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UMass Service Trip to New Orleans January 2007

My Daughter Kelly and 37 other young women and men drove down to New Orleans to work for a week during winter break. 

 

As part of the Newman Catholic Center on the UMass campus, these hard-working people cleared out a senior citizen apartment building so that it could be rehabilitated. 

 

After clearing out dumpster after dumpster of ruined posessions, liquified food in refrigerators, trash, and other "organic waste", the team started initial demolition work.

Kelly and some of her friends came down last year as well on spring break as part of another Newman Center service trip.

 

This year was more difficult for those that had been before because it looked like (in the 9th ward anyway) nothing much, if anything had changed. 

 

Some of the kids wondered - How can this be America?

 

The team slept at night on the floor of an unheated gymnasium. 

In this multi-unit building, people were evacuated so quickly, the rooms were still filled with posessions, clothes, bedding, blankets, etc.  All of the apartment units had been ransacked by looters by the time the Newman Center team started work.

 

Looters had punched holes in apartment walls, invaded the rooms,  and tossed the apartments for valuables.

 

When the kids got to the site to begin work, people were squatting in the building. 

 

What terrible conditions.

 

You can see the dark mold spots on the walls and ceiling.

 

 

 

According to Kelly, because of all the rotting food, fecal material (both animal and human), mold, and dead animals like the poor dog on the left, the stench inside the building was overwhelming at times, making some of the team members sick.

 

The kids also had to contend with rats the size of cats, spiders as big as a hand, and armies of cockroaches.

It was hard for the kids to throw away dumpster-full after dumpster-full of old folks' belongings. 

 

Picture albums, letters, notes left in kitchens like "John - where are you? Call us!" all had to be discarded.

 

Very Sad.

 

 

By the end of this trip, they got way more work done than anyone expected them to.

 

I'm so proud of these kids. 
COMMENTS
Floridamolle said at 8:22 p.m. on Feb 1, 2007:
Yes, you should be proud of them. Wonderful Tabblo.
Pkeener said at 11:41 p.m. on Feb 1, 2007:
Oh wow! These kids are so brave! I was in the Ninth Ward last April and made a Tabblo of my photos. it is really sad and I am still full of anger about the conditions. Judging by these photos, not much progress has been made in NINE months since then...and my photos were NINE months after Katrina hit. Most of my shots were made from my car, as the stench was so overpowering even outside. Great Tabblo Roy!
Mashpee_Paula said at 5:16 a.m. on Feb 2, 2007:
Thanks for sharing this wonderful "act of kindness" which your daughter and the others students participated in. The media does not give enough attention to all the great things that our younger people accomplish! You should be very proud of your daughter! Thank you, Roy. :)
DVP said at 3:51 p.m. on Feb 2, 2007:
It's heart wrenching to see the devastation down there over a year after Katrina went through. I can not believe that the mighty USA, that can spare thousands of soldiers to fight in OTHER people's countries can not take care of it's own. It's disgraceful and demoralizing. I know this isn't the place for politics but I simply am blown away by the incompetence ?! What else would cause a nation to look the other direction? Kudo's to those kids and others who have pitched in to improve the situation as much as they can.
Roygoodwin said at 5:12 p.m. on Feb 2, 2007:
Thanks everyone for visiting and for your encouraging words. I'll have to let Kelly know too.. DVP - I feel the same way as you do. The Administration will be seeking another 100 BILLION dollars for Iraq for this year and around $145 BILLION for next year. It would have been good to have just a portion of those funds (our funds) to apply in places where it's needed at home.
Abking said at 11:53 p.m. on Feb 2, 2007:
I'm very moved by the work these young people did, and saddened by the lack of concern and effort our government has shown. Thanks for the tabblo and thanks to the 38 people who went there to help.
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