Habitat for Humanity Failings?

There is a Page 1 story (registration required) in todays NY Times about Habitat for Humanity's struggles in New Orleans. The gist of the story is that Habitat is ill-equipped to handle a job like cleaning up after Katrina because their mission is small-thinking (build a few houses at a time) and New Orleans needs big thinking right now. My favorite quote is:

Its (Habitat's) mission often seems as much about providing spiritual fulfillment to its volunteers as it is about improving the lives of homeowners.

(Remind you of anyone?)

Now I think this is too harsh, but perhaps only slightly so. Habitat is extremely focused on improving the lives of the people in New Orleans. And their efforts are rejuvenating the Upper Ninth Ward (and other areas). But the amount of effort needed is truly daunting and the demands of building and rebuilding 200,000 or so damaged homes is bigger than Habitat can achieve. Still, they should not be the only answer -- just part of it.

One issue Habitat's has is its reliance on "Fly By" volunteers -- people who come in for a day or two at most. A typical day at Habitat is 30 minutes organizing at the main site, 20 minutes organizing at your specific house site, an hour training new people on what you are working on that day, finally four hours of work (split by lunch) and 30 minutes "rolling up". So each day is a half day in reality.

Now, when people like myself come down for several weeks, that process is much improved. We can skip the initial hour of training and free the house leaders to do more. But there is always a new set of people each day and it takes so much time to indoctrinate them.

Perhaps a better solution is to have significant number houses on which longer-term volunteers can focus (and move quickly) -- and a smaller number of "Fly By" houses for the one day people. Of course, to make that work, Habitat needs a large set of longer-term volunteers. So, when I go back, I am looking for people to take with me.

Round 1, Final Thoughts

Friday's New York Times had an article (registration required) on flight of young, middle-class professionals away from New Orleans -- suggesting this was the newest threat to the survival of the city. A key point was that employers were also leaving the city and that would increase the "brain drain". In fact, New Orleans had been undergoing this exodus for years before Katrina -- it has just accelerated since the storm.

But on Saturday, several letter-to-the-editor appeared, arguing the point that while some people were leaving, more were coming in or combing back. Many were people who wanted to help rebuild the city. I think the great people I worked with at Habitat are just those type of people. And I bet some of them stay in New Orleans and make it their home.

With a few days back now to reflect on what I saw in New Orleans, I think the city will come back very strong. The culture remains strong as ever. Great food, great jazz, the seedy fun of Bourbon Street, the East Village feel of Frenchmen's Street, the antebellum grandeur of the homes on St. Charles Street, the racially agnostic crowds to see the Soul Rebels Brass Band at Le Bon Temps on Magazine -- it is all uniquely New Orleans and so worth the experience. I can't see this changing any time soon and with each passing day, I think the city will revive.

It will be hard and there will be setbacks -- but the renaissance will be worth enjoying. And I am going back to help this year (in the Spring) and in the future.

Back Home

I came back home this week, leaving New Orleans to face a new issue -- their first deadly tornado in 40 years. After toiling under 70 degree weather (sometimes on the roof), the ice and cold of New York is quite a shock. But at least I could help shovel the snow/ice for the wife (a major concern I had was we'd get a huge storm and she'd have to shovel herself). I guess I will have to wait until it is warmer before I go back (and I do plan to go back if the wife is okay with it).

In my time in New Orleans, I saw several houses go from having no roof and or walls to having shingled roofs and sided walls. But, I never had the chance to see a house get finished. That, I think, is the piece de resistance for a Habitat worker. Instead, I will have to just show you a picture of the finished houses. These are in heart of Musicians Village and were the first to have people living in them.

I really liked the fact that they adopted the New Orleans style -- with their brightly colored exteriors and large (relative to the house) front porches. They really do represent a beacon to the neighborhood of hope and progress. As soon as a Habitat house is started, repair and construction on surrounding houses begin. In this, the effect of building one house magnifies to the whole city.

Matthew 5:14-16

Several people have emailed me to tell me that the biblical passage to which I referred previously is Matthew 5:14-16. I am thankful for the help but more grateful that people are reading the blog.

Here is the passage (as sent to me):

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

h/t Chris, GeorgeK and others

Habitat Heroes

So many people have said very kind things to me for what I am doing (and for that I am very appreciative). Everyone I have met in New Orleans is appreciative as well. But there are people here who really deserve great praise for their efforts. People like:

• Gail from Minnesota, who took time off from her job to work for a month
• Mark (from Chicago) and Andy (from Boston), who are consultants who quit working for six weeks to come down and help
• Matt, from Oakland, who is here for a month and staying at Camp Hope (with limited heat and water) for the experience
  
• Eric, from Houston, who is waiting for his contractor license in New Orleans and is working every day while he waits.

Their commitment and effort is so impressive and it was great to meet them and work with them.

The most impressive were the Habitat staff that have committed a portion of their life to rebuilding New Orleans. I wanted to laud them for what they are doing.

People like Karyn (pronounced "Car eN"). Karyn obsessively learned every one's name on the first day (when she had 100 people working with her) and remembered mine a week later. She was a long-term volunteer who took a job for Habitat to stay on and help.

Or Rachel. She spells her name incorrectly, but patiently taught me how to use a circular saw and mitre saw. Rachel always looked for me every morning to say hi and thank me for coming out. Here is Rachel, early one morning, smiling as usual...

Then there is Ann (shown here with David, who I have mentioned before). Ann is building her first house for Habitat and having a great time doing it. I helped raise the roof with Ann. Every day, she made us introduce ourselves and get to know one another. She inspired us to work hard and then relax "as hard as we can" so we could work hard some more.

I also loved working with Kaitlyn. She always was doing something crazy and fun. But her heart is as big as her insane side. And she was always finding a way to make volunteers feel good about their effort.

I admit that at first, I was wary of Jerod. For one, he drove this car that looked like it had been in a can crusher (he was rear-ended he claims) and he was always saying something bizarre. But, in reality, he really cares about doing a great job for the people who will be living in the homes. And that car provided us with our roll-up (when we wrap up for the day) concerts so it was all good.

Finally, there was David (pictured twice above). David is a long-suffering Cubs fan who has been working for about 3 months in New Orleans. My introduction to David was when I went onto his roof (we were putting down tar paper and then shingles) and freaked out. But I got over my fears and soldiered on, helping us make good progress. I ended up working with David for an entire week and he recognized my talents as a leader so let me run with the siding efforts. Here is proof that David knows what he is doing (my sided wall!)

It is really an honor to work with these people and certainly a key part of the Habitat experience. They are such heroes in my mind for what they are doing for the people of New Orleans.

Be a light to the world

Billy, one of the head people from Habitat gave us an inspirational talk this week. I had worked with Billy before and he was one of those people who just knows how to make you feel at ease. When we were raising the roof, Billy helped guide our efforts (as our house leader Ann was raising her first roof). One time, I did something wrong and Billy noticed. Billy comes over to correct me -- but how he did it was so impressive. Billy first confirmed my name and then thanked me for all the good things that I had done so far. Then, after making me feel good about myself, Billy kindly told me I was an idiot (he actually gave very sound advice in a constructive and polite way).

As you can tell, Billy has this incredible manner of dealing with people and so I was very interested in what Billy had to say. Now, Habitat for Humanity is a religious organization and most of you know I am not so religious. But Billy's message, while based on the bible, is universal to all of us. His simple message was -- don't complain and be a light to the world. It is based on a biblical passage that Billy referenced and I don't recall.

I personally don't like whiners. Life is tough for everyone, deal with it and move on. Whining is just an immature, selfish act to get attention. And there are so many reasons to complain when working at Habitat (see my first day post). So, Billy struck a cord. But he went on to talk about also being a light to the world. Inspiring the world with your attitude and joy. I liked the idea and walked away feeling motivated (as Billy does well).

As I walked away to my group, I saw Latetia -- the day one homeowner-to-be (see http://jim-miller.blogspot.com/2007/01/owwww.html). Latetia was wearing her green-paint stained jacket. I veered away from my team to talk to her. She gave me a great big hug -- like we had been friends for years and asked me how I had been. We talked for five minutes and again, I loved to hear her talk about her life and learning everything about how her house was being built (I hope her house is painted the green of her previously black coat!). I think I would whine about working my 350 hours to get my Habitat home (and worked with some people who did just that. But not Latetia -- she sees it as an opportunity to better herself.

Maybe Latetia complains sometimes, but I don't think so. I'll probably never see her again -- but she is a memorable person. She is, as Billy asked us to be, a light to the world.

Supervision and Demolition

After a few days of small volunteer numbers, Carmax and Sherwin-Williams bused in over 700 volunteers (props to them for making the effort, it was impressive. Buy your next car from Carmax and paint your house with Sherwin-Williams paint.) When we have 80 or 90 volunteers, we have about 40 people for 10 Habitat staff. With 700, we had 200+ for 5 staff -- quite a difference.

But given my "experience", David (our house supervisor) asked me to drive the effort of a small team. I was able to basically lead a team of 10 Carmax volunteers in siding a house. After a week of construction, I am now a team leader! Perhaps I am overstating -- but it was kind of nice to give instruction and correct mistakes, instead of making them. I only made the "Holiday Inn Express" joke once. (They asked how long I had been doing this -- and I said today's my first day, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Lame, but my jokes usually are.) We did a pretty job good -- but we'll see if David wants me back tomorrow.

The other thing I have noticed is that home demolitions seem to be happening all around. My original thought was this is a good thing -- people are working on getting their land ready to rebuild. But I read some and it appears that some of the demolitions are Government-driven. Homeowners are given about a year to return home. If they do not, the home can be demolished. I understand why -- but it seems that so much of the process is unclear (insurance payments, aid payments, levee decisions, etc are just not decided) that I would expect more leniency. I think there is a huge amount of rebuilding occurring and that is great. I hope that all levels of wealth are being treated well.

(Side Note: We are working on Texas Roadhouse Homes for Habitat. Texas Roadhouse challenged all their restaurants to sponsor a complete home for Katrina reconstruction -- and it appears they came through. So, show some love to Texas Roadhouse as well!)

Lower Ninth Ward

Warning: This is a long post with many pictures. I think it is an important topic so I wanted to do it justice.

As mentioned before, I am working with Habitat in the Upper Ninth Ward. The Upper Ninth was damaged -- but not as devastating as the Lower Ninth. This is because the Industrial Canal, that splits the Ninth Ward, had a levee break on its East side and flooded the Lower Ninth. (The Upper Ninth flooded from a different levee break.) The following picture shows an aerial view of the break.

The dark square area (with a finger pointing down) on the left edge is an empty lot where Habitat's Musicians Village is now (in the Upper Ninth Ward). Due East is the main levee break on the Industrial Canal. A key point is the fact that where the levee broke (and all north) are homes. With precious few exceptions, none of the homes close to the levee are standing any more.

Today, I was stopped on the Claiborne drawbridge (at the bottom of the picture, where the word "Image" is) and took this picture towards the northeast.

The road on the left runs down the levee. You can see the slabs, where homes used to stand, but there are almost none left. About 15 blocks long by four blocks wide, there are maybe ten houses left where 200 or so used to stand. I was told that a thirty foot wave swept into the neighborhood when the levee broke, lifting the houses off their slabs or pedestals and slamming them into trees, cars, and other houses. The houses that remain look something like this,

this,

and this. You'll also notice the blue house in background. The dark spot is a repaired roof, from where the people inside broke open the roof to escape the flooding.

Another view of an roof that was the escape route for a family (this house was father away from the canal).

Here is a closeup of what is left of a home. You can see the stairs leading to a stoop, the cinder blocks that raised the house, and some sort of sculpture in the front yard.

Yes, the Lower Ninth was a poor area - but nearly 60% of the people living there owned their own homes. They were mostly employed and were contributing members of the great city of New Orleans. They were extremely unlucky -- in that the levee broke on their side of the canal -- and I think, for the most part, they want to return to their land (most don't have an inhabitable home any more).

The most hopeful sign was a FEMA trailer, just 2 blocks from the levee. The reason this is hopeful is that FEMA trailers can only be put where there is electricity and potable water. Eighteen months after Katrina, the Lower Ninth Ward finally has electricity on its most damaged streets. How can this happen in America?

Mardi Gras!

After being visiting New Orleans for over 20 years, I finally experienced a Mardi Gras party. The Krewe du Vieux kicked off Mardi Gras with the adult-themed parade, aptly named "Habitat for Insanity". My Habitat workmates, Grace, Joanne, and Barbara, and I attended and had a very fun time. The trio are so nice, hard-working, fun-loving, and, like me, wanted to come down to help. It was very enjoyable to meet them and make some new friends. Here are the ladies, pre-parade...

The parade was a bit late in starting, but once it got going, was a blast. Typical Mardi Gras parade (from what I have seen on the television), except for the biting sarcasm and overt sexuality.

Here is Barb, getting some love from a special friend.

I especially loved the digs at politicians of all flavors. This is the committee-to-elect Congressman William Jefferson passing out some "cold" cash.

In true New Orleans style, parents held their kids on the shoulders to see the sperm swim by.

It was really fun and yes, I caught some great beads.

Afterwards, we had a few drinks at Pirate's Alley and met many locals. There, like everywhere, the people are incredibly friendly and invariably, so appreciative when they find out we were here to help rebuild. One young guy shook my hand three times and later gave me a hug. He was almost in tears I think. And that has been the norm -- locals are so thankful. It really makes you realize that, while working at Habitat, you may be building one person's home -- but you are helping to rebuild a city as well.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Raise the Roof

As 2 Live Crew says,

Everybody hold your hands high, wave them side to side
We're going to raise the roof and get this party alive.

We returned to the Wednesday site today and finished the job we started that day. That's right, we raised the roof for real. It was very exciting for a non-construction person like me to actually do something that made a demonstrable difference in the house's structural makeup. Here is the house before our work,

And here is the (nearly) completed roof,

My job was toe-nailing the right side of the trusses to the frame. Easy stuff really (but no nail guns so some physical effort involved). I learned cool tricks like putting in a guide nail (instead of chasing the truss all over the frame) and how to walk and work on the outside of the frame. And I was able to play some more Skil saw games as well!

On the human side,

• I met a soon-to-be-owner in Robin from Minnesota who has been in New Orleans for 3 years (so was only here a year before Katrina). Robin has really committed to New Orleans I think and it is cool to see her out here working and planning to live in Musicians Village. Living in the Upper Ninth Ward, Robin will be in the minority for the first time in her life I think.
• We heard about the Peters family -- married for 60+ years and done with the "sweat equity" time and their house is 2+ months away. 30+ grandchildren and great spirit and committed to rebuilding in New Orleans. If that doesn't make you smile, you aren't human.
  
• There was a young boy, maybe my daughter's age, riding his bike by our site today. He rode up and down the road, sometimes stopping for an hour to watch us work. Initially, I was amused but we realized he is probably the only kid in the area -- so he has no one to play with and a 20 foot long FEMA trailer to live in. He seemed happy, but it has to be hard to him. He should be hanging with his friends and playing -- not learning how to build houses.

Every day, there is hope and sorrow here.

Rained out, doubleheader tomorrow

Due to a very rainy morning, our work today was canceled. Apparently all inside work has been done due to a very cold and rainy winter in New Orleans (damn you, global warming!) Tomorrow looks better and so there will be pictures.

Heading back to the hotel, I drove out Canal Street (one of the main business streets in New Orleans), past the French Quarter, Uptown and eventually to Metairie. That drive made me feel pretty good about New Orleans finally recovering from all this. Sure, there were some signs of destruction (an actually pretty cool looking bay window from a San Francisco-style Victorian row home, painted in pink, with basically no house attached to it). But overall, it looked like the city was coming alive. Many businesses open and others with signs proclaiming they would open soon. And then there is Metairie, a classic American suburb with many people driving SUVs. I know Mandeville, Kenner and some of the Westbank cities are the same way. Those suburbs will bring business and life back to New Orleans.

Of course, New Orleans also lives on tourism and the French Quarter. I finally made it down there last night and, while relatively empty, it was clear business was returning. Though some, I think, should stay away. (I am sorry, but a Country bar called Bourbon Cowboy in the French Quarter - well, that is just wrong.) I ate a fantastic meal (actually, I was treated to a meal by some great volunteers from Boston and San Francisco who I have worked with every day -- thanks again!) at NOLA. And though NOLA was semi-empty, the staff was really enthusiastic about the recovery of their city.

Eugene, one of the staff, grew up in the Upper Ninth Ward where our work has been done. He said it was very hard for him to go back there now, as he remembers houses that he used to visit and hang with families and friends. But now, the houses are destroyed and so many of the people he cares about are gone. Still, he is confident (a self-described go-getter -- which I believe) that he will be fine and so will the city.

And, even the Upper Ninth looks like it may come back. While there are only about 10% of the houses currently occupied, you can see that people are coming back. This is especially true of the Habitat areas, as a Habitat community is surrounded by FEMA trailers and occupied houses. I know it will be years and years before this area is fully back -- and it will take a great deal of work by locals, volunteers, the Government and others who are helping. But I see signs of hopefulness, even in one of the worst-hit areas.

The Boy Has Skils

Last weekend, just before I came down, I decided we need more shelves in the pantry. (Having free time has released my inner handy man -- well, my inner trying-to-be-handy man.) As with the tile, the wife had her doubts, especially when she found out the shelves had to be cut to fit. She openly mocked my ability to use a circular saw, though to be honest, I have to agree with her opinion.

Today, we moved again -- this time to a house that needed to have its roof put on. (For the curious, we moved because our team leader yesterday was busy and due to the fact that there were so few volunteers today.) One of the tasks needed was to notch the gable on the end of the tresses so that the roof supports could be placed in it. And the notching required use of a circular saw! Quickly realizing I could expand my talents (and make the wife happier that I am here), I volunteered.

Following the training of Rachel (from Habitat), Gale (a volunteer from Minnesota) and I quickly got to it and finished in no time. Now, I am no construction expert but I think our notches are both perfectly placed and very well cut. And I am a bona fide Skil saw stud! (Plus pretty handy with a miter saw as well.)

The new location is amongst a series of destroyed homes. Not as bad as yesterday's -- but still pretty empty. You sort of get numb to all to destruction, until you take 10 seconds to consider the reality for the people involved. In the rubble by my car, I yanked on an electrical cord and finally pulled up a hair-straigtener -- not unlike the one the wife uses at times. Certainly makes it real again.

They are just material things, they can be replaced

I hear this expression all the time. I use it myself (usually followed or preceded by "I am so glad you are okay"). But imagine that you lost everything of meaning to you -- your photos, keepsakes, furniture, books, pictures, etc -- except (hopefully) your loved ones.

We moved to a new home site today -- and did more traditional house-building activities. (I put up siding and did pretty well, though being on a 24-foot ladder all day is pretty nerve racking.) My sore body appreciated the change of effort.

But the new site was on one of those ghost streets where almost no one lives. Immediately next door was a home that has been totally destroyed. The water line for the house was about 7 or 8 feet high, with higher surges likely according to our team leader. (For perspective, the Lower 9th Ward across the Industrial Canal had 20-30 feet of water.) Peering in from the street, I could see the house was still full of its contents. At lunch, I went over and took these pictures from the front door.

Everything this family had has been destroyed, velvet tiger cub painting and all (h/t Audrey for the comments to correct me) - except for their Mardi Gras beads. There is a bowl on a table that looks like there was food in it. Their TV is slammed against the front door and laying on top of some pictures and books. Their washing machine is crushed like a Coke can. Oh, and the owner has a month to come back and claim the house or it will be destroyed. The family did all escape (per the markings on the side of the house) and they probably lost all their mementos of their life on Rocheblave Street. But all they can replace their material possessions.

Every single item...

Owwww!

I arrived on schedule (7AM) on a bright, cold Monday morning in New Orleans (cold for New Orleans in January is 32). I met a few people already there and there was about 20 of us ready to work. Clearly, the work that needed to be done was roofing -- 4 houses needs roofing work done, so I prepared to do that. But then 4 buses from IBM pulled up -- 200 strong. Props to IBM! They had a team meeting in New Orleans and decided to take one day and do volunteering. Excellent idea IMO.

They arranged us into groups and indeed, I was going to do roofing. But due to a lack of supervisors (and ladders), I went to do "landscaping" (some IBM zealots were really into roofing). Basically, we had to spread about 10 huge mounds of sand and dirt over the backyards of completed houses. I quickly took on wheelbarrow duty and moved what seemed like 200 wheelbarrows full of heavy sand by the houses. We completed that before lunch. Then we dug post holes for the fence behind the houses. The top soil was soft and easy -- but a foot down it was heavy, thick clay. But we made great progress and completed many pieces of the fence line.

But now, my body aches. The wheelbarrow duty was torture on the arms and shoulders. The digging ripped my back and arms again. I am so damn sore, I am afraid I will not be able to move tomorrow. Anyone who does this kind of work regularly (including the Habitat supervisors) is amazing. After not sleeping last night (nervous energy!), I am expecting to collapse any minute now.

The highlight was meeting Latetia.

Originally from New Orleans East, she lost her home and her business (she owned a beauty salon). Habitat owners have to put in 350 hours of "sweat equity" before they get their house and she was starting today. Her spirit was so great-- she had no bitterness over what happened, was so kind and appreciative, and was so eager to learn about how her house was being built -- that working hard knowing it helps her was a pleasure. One of the reasons I love this city is that New Orleans natives are always so pleasant and friendly. And Latetia was a prime example. People like her are why I am here, even if she can't paint. Good luck Latetia!

First Impressions

I landed early Sunday morning and for the first time I can remember, peered out my window to see the city. Everything looked very normal -- until I looked a bit closer. Many neighborhoods had normal looking houses but a small white trailers dotting the yards. FEMA trailers I soon realized.

After checking into my hotel, I decided to take a drive to the work site. Habitat works just west of the Industrial Canal which I thought was the 9th Ward. My good buddy Paul (a New Orleans native) pointed out that the 9th Ward is actually east of the canal and when the levees broke, the canal flooded to the east. (Thanks Paul for all the suggestions and for actually reading this blog!) Apparently my first impressions are not from the areas most severely affected. I will visit there (Lower 9th Ward) tomorrow.

My initial thoughts were the physical damage was substantial -- but not overwhelming. I got lost driving around (I assume one of the effects of the flooding was that many street signs were destroyed since a large number were missing.) and found a stretch of streets that were literally a ghost town. No one could be seen, no cars, no bicycles, nothing. The emptiness was very depressing and eerie. It reminded me of downtown Detroit -- with empty shells of homes everywhere. However, these homes were damaged beyond repair. These pictures show the kinds of damage pretty well.

There were a few FEMA towns" -- basically parking lots packed with FEMA trailers. But again, no one was visible (save for the security guard at the gate). I was encouraged by the number of houses with the FEMA trailer sitting in front of the home. " I assumed this meant people were returning to New Orleans - which has to be good.

I finally found the Habitat location and there were rows of newly built houses (about 20-25) that looked very nice. I saw another guy doing the same things as I am (makes one feel less crazy to share the experience). Tomorrow I will discover the work required.

We have lift off

Heading for the airport soon. I am staying at the Courtyard in Metairie (thanks Michael!) so drop by if you are in the area. Or call my cell - I expect I will have a lot of time at night.

Look for some pictures tomorrow. And thanks again for all the words of support.

The Freedom Writers

For the wife's birthday, she wanted to see "The Freedom Writer's" so the whole family went to it. I did not know much about it -- but was so glad I saw it. It has a very inspirational message that touched all of us. Hope, courage, dedication, doing the right thing when it is the hardest thing to do.

We all say we want to do that - but so few us do. Some I respect told me a great Ghandi quote, "Actions express priorities." Erin Gruwell, here's to you.

When the Levees Broke

I just finished watching Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" -- an HBO documentary on Katrina and its aftermath. It was excellent -- poignant moments mixed with history, humor and outrage. Not so much a fan of Spike, but this is well worth watching if you care about Katrina and New Orleans.

Some of the more memorable parts:

• At one point, a cameraman is filming the empty streets (it looks like Canal Street to me) and another man walks up to him. The cameraman can be heard excitedly saying the city dodged the bullet as the storm had turned East. The other man shook his head and explained that the levees had failed and water was pouring into the city. The cameraman did not believe him but ran off to investigate. I remember watching TV in the office at the time and some people I work with laughing at the scene of a house on fire in the flood. I was pretty angry at their reaction and was kind of an ass to them. But they deserved it.
  
• One scene shows a lifelong resident of the Lower 9th returning to her home for the first time. It is heartbreaking to see her reaction to the destruction of her home.
• Someone working for the city explained that, 9 months after Katrina, they had removed 25 times the amount of debris of the World Trade Centers and were barely 2/3 of the way done. I saw the mound of debris from the WTC from a few blocks away. The idea that New Orleans had a pile of debris 40 times as large is mind-boggling.
  
• Finally, there are two stories of sons losing their mothers -- one died at the Convention Center and one who died in her own home. The Convention Center story was incredible, the man had to leave his mother's dead body by the side of the road (she sat their for a week at least). How can someone be asked to do that? The other was also tragic -- FEMA checked the house once and missed the body, as it was under the refrigerator. The son was just speechless at times, the pain etched on his face, as he explained what happened.
  

The images are stark and amazing. It is just unbelievable to watch and think this happened in America.

Preparation

One of the first things people ask me about my trip is - "Do you have any idea how to do house construction?" The answer is a big NO! Still, one has to try to help, even when that person is not so good at the task.

But I can also prepare by "practicing" at home. We had a few tiles loose in our shower and the wife decided they needed to be fixed ASAP. Since I have a bit more time on my hands, I thought I could take it on. The wife thought this was a terrible idea (see first paragraph) as I would surely mess it up. Shockingly, I ignored her suggestions and comments and pushed ahead. Pulling up the loose tiles revealed even more loose tiles and well, the project grew. Some seriously cracked grout further complicated the efforts.

Still, I pressed onward. I decided I needed colored grout - and the local hardware store did not carry it. I found a tile store and managed to get the correct (I prayed) grout. With all the right pieces, I was ready to do the work.

Using a grout rake, I sanded down some of the grout that was cracked. I replaced the loose tile with tile cement and let it sit for a night. Then I mixed the grout (with the expert help of my construction specialist brother-in-law from the ski slopes - B Square Construction for those of you in the Frederick Maryland area) and started to fill in the areas needing it. Following the cleanup, I had an anxious 24 hours of waiting until the grout had finally cured.

And the results are now visible (left). The repaired tiles and grout are shown with some of the existing tiles. It is a decent effort that even the wife appreciated. Someone who had no clue would never know which tiles I had replaced.

So armed with my skills as a "tiler", I am now fully prepared to head to New Orleans and build a house!

Confirmed

After a bit of confusion, it is "all systems go" (finally) for my trip down to New Orleans. I am confirmed with Habitat for Humanity starting on the 29th of January. I head down on the 28th and will have most of the day Sunday to tour and see the area.

I am very excited to finally be getting down there. Watching Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" has been a new inspiration and I just want to help.

Delayed

Due to some scheduling issues (on both ends), my adventure in New Orleans has been delayed a week or so (and subsequently extended so I will be there as long.) In the interim, I am going out to buy Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" to get a more detailed perspective on what happened during and after Katrina.

I am also kind of bummed that I will miss being in New Orleans when the Saints play the Bears this Sunday. They are fanatical about that team and I am hoping the success of the Saints will help bring the city back. I am also hoping the Saints make the Super Bowl, because I will in the city for that and it will be a great event to witness.

Crime in NOLA - UPDATE

There is another issue to deal with for those areas affected by Katrina -- crime. It seems as if New Orleans is in the middle of a crime wave and they are considering a curfew. (I hope my wife doesn't find about this before I go -- or she'll probably make me cancel.)

I suppose it makes sense -- people are not in a place where they feel connected and so many workers are there temporarily (though it is reprehensible). But I am beginning to really think New Orleans may never recover.

I guess that gives me another reason to do what I am doing -- albeit carefully I think.

UPDATE: Well, my wife did find out about the crime and is (understandably) very nervous. I admit I am slightly scared at the prospect, but think I am at little risk (I will be out of the bad areas) and it really calls for more help, not less.