child Care Center at Central UCC Church in downtown New Orleans. (There is a web site for the Hume Center, but I don't have the address. You could "Google" it.) This is a Child Care Center that has been in existence since 1911, and Helen said, "We just couldn't let it not continue!" We got to see Helen Smith Green and her mother, whom we affectionately nicknamed Helen, Sr. Today was Helen, Sr.'s 84th birthday. Helen (the younger) had taken the day off, but brought her mother with her and waited for our visit after our workday was finished. (You can imagine what we smelled like!) It was Helen Smith Green's house that we gutted the first year we came to NOLA. We have such special feelings concerning these two magnificent ladies. Helen gave us a tour of the center, and we got to meet a few of the toddlers who were still there. Helen has worked so hard at getting the center up and running, that her own house is still not entirely completed. She has been staying with her mother since the storm. We shared with Helen why all our faithfuls could not be with us this year. She wanted us to pass on her greetings. We didn't take photos today, so maybe we will make a quick stop tomorrow afternoon to get a few shots to share.

Marty

Day 4

2008-07-24T22:16:00.006-05:00

(Front door needed half a can of spackle and caulking too to fill up the cracks)

Although we were a bit sluggish from the late night, we worked hard Thursday and I think we accomplished a lot. Dinah finished the trim around the front door and even added her own special touch...we have nicknamed her 'Dynamo Dinah'! I finally finished Otha's closet doors and the trim around the doors. I also helped out with other projects. I tried to help Marty and Dawn who were acid washing floors so someone could begin on the baseboards. Erma finished resetting tiles and began grouting some areas. Fenton helped Erma with some of the tile work and also helped David with the trim work around Andre's front door.

Tomorrow is our last day and there is still so much more that needs to be done. At the beginning of the week, we were told not to expect to finish much, but hopefully the work we did will help them to finish the house soon. I just wish we had more time.

Katherine

(Kathryn acid washing the tiles)

In support of the local economy...

2008-07-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

( The bathroom at Jacques Imo's)

We had to go out Wednesday night! We chose a restaurant that was recommended by a local. It's called Jacques Imo's Cafe and it seemed very popular to locals. We all had something different and it was all delicious. After a long dinner, we decided we had to visit the French Quarter. The first stop was Preservation Hall where we stood in the back of a very old room and listened to the 726 Jazz Band play jazz music for the last half hour of their last set. I don't think any visit to New Orleans is complete without listening to live jazz music! Our last stop was at Cafe du Monde for warm, sugary beignets and coffee. It was a nice way to end the day even though we were out later than we expected. Now if we could have only found a direct way back to Little Farms , we would have gotten more sleep!

Katherine

Day 3

2008-07-24T19:01:00.010-05:00

When we arrived at the work site, we faced more of the same work, yet we seemed to have made a little progress. However, it was hard knowing it would be a short day. As part of our time here, the UCC disaster ministries takes volunteers on a tour of the levee breaks from Katrina and to the rebuilding sites. So we had to leave the work site at lunch time and clean up to get ready for the tour.

Sarah from the UCC disaster office led our group as well as a group of 19 from Massachusetts in a caravan of 5 to 6 cars across New Orleans. The first thing we noticed about the rebuilding is that we would see a house condemned and right next to it would be a brand new house that was rebuilt. It seemed to be random where we would find the rebuilt houses.

The first site Sarah took us to was an area called London Avenue where the levee was breached. We could see the large section of the levee that had been replaced and we could see empty lots with just a slab where houses once stood. It was hard to tell what was a street and where houses might have stood. We saw one very nice house that looked newly rebuilt and just across the street was a lot with weeds taller than 6 feet tall and an old boat sitting in the street. Sarah told us before Katrina this area had socioeconomically mixed housing. I can imagine it was a neighborhood that was well kept before the flooding. We couldn't even see the water line because it was over the roofs.

(Near London Avenue levee break)

Next, Sarah led us to Ponchartrain Park which was the first neighborhood established for middle class African Americans. We saw a house that was nearing completion which the group from Massachusetts had worked on last year. They were happy to hear the owner would be moving back soon.

The last place we headed to was the 9th ward (and lower 9th ward) where most of the devastation occurred. Driving through the 9th ward, we saw more buildings that were falling down or being swallowed up by weeds and then interspersed, we saw homes being rebuilt. The lower 9th ward was more stark in that very few houses have been completed. Sarah led us towards some funky houses being built. We learned these houses were part of the Make it Right9 project started by actor, Brad Pitt. One of these houses had a blue frame and right next to it, a volunteer group of Mennonites were building a house from the ground up. Across from these houses, we met Robert Green Sr., a community activist, still living in 2 FEMA trailers. Sadly he had a memorial plaque to his mother and 3yr old granddaughter who perished in the storm. It struck us that despite the tragic circumstances he experienced during Katrina, we could see that Mr. Robert Green was so full of life. He was very gracious and anxious to talk about the importance of getting the residents back to the 9th ward.

After this Sarah led us past Musican's Village and onto Beecher Memorial UCC. Musician's Village (by Habitat for Humanity) was an area designated specifically for musician's and their partners in an effort to bring the music back to New Orleans. Many well known artists contributed to fund raising efforts for this project. We could see house after house that were built in long rows painted in bright colors...yellow, green, purple, blue.

We ended at Beecher Memorial UCC to see the progress being made at the church. They were trying to get drywalling done so they could have the electricity turned on. We could still see the exposed beams which showed the inscriptions the team from FCC wrote during the first mission trip to New Orleans.

Katherine

Insectarium

2008-07-24T17:55:00.005-05:00

Three of us (Dawn, Dave & Dinah) left the tour early to go see the new Insectarium. The Audubon Insectarium is the first major attraction to open in New Orleans since Katrina. Housed in the old Custom House on Canal Street near the wharves, it is a well done museum of the creepy crawlies. Among the exhibits: a whole colony of leaf cutter ants. You can watch them march up a branch carrying leaf cuttings, partial flower petals and into a clear plastic tube which enters their underground nest. Strategically placed "windows" into the nest show their activities. In the "swamp" room, a large tree filling the space is surrounded by a clear plexiglas ring filled with water, in which you can see fish, diving beetles, a small alligator or cayman(?). There are marvelous displays of beautiful beetles and butterflies...a Japanese butterfly garden to walk through, a rather disgusting display of roaches...an interesting bit of entomological politics... in Germany what we call the German cockroach is called the "Russian cockroach" which in Russia is called the"Polish cockroach". There was a very extensive lesson on termites, an "awards night" which was a take-off of an Academy Awards night, giving humorous, but appropriate "awards" for various insect "skills". I skipped the free snacks but they are available for the gastronomically adventurous.

Generally I felt the museum was very well-done but required several visits to glean all the information. Your fist impression is just being "wow"-ed by the graphics and visuals but after that wears off, there is some real information.

See a slide show of Insectarium photos here.

It has proved so popular since opening in June that you have to get an appointment to visit.

Day 2

2008-07-22T17:11:00.003-05:00

(Near Table: Marty Steinman, Elaine Cavanaugh and Marilyn Coe.
Far Table: Garrett Cavanaugh, Kathryn Kurima and Fenton Karnes)

(Little Farms members setting up the buffet line for us)

At the moment we are at the church cleaning up and getting ready to eat leftovers for dinner. Last night, members from Little Farms UCC provided us with a wonderful dinner and there was so much food! We had red beans and rice, of course, fried chicken, pulled pork, corn casserole, salads and Eleanor, the famous 'cake lady' provided some delicious desserts. We enjoyed talking with some members and to Rev. Alan Coe, Rev. Jim Hightower and Garrett and his wife, Elaine. Garrett and Elaine are from Massachusetts and have been the volunteer coordinators for the last year. They are getting ready to go back to Massachusetts. Garrett is the construction supervisor for the site where we work.

Today at the house, we did more of the same as yesterday...cleaning the tiles with an acid wash, painting closet doors, pulling up tiles that did not set, and some carpentry work for molding and trim around doorways. At lunchtime, Andre joined us and told us more of his experience with Katrina. He told us how he was separated from his family without communication for 4 days. He told us how many evacuees were forced on planes without knowing where they were going. He ended up in South Carolina and had to make his way back to New Orleans to reunite with his family.

After lunch, we went right back to work. The time seemed to go by fast, I wanted to continue to work but we had to pack everything up to take back to the church. As we drove back to the church, through the mid city area, you could still see the water line on many buildings. I saw a Church's chicken restaurant boarded up with a water line about 4 feet high.

Wednesday will be a 1/2 day of work so that we can take a tour of the 9th ward and other areas affected by the levee breaches. After that, we plan to eat dinner in the French Quarter as a reward for our hard work. And no visit to the French Quarter is complete without a trip to Cafe du Monde for those delicious beignets!

Katherine

Orientation

2008-07-21T21:41:00.011-05:00

Our 7 volunteers, (Dave, Dinah, Kathryn, Dawn, Marty, Fenton & Erma) are all bunked in our dormitories at Little Farms U.C.C. in a primarily residential neighborhood a short walk from the levee which looks from here like a long greensward rising at the end of the street. The surprise comes when you see the pilothouse of a towering large shipping vessel gliding past the rooftops, because, until that moment, you don't see or realize there's water - namely the Mississippi - on the other side of that green mound.

The volunteers who are camped at other churches began arriving at Little Farms about 8:30 am for our orientation - one group from North Carolina and a large group of mostly teens from Massachussetts. Alan Coe, Minister for Disaster Recovery here, outlined the origins of the U.C.C. relief efforts here and explained the processes of seeking and providing help.

The mission started by helping the folks sitting in the pews - the members of of our own churches. One need became quickly apparent: members needed help with choosing and dealing with contractors - some had been "taken" for as much as $60K.

The re-building process for anyone, member or no, starts with a 211 call, a referral line. The caller is assigned a case worker who visits and interviews the caller, researches and verifies their situation with regard to their needs, insurance, "Road Home" and FEMA funds available. The U.C.C. is one of a number of organizations who become involved at this point, providing an estimate for the rebuild.

For its members the U.C.C. recovery program provides $5,000 toward rebuilding - not as a check but as a credit toward plumber or electrician fees. The majority of other funding comes from 3 agencies: Red Cross, United Way and Salvation Army.

The U.C.C. Disaster Relief never turns anyone down, but the process is very long. A committee prioritizes the requests. Twenty-five homes have been completed and there are currently as many active projects. The reason so many jobs are juggled at once has to do with the checkered nature of the work force's skills (!) (Could they be talking about us?) It makes sense to always have a job available that matches the skill level of whatever team is in town that week.

The safety lecture portion warned us to beware of heat, dehydration, fire-ants, bees, mosquitoes, spiders, theft, traveling alone at night and at one work site: cottonmouth snakes and an alligator(!).

So far, the first two are the only immediate issues.

After the introductions, and orientations, the groups each got a "Google" map with directions to their job site. On arrival, we unload our equipment - some of which I couldn't identify yet - and awaited our instructions. Garrett, our job supervisor, gave us a "punch list" which we taped on the window. The immediate project is broken down into discrete tasks and we are to check them off as we do them e.g. 1) spackle the closet moulding 2) Sand the closet moulding 3) Prime the closet moulding - you get the idea - somewhat simplistic, but helps ensure you don't miss any steps . . . i.e. "oops, we just installed the drywall but forgot to inspect for termites first" (see Kathryn's post)

We were served a giant meal tonight, but I'll save the menu and conversation details for another installment.

-Dinah

Red Hot Chili Pepper house

2008-07-21T20:37:00.006-05:00

Left: "Chili Pepper House" Right: Andre Charles, owner of right side

We finally started work on our project this afternoon. Sometime after we started, the owner's son, Andre, took us aside to tell us the story behind the red painted house. They chose a paint color called roasted red hot chili pepper to paint the exterior because they love to eat spicy food with red hot sauce. It is a very colorful house to say the least! And it fits in very nicely in the neighborhood. In the left part of the house, Andre chose more subdued earth tones for his mother, a yellow melon color and a couple of different green colors. Andre's side is much more colorful with a couple of different blues and a bright purple.

We learned that Andre's mother, Otha, hired some workers from Mexico to install plumbing and electrical wires to her house after Hurricane Katrina. Unfortunately the work was never done properly nor inspected and she lost all her money. Andre started working on the house in April 2007 and at some point, the UCC became involved in her case. They had to lift the house up to treat it for termites and redo all the plumbing and electrical. There is currently a long list of items to be done to get ready to install the cabinetry.

Today, some of us removed tiles that did not set properly, some worked on carpentry, some were cleaning grout off the floors. It seemed to take a lot time to get the equipment in and just to get organized for this project. We hope we will make lots more progress tomorrow.

We have taken lots of pictures but are unable to post them through this computer. I'm sure someone will be able to post pictures back at home.

Katherine

Returning to New Orleans

2008-07-20T21:57:00.002-05:00

This is the third trip to New Orleans for me. It has been so exciting to see the changes each of the years as there has been progress, but mostly by volunteers. Near St. Matthew's UCC Church, where we stayed the first year, most of the homes are all repainted and there are no visible watermarks, as there were the first two visits here. Now, most stores and businesses are back and running, or new ones have taken over for places that the owners did not return. Those are the good signs. We have not been to the 9th ward, however, so that may be a different story. Stay tuned for more as we get to work tomorrow.

Marty Stienman

We have arrived!

2008-07-20T17:06:00.004-05:00

(Church picnic in a member's backyard. Alan Coe, Director of South Coast Disaster Relief is in yellow shirt and sunglasses.)

Saturday, David Campbell, Dinah Campbell, Katherine Kurima, Marty Steinman and Dawn Dobie all met in New Orleans and got settled at our home away from home.... Little Farms UCC. Sunday morning we attended a wonderful worship service at Little Farms, it's a tiny church in comparison to First Congregational. It really makes me appreciate all that our own church has to offer. After church, we were invited to attend their annual church picnic at a members house located just a few miles from the church right by the levee. We enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, snacks, homemade banana pudding and a couple of us even enjoyed the refreshing backyard pool. Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming.

Later in the afternoon we met up with the rest of our team, Erma and Fenton Karnes, former members of First Congregational. For dinner we decided to venture out a bit and go to the Saltwater Grill near St. Matthews UCC, unfortunately, we discovered it was closed. There were a few other places nearby and we settled on a little neighborhood restaurant called Lebanon's Cafe which serves middle eastern food. So we came to New Orleans and ate Lebanese food! It was excellent, by the way.

Monday morning we will be heading out to our work site in Orleans parish. We were told we will be installing cabinets, trim and doors. I feel a bit nervous since I have no experience and we are responsible for helping to build someone's house, but we will do our best.
Katherine

Ready to go

2008-07-11T23:24:00.002-05:00

2008 New Orleans Crew is getting ready for our trip. Our crew mostly arrives in New Orleans July 19th and begins work Monday July 21. We are smaller this year but we have some new crew members.

Reflections

2007-06-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

You can read the reflections of some of the team members given at the church service June 24th here.

Slide Show

2007-06-20T00:48:00.001-05:00

Front to back,left to right: Marty; Meg, Lara, Anne; Lauren, Pat, Randi; Andy,Vicki, Jenell; Dinah, Savannah (missing: Woody, Dave and Jim.)
See a slide show summarizing the week.

What's a "Shotgun" house?

2007-06-18T01:04:00.001-05:00

Thought you might like to see the floor plan of the "double shotgun" house we gutted - note the 4 fireplaces. As you can imagine, usable property in New Orleans has always been scarce. To fit the maximum number of homes on limited space, lots were configured to be very narrow - the average being about 35 feet wide - making this long dwelling configuration nearly universal - especially in the more modest neighborhoods. The result is many houses, close together and close to the street.

The origin of the name "shotgun house" supposedly comes from the saying that you could shoot a shotgun through the front door and the pellets would fly cleanly through the house and out the back door without hitting anything. Aside from wondering why anyone would want to DO that, there is some evidence that the expression is a corruption of an African word from the Dahoumey-Fon region - "to-gun" meaning "place of assembly".
- Dinah

End of Week

2007-06-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

Well, we "finished"....! Andy and all the "girls" finished the original house. We pulled down all walls and ceilings; took out all the debris from the walls and ceilings; pulled out all lower nails (around 6 ft high); pulled upper nails and ceiling nails in some of the rooms; pulled up linoleum in one dining room and part of one kitchen; pulled out all electrical and plumbing; and sweep as best as we could. The next team should be able to just finish pulling the nails, and finish what little linoleum is left, and then should be able to start the sanitizing (bleaching) process. We did an amazing job -- especially considering it was two houses in one! It's quite amazing to look at the pictures of where we started and where we left off when we were done!

David, Jim & Woody (and Dinah one day) worked on dry-walling another house on Thursday and Friday. It was a big job, with only 3-4 people working on it. They were able to put up two celings and finish the walls of one of those rooms. It was probably a nice contrast to see one house in the beginning stages of fix-up and one house in the later stages of fix-up.

Jim & Dave at Duplessis house, measuring twice before cutting once!

All in all, a very productive week!

At this point we have cleaned up after ourselves at the church; and some of us are going to a Dedication & Blessing of the first house that the UCC has had a hand in completing from start to finish. That seems amazing, however, the UCC teams here have worked on hundreds of houses over the last 20 months. And we need to remember and be aware that this clean-up process will be a MARATHON -- not a sprint!

The Marengo House Crew - the job is done, the door is locked, we've loaded up the equipment and we're ready for the showers...but first a photo opp.

- Lara -

after the fall

2007-06-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

This is a view of one of the rooms, after the lath has all been picked up!!!! This is the plaster that remains--which has to be shovelled up, one scoop at a time, three scoops to a five gallon bucket, and then carried out to the curb and dumped. Over and over and over! We resorted to parking a wheelbarrow below one of the windows--which allowed us for a time to dump the bucket loads into it--about three, maybe four buckets, then out to the curb. The pile in front of the house is now so large that we can't add anything more to it until the city comes to pick it up. We were sitting here tonight and trying to estimate how many lath strips we've pulled off the walls and the ceilings--figuring six lath to each foot, four foot sections (plus an infinite number of small pieces), rooms at least fifteen feet square, with twelve foot walls and ceilings over all of it too. It has been a massive job--but we are making headway! A couple of rooms are actually basically done! We're heading into our last day--and hoping to finish at least the gross demolition. We've pulled hundreds of nails (each lath is attached to the wall by a minimum of three nails, mostly more)--but we may not get to pulling out all of the wiring. After all, we have to leave something for the next crew! Jenell

2007-06-14T18:04:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago today I was a beautiful, blushing bride.... Look at me now! My poor husband -- if he had only known then that I would be looking like this 10 years later -- from my most beautiful to my most grungy...! Oh well -- it's for a good cause, so I think it's okay.

He ever so thoughtfully tracked me down in New Orleans and sent a "cookie bouquet" to honor the occassion. What a guy! Thanks, sweetheart! Happy Anniversary!! :) xoxo

Thursday - June 14, 2007

2007-06-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday afternoon's tour was not as bad as we anticipated! The lower ninth ward had most all the up-turned cars gone. Many of the houses that were displaced, like having the roof on another house, etc., moved onto them, were all cleared away. There has been a lot of growth of greenery, where houses used to be. There are some FEMA trailers there and we met an older woman who was living in a "handicapped FEMA trailer," she said. It appeared to be a bit larger and had an extended walkway up to the door.

We also got to see the rebuilding of the levee and the temporary levee. We went to Musician's Village in the ninth ward, where there are many Habitat Homes being built. We took lots of pictures of them. They are very colorful. This was an exciting thing to see. There is a lot of "coming back" evident this year. We are happy about that. The hardest thing to deal with for the disaster relief team is the fact that two years after the catastrophe, Aug. 29, I believe, the Corps of Engineers will no longer remove all the rubble. So, Alan Coe, the director of the Disaster Relief Team for the UCC, is working with teams to get as much of the demolition done before that date. We are glad to be part of that effort.

Marty :-)

Wednesday

2007-06-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

I think that most of us were glad that today was a planned half work day. The general consensus is that this year is tougher than last year. The house is about 3x as big and there is more demolition involved. This afternoon we are taking a tour of the area and then we going to the French Quarter for shopping and dinner. I, myself (and I suspect others, too), worked harder this morning, knowing that we only had a half-day of work. Pacing ourselves is key though, as one of our team members experienced heat stroke yesterday. (He is feeling better now, thankfully.)

I am looking forward to the tour and having a nice dinner tonight; however, I remember how very emotional our tour was last year. Sadly, I suspect that what we find in the 9th Ward today will look very much as it looked a full 52 weeks ago....

- Lara -

Tuesday-end of work day

2007-06-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

Savannah (from Florida), Marty, Lara, Vicki, Pat, Jenell, Dinah and Randi.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

2007-06-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

Worked a good full day today. Stated at about 8:30 and quit about 3:00. A cleanup crew arrived, taking three truck loads of debris. They provided a much need excuse for a break as we sat on the porch and watched.

-Andy-

Marty - Monday, June 11, 2007

2007-06-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Masks and goggles were necessary items for the day. The dust was flying and the grit and grim were heavy! We have two wonderful girls who have joined our team, from Florida. We all worked very hard today. One side of this double shotgun house had been started last week by another group, so we picked up hammers, sledge hammers, and crow bars and went at it! Again, as we saw happen last year, the pile of debris out front of the house grew rapidly. The lath really takes up a lot of room. The plaster and dust is heavy and we end up shoveling it out. Quite a sight, really.

First Work Day

2007-06-11T17:38:00.000-05:00

Boy! We were exhausted, sweaty & dirty after our first day of work! We didn't think we'd be tearing down this year, but that's what we're doing again. At the end of the day it looked like a hurricane had come through that house again -- and it wasn't Hurricane Katrina this time! Last year we took out walls -- and we're doing that again this year (but with 12 ft high walls!) and we're even taking down the ceiling. Whew! What a mess we made! The "boys" reminded me of my preschool boys -- hooting and hollering as it all came down. And Andy Phillips gets the award for most dirty -- his face and arms were literally black by the middle of the day.

Now we're back to home base and we've all showered (I even went out and "played" in a little rain that fell!); and the members of Little Farm Church are here making us a dinner that includes chicken, red beans, rice & bread pudding. Oh boy!

-Lara -

Monday Deconstruction

2007-06-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

Today we found our first project. A pair of "shotgun" houses, actually one house divided in half the long way.
Each side has five rooms with no hall ways. We spent the day pulling off sheetrock and plaster. We also pulled off the lath and the thousands of nails that hold the lath. We made a lot of progress and had a great time.

It hasn't been very warm, by Bakersfield standards. Just in the low 90's. But with 50-70% humidity it feels more like 120. But the shade is nice and a breeze blows through the house when we were working.

We have a video clip that we will try to post later tonight.

-Andy

Notes from Marty

2007-06-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

The plantation we visited today is called the Destrehan Plantation. We were so lucky to get the best guide ever and it was the last tour of the day. She is a licensed tour guide in New Orleans, and had us eating out of the palm of her hand, so to speak. She had many stories and knew a great deal about the history of the plantation and the structure of the house.

{Link to Slide Show of the plantation}

This is indigo, the first product of the plantation. After a few short years, they determined that sugar cane was much more profitable, so the indigo was abandoned. This plant was next to the house.

The afternoon also included some shopping for food for dinner and our breakfasts and lunches. We then had a great spaghetti supper here at the church, prepared by our own hands. We shared stories of the two services and the two excursions of the day. What a great group!

Trip to the Swamp

2007-06-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

A few of us took a field trip to the Jean Lafitte Nature Preserve to see the swamp and bayou environment. We saw lots of wildlife, 3 armadillos, a black snake, a woodpecker and 3 alligators of varying sizes. See a slideshow.
- Dinah

2007-06-10T19:24:00.000-05:00

This is a three hundred (or so) year old oak tree on the largest and oldest plantation along the Mississippi River. Several of us took advantage of our free Sunday afternoon to go on a tour. It was a gorgeous setting. As the driver of a vehicle that is larger than mine, I was also grateful that there was no parallel parking. Woody wants to be entertained by my mistakes, so he is my navigator. However, I can find a Mc Donalds, Starbucks and a Winn Dixie all on my own. This will be a goooood week. Anne

2007-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

This morning we got up bright and early (remember, it's a 2 hr time change!) and headed off to church. Half of us stayed at the Little Farm UCC, where we are staying; and half of us went back to Beecher Memorial UCC where those of us who were here last year spent two days working.

This picture shows us at Beecher: Woody, Anne, Lara, Meg & Marty. Dinah was photographing.

Sadly, the church has changed little in the year since we were here. Some drywall has been put up, but that's about it. I'm sure a few more crews came in after us and were also bleaching walls, too, though. Alan Coe, our Diaster Relief coordinator brings in a truck & generator each Sunday (I believe) so that they can have lights and fans running for the services.

However, as the pastor of the church told us -- in full gospel style! -- 'The rain is coming! The dry spell is OVER!' It is indeed hurricane season again, but he was speaking figuratively. Meaning God is raining down his blessings and his mercy on them.

In fact, last Monday the local, state & national media held press conferences there about some wonderful partnerships and programs which will be working with and for the folks at Beecher Memorial. It is very exciting, and it was an exciting service to participate in.

At the end of the service, the members of the church stood in a circle around us, raised their hands to us, and sang "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." And then, they gave us Prayers Shawls that they had made for us. It was very, very touching, and I know we will each cherish them.

- Lara -

(Oh, and PS -- Marty ended up as the organist during the service! How neat is that?!)

Arrival June 9, 07

2007-06-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

We have arrived at Little Farms UCC in New Orleans. Travel has gone flawlessly. No lost bags, or drivers. We rented this pickup and the SUV in the background.
We had just arrived at the church when this picture was taken. After a great tour of the facilities wedrove down to Little Dot's for dinner.
-Andy

Remember us and especially the people we will work with and for in the days ahead. Tomorrow most of us worship at the Beecher Memorial UCC that we worked on last year. Our afternoon is open for sightseeing. -David

Slide shows by Lara and Woody

2006-06-28T01:22:00.000-05:00

(Slide shows have been disabled)

Photos from New Orleans Trip

2006-06-21T15:23:00.000-05:00

Lara ready to smite a cabinet with a sledge hammer.

Marty & Helen (Sr).

Tearing down the ceiling

Meg, Lara, Megan, Jenell and Anne removing plaster and lathe.

Woody

Dave "Demo Dawg" attacks the shower stall.

The Group poses with "Sink Trophy"
Victoria, Anne, Woody,Dave, Marti, Vicki, Helen Sr.,Megan (behind), Meg & unidentified.

The trash pile at curbside grows and grows.

Dinner: Helen Sr., Lara, Megan, Anne, a cook, Victoria, Vicki, Marti, & Arlean Fermanis, St. Matthew's host & rep.

Rev. Fred Meade, Helen Green, Mr. Fermanis, Jenell, Meg, Dave

The two Helens and two Mahoneys

Scenes of flooding devastation, Ninth Ward.

Storm Troopers suited up to wash church studs with mixture of bleach and detergent.

Scrubbing the studs.

We wrote favorite Bible verses on the studs.

The crew: (Back) Woody Allen, Jim Ditsler, Victoria Freiheit, Alan Coe, Dave Campbell,
(seated) Lara Norman-Kehe, Meg Clay, Marti Steinman, Vicki Philips, Megan Mahoney, Jenell Mahoney.

Blog: We're off!

2006-06-17T06:27:00.000-05:00

Up at the crack of dawn and getting on our way. We'll be home around dinnertime.....and we'll see you at church in the morning!

Lara Norman-Kehe

Owner/Teacher, Early Learning Center Preschool, http://homepage.scholastic.com/CHBuilderWeb/LoginAction.action

Director of Children's Ministries, First Congregational Church, http://1stcong.weblogger.com/

Independent Pampered Chef Consultant, www.pamperedchef.biz/normankehe

Blog entry

2006-06-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

June 16, 2006 – 4:30 PM

We have finished! We worked for two days at Beecher Memorial UCC Church in the 7^th Ward, sanitizing the studs throughout the church up to the 8 feet level. We took all the insulation out and removed paneling nails up to about 20 feet. You should have seen me on the extension ladder! Wow! That was high! Moving the ladder was another story.

The gear for those doing the sanitizing looked like those from outer space. They had super protective masks for those with the spray, Woody and Megan. Then the “brushers” had the suits and goggles on to protect themselves from the bleach solution. After the stuff dries for a week or two, the whole process will be repeated by another group that will come to New Orleans to volunteer their efforts.

This has been such a wonderful experience for us. The UCC Disaster Relief folks have had things well organized for us. We have not wasted a minute. We have worked hard, learned a lot, and helped in the process of rebuilding New Orleans. The sign posted on the Church’s Sign out front says, “We are Coming BACK!” We sure contributed to the truth of that statement!

We are grateful to y’all for your prayers and financial support. Those who still want to contribute should make checks to FCC with the words “Hope Shall Bloom” on the memo line. There is still so much work to be done. The pastor here says maybe in 25 years things will be complete!

See you on Sunday…

Marty

Blog: Vacation Bible School Mission Project

2006-06-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

One of my "assignments" while I am here is to find a mission project for our VBS project. I asked Helen "Jr." to think of a way that our kids could help here in New Orleans, and she has requested that we provide books to the preschool program which was run out of the Central UCC. Helen "Sr." was the director of this preschool for 47 years, and Helen "Jr." is working on grants to get it up and running again.

Both Helens have been members of Central UCC for years. That church, and it's preschool, received a lot of damage in the hurricane and levee break (so they are currently having their worship service here at St. Matthews).

So start stocking up on children's books now (for 18 months - 5 year olds), we'll be collecting them during the VBS program the last week of June. Thank You!!

Oh and PS and hint, hint.....we are THRILLED that so many people have been reading the blog (we have a counter and can see how many people have been logging on), but we'd also LOVE to hear more feedback and comments if anyone feels the desire to "dialogue" with us too.

Lara

Lara Norman-Kehe

Owner/Teacher, Early Learning Center Preschool, http://homepage.scholastic.com/CHBuilderWeb/LoginAction.action

Director of Children's Ministries, First Congregational Church, http://1stcong.weblogger.com/

Independent Pampered Chef Consultant, www.pamperedchef.biz/normankehe

Wednesday evening

2006-06-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

Today was truly incredible. As Lara told you, we finished the house around 12:30 p.m. We had been thrilled late in the morning to have a city crew arrive to pick up all of our trash pile! Helen had been told it might betwo to three weeks - and here they picked it up almost before we were done piling it up! The timing couldn't have been better, with our final large loads going on the pile before the crew arrived. What remained was small indeed -- but did include a sink, so we took an "everything including the kitchen sink" picture (though it was actually a bathroom sink -- we weren't picky!). After a quick lunch and showers, Rev. Fred Meade took us all on a tour of New Orleans' devastated areas -- it was sobering, and so vast as to be beyond comprehension. The lower Ninth Ward is a wasteland -- houses shoved off their foundations, crumbled into heaps, cars thrust into living rooms, cars UNDER houses. There are small signs of recovery, but very few work sites there. It was somewhat different in East New Orleans, which is a middle-class and upper middle-class neighborhood -- there is still tremendous damage, but more FEMA trailers and signs of hope.

We're having wonderful devotions and reflections about our experience.
We'll tell you all about them on Sunday! See you in church.

- Jenell

blog

2006-06-14T14:13:00.000-05:00

Here it is Wednesday mid-day, and we have finished with Helen's house. I'll let others give the details, but I must say that I am just bursting with pride in our group. This day ranks right up there with my wedding, the birth of my children, and graduating from college in terms of the pride that I feel. It was an amazing experience, which nearly brought me to tears.

- Lara

Fwd: Blog material

2006-06-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

June 12, 2006

Vicki and I are sitting here, after being showered and refreshed from the heat of the day. The house we were working at today had been flooded about four feet up the wall outside. As David mentioned, it looks like the bathtub ring. The mold in the kitchen and elsewhere was incredible. We all had on our masks, and were glad for them. We didn't wear the white suits. It was hot enough without them. The pile of trash that we built out front of the house was getting pretty high. We have pictures, but unfortunately, this computer doesn't have a USB port to download anything. Please check back next week after we return home. We have lots of shots of our work. Helen, the home owner, is a delightful lady. She is a former elementary school principal who has just retired on June 1st. In her retirment, she hopes to set up a day care.

I'll let Vicki add a few words...
- Marty

We have a great crew of really hard workers. Half of us completely removed the panaling (two layers) in a lower level family room, and laundry room, which had been under 4 feet of water. Also removed the the ceiling tiles and wallboard . The kitchen crew removed the cupboards and appliances. Lara was so impressive with the crow bar in the kitchen! She's one sturdy demolition expert. It was quite a feat for David and Woody to get the stove out, but they persevered and succeeded. After that, the flooring (three layers) was stripped down to the bare wood. We are hoping that Helen gets to keep this, and we don't have to go to the joists. The kitchen and living/dining room were under about 1 1/2 feet of water. Tomorrow we'll be working on the lower level bathroom, removing the kitchen walls, baseboards and at least 2-3 feet of plaster in the living room.

As we worked we would cheer each other on as big pieces of panaling came down and the deconstruction continued, and then I would be sobered by thinking, "This is her home. I'm tearing apart this woman's home." I can't help but wonder how she is dealing with the emotional trama of watching this happen. According to Helen Sr. (Helen's very perky 81 year old mother who spent the day with us also.) it's been hard, but the support they have received from the many people like our team has made it possible for them to continue to be resilient. Remember you all are a part of this too, because your support and prayers as our family and friends have made it possible for us be here.

- Vicki

Our Accomplishments to Date

2006-06-13T17:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, at the home of Helen Green, we: removed all paneling and sub-paneling from a “basement” at the back of the house, removed chairs, a sofa, an air conditioner, most of the kitchen floor and most of the cabinets, kitchen sink, combination range and microwave, much mold-blackened insulation.

Today we removed: a second air conditioner, a toilet, a sink, and shower stall, the rest of the kitchen cabinets, a second sofa, the kitchen walls which were composed of dry wall over 4 layers of linoleum over more dry wall if I understand it right, a large part of he living room walls including plaster and lath up to 4 feet off the floor, baseboards the rest of the ceiling material in the basement, more mold. Also discovered: one tiny mouse and one tiny gecko.

While we were on the job today, a small crew from the EPA came and picked up cleaners and other toxic items we’d left at the curb. Our own detritus composes a pile about 15 feet long and 5 ½ to 6’ high, left curbside, where Helen has been informed it will all be picked up in 2-3 weeks. Such is the pace.

Tomorrow we: remove the rest of the plaster and lath in affected rooms, drain and remove the water heater (the soaking ruins the insulation which is sealed in and can’t dry), a set of stairs leading from the main floor to the basement, carpeting on the stairs leading from the main floor to the second floor, remove all protruding nails from walls and ceiling, sweep up and take out all trash. There is a possibility we will be done with this house by noon..

Her basement was entirely flooded, while the main floor had water about 2 feet deep. She had done a lot of work prior to our coming, moving as much salvageable material as possible to the second floor. The refrigerator was already gone and the house had been aired out. The previous team made the mistake in a moment of carelessness of opening a refrigerator, forgetting that all the food in it had been brewing in the vilest manner for 10 months. It seems to be a good way to create nausea.

Our host is the kindest person. She spends every day on the site with us. She has asthma and some heart problems so she hasn’t done any physical labor. But it has made the whole experience to have her there in person. Her 83-old mother has spent most of the time with us as well. The mother ran a preschool for 44 years, and daughter a retired teacher and principal, is working on grants to restart the program under her own leadership.

Everybody has pitched in wholeheartedly. There’s been absolutely no complaining about heat or any working conditions, which of course are hot, dusty, and sometimes worse.

Dave

First Impressions

2006-06-10T18:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm here!

The group from Massachusetts made me at home. I enjoyed a pancake breakfast with them this morning after a very short night (delayed plane flight, a van that wouldn't start) .

Later on in the morning, we drove out to a nature preserve in the general area where pirate Jean LaFitte used to [literally] hide out in the early 1800s. It which was very well laid out for visits. We walked a couple of miles, partly on a raised boardwalk-style arrangement and partly on a paved trail.

Alligators - of special interest to visitors - were in evidence in many places, from the trails they leave on frequently patrolled hunting paths, to their icy little eyes poking above the surface growth in the water. One was about 5 feet long, most were much smaller. Cicadas were numerous, noisy, and well-hidden. You hear this wave of sound which starts in one tree and then another bunch take up the yelling while the first one stops. You never see them - except for the one dead cicada providing a tasty meal for some ants. We also spotted several black-crowned night herons and a great blue and a gecko or two.

A variety of large and colorful butterflies flapped by from time to time as did an equal variety of dragonflies on search and destroy flights in glowing red, yellow, blue, and green MUCH better than anything from crayola. Did I mention?

Hot.
Humid.
Hot

Bakersfield people will be ready for this. Right? Although we do have this disarming way of saying, "It isn't the heat. it's the humidity that gets ya." Well, hooray! On the Gulf Coast WE HAVE IT ALL! YAAAAY!

What was last week's group doing?? Just as we thought: gutting out houses in their protective gear. The pattern seems to be full days of work on M and T, a partial day on W with a program of their providing and a nice big dinner provided by a local church member, two more days of demolition, then whatever time your flight plans allow on Saturday which in our case, I now realize, is none at all.

In this particular area, flooding is still visible in some places about two feet above ground level, looking like a giant bathtub ring stretching down the block. I also notice that in the neighborhood of this church, many (not all) houses were built about three feet off ground level which for many of them was enough to keep the water out of the house itself.

That's it for now.

Dave

Team Members

2006-06-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

As the hurricanes battered the Gulf Coast, many people in our congregation (First Congregational Church in Bakersfield, CA) were strongly moved by the desperate plight of people in Mississippi and Louisiana. They wanted to be a part of recovery and reconstruction. Somehow. But how? In a state like ours that regularly deals with fires and floods and must always be prepared for a “shaker,” we know how unpredictable, how massive, and how cruel nature’s powers can be. Most of all, however, there was a feeling that where there is suffering, we should be.

By late winter, several people realized that they all were thinking versions of the same thing: We could borrow a concept often used by our church’s youth and take a work trip to the Gulf Coast.

Other alternatives were explored, but we realized quickly that the United Church of Christ had the mechanisms in place to allow us to make such a trip. It could put us where we could be of value, and it was prepared to lend logistical and moral support. The UCC Office of Volunteers was ready with a list of places and times where we could be of service. We just had to pick our date.

Thus it is that 9 people from First Congregational Church and 1 from San Diego have consulted and planned and on June 11, will arrive in New Orleans to begin a week of clean-up. Along the way, we will listen to people who are there for the long haul, and whose lives have been disrupted, often in the deepest of ways. We hope, while gutting houses, to minister in Jesus’ name and spirit. We are grateful for the support that you have given through your encouragement, your prayers, and through directed gifts and our church’s Mission Budget.

Photos (with protective gear): David Campbell, Meg Clay, Jenell Mahoney, Megan Mahoney, Lara Norman-Kehe. Marti Steinman, Ann Hutton, Woody Allen. Missing from photos: Vicki Philips, Victoria Freiheit.

First Post

2006-05-10T01:26:00.000-05:00

Our New Orleans Mission group is getting down to the last stages of preparation. It's an exciting moment for all of us, consumed with myriad details of how to get there and what to wear. We're teaching ourselves to be more aware of why we're going. The materials from the UCC have been very helpful. Everyone in this group is willing to carry some extra responsibility.