Building Homes, Changing Lives!

                Today was another exceptionally eventful day. After enjoying our breakfast at Camp Restore, we headed out to the site we would be working at, with some jovial Wisconsinites who helped us tremendously, and provided the entire camp with brats and sauerkraut for dinner. The project we were doing was working on a home that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Walking in, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work there was to do. From tearing down old drywall to installing electrical wires, we spent the day working hard to help rebuild what we could. Luckily, the fellows from Wisconsin were trained professionals in construction, and they were a huge help in teaching us more about how to put a house together. I really enjoyed their ‘learn by doing’ attitude, and they really let us work as a team to accomplish a lot. The homeowner, Cynthia showed up at the house and was told us how grateful she was to see how much people care about rebuilding New Orleans.

                After we left the site, we took a trip to one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina, the Ninth Ward. It sparked many emotions in me to see how much damage was still apparent, even after eight years have passed. To see the vacant lots that were still in disarray, the debris that was still around, and abandoned or condemned houses that still remain. We stood next to the flood wall that broke when the storm hit, which was both humbling and heartbreaking. I simply cannot imagine seeing the water break through the barrier and feel hopeless against the force of the hurricane. I felt a sense of anger when I realized how much more could have been done to help prevent the destruction from being so devastating. Indeed, it is simple to look at only the negatives in this kind of situation.

                When I look around New Orleans, and the places we visited, I see the negatives, but I also see a bright future for the city. There were many groups of volunteers out today working on housing, doing yard work, and working in a garden. It’s amazing to see how many people are willing to come here and help rebuild. It seems there are a lot of younger, college-aged students out there working on various projects to help the city. It gives me hope for the future of New Orleans; at the camp we’re staying in, there are about 250 volunteers working on projects all through this week. That’s only one week, at one camp. There are still people out there who care, and who will see it all through until the job is done. I’m glad I can be a part of those people and say, “I was there, I helped rebuild New Orleans.”

-Nicole Noonan-