Hammers 4 NOLA: The Lower 9th Ward

Ten THOUSAND families are still displaced from Katrina. The number is astounding, and seems far-fetched. Really? Ten THOUSAND? It’s one of those numbers that you assume they calculate in a college statistics class and take a quadrant of the city, see how many people haven’t returned, and then just multiply that number x amount of times. Accurate? At first, I really didn’t see how it could be possible. But I stand at Miss Yolanda's door, and I can see at least 5 houses (or vacant lots) of those who haven't been able to spend a holiday at home in the past six years.

House across the street from Miss Yolanda's home (many homes now look like this)

There are eight chickens that live outside Ms. Yolanda’s house. I see them every morning around 7:45, where they strut around the street, pecking at the ground, scoffing at cars, like they’re the ones with rights to the asphalt. The street, once home to perhaps 30 homes, is now specked with buildings like a poorly played tetris game. There may be four houses on the street with a clean paint job, but many homes are simply obliterated, or vacant. The chickens seem like the only ones who really belong.

The first time I drove to the lower 9th ward to visit Miss Yolanda’s home, I was greeted with tunes blaring from the (only) neighbor’s pickup at 7:30 in the morning. I suppose there are some, though few, perks to living on a street that doesn’t have kids still sleeping at that hour. He came over to chat with me, and pointed out some things that I should fix – it was my first day at the house, and perhaps a little forward, but it’s pretty cool that he is watching over Miss Yolanda’s home so carefully. Perhaps having a neighbor again is one of his greatest wishes.

Danyelle’s convenience store is right on the corner of the street, where the few locals that are in the area congregate beginning at 9 in the morning. The building is clearly marked “no loitering” …or rather “no loTTering” …and even more interesting “no loTTTering” – but it doesn’t seem to sway anyone from hanging around and shooting-the-shit. I went in to check out their snack selection the other day, tapped the glass at the counter for the milky way bar that was trapped behind the pane, and had a little chat with the cashier. It’s no secret that the St. Bernard Project is in the neighborhood; it’s nice to feel welcomed.

I can’t even begin to think what all these people have gone through. Every person has a story – EVERY person. The lower 9th ward was one of the hardest hit areas after the levees broke. Many peoples’ homes were leveled from the impact of the water, and even more shifted off their foundations, or sat in 8-20 ft of water.

I haven’t met Miss Yolanda yet. I’ve been working at her home a total of 6 days now with volunteers, and I’ll update y’all on her story when I can hear it straight from her. What I do know, is that her and the 3 children (2, 6, and 12 at the time) stayed during the storm. And the story, what I know, is frightful from there.

I finished Miss Mary’s house on November 2nd, and started with 13 volunteers on Miss Yolanda’s house November 3rd, 2011.
KPMG pulled up to the house on Thursday, adorned in long-sleeves, ready to tackle the task at hand.

Thanks to Mike, Trista, Angela, Keith, Jeff, Roger, Jessica, Tom, Karien, Tym, Adam, Joe, Phil, Nicole and to the New Orleans & Baton Rouge(rs) that rotated working with us on Thursday and Friday.

INSULATION.

I have mixed feelings about installing insulation. It’s a relatively easy task – but having to suit up like a Hazmat team to keep from taking home fiberglass in our eyeballs, arms, hands, and nostrils just makes for awkward first impressions. I learned to identify members of the group with masks & goggles strapped to their faces – the second day when we began drywall, the masks & goggles were gone – it was like trying to learn a whole new crew again! They looked so …normal.

So, over the course of 3 days, we insulated the exterior walls of the house, and the attic, and the bathrooms – as well as hung drywall on all but 3 ceilings, and hung the walls for about 2 ½ rooms. The showers now have the cement board which will ultimately be the support for tiles. It was awesome, and the house is really beginning to take shape. Even Sarge said we got a lot done (now that SAYS somethin!)

On Saturday night we all went out for some Zydeco music & good food at Mulates near the Riverwalk to celebrate a great week :) I’ll miss you guys, thanks so much! So, the goal for the house? Home for the Holidays - we're gonna try our darndest.