5:20 a.m. – Perma-Seal Basement Systems
The dedicated volunteer team from Perma-Seal set out for the 19 hour trip to the lower 9th ward with two box trucks filled with tools, materials and donations. Our eight man team were filled with excitement – even at 5 in the morning.
11:00 a.m.
The rest of the volunteer team arrives safely at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans airport. We are also filled with excitement and anticipation for what is ahead on the trip. After a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our luggage we checked out a local Po-Boy shop. What a gastrointestinal shock! The menu was short, the choices were few and I tried not to focus on the number of fat calories that I was consuming. Welcome to New Orleans!
1 p.m. Common Ground
The trip through the French Quarter brought back memories of a previous visit. I was surprised to find that from an outsider’s point of view the Quarter looks great! People were milling about, smiling/laughing – it was much better than I anticipated.
As we progressed toward Common Ground that positive outlook immediately began to change. Coming over the bridge into the lower 9th ward was shocking! The area looks like a ghost town. One of our volunteers commented that they felt like they were in a 3rd world country. The devastation that was left behind after the flood is still prominent in this economically depressed area. I honestly don’t know how the volunteers keep their heads up. Absolutely unbelievable! They need a dose of sunshine & smiling faces – we’ll see what we can do.
After we regrouped, the team started to assess the situation. We spoke with the volunteers, several of the homeowners and set a game plan for Thursday. Each home that was selected posed more challenges than we originally anticipated. The Perma-Seal home – Linda Jackson’s home – is much worse than we had planned for. There isn’t even a floor! Not that it’s going to stop us!!! We decided to focus on making the home structurally sound and then see where we are at after that is accomplished.
As we pulled away from the site tonight, I could feel the sadness and pain that is in the air in the lower 9th ward. However I could equally feel the hope and enthusiasm for what is to come.
