Sunday, March 4, 2007
Final Report Written
I hope you find the pictures and the commentary interesting. The report is 19 typewritten pages long and has many pictures; therefore, it might take a little extra time to load in your browser.
Best regards,
Grandpa Mitch
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Thank You Notes
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Putting the Shuck on a Yankee
As slices are passed out, someone ends up getting the slice with the plastic baby. The tradition demands that the person who gets the baby must supply the king cake for the next event. Well the eleven teachers of fourth grade saw to it that a huge King Cake was present when I ate lunch with them the second time.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear but a cute, little baby peeking out from the side of my slice. He was pulled out for the picture. Speculation abounds as to how.... out of eleven participants...... the Columbus Yankee ended up with the responsibility to buy the next cake.
What's Left of My Neighborhood
Mold is a constant concern, since the water stood in the house for weeks. Owners entered the houses (with permission) wearing boots, rubber gloves and masks. The trick was to put some Vicks or other analgesic under your nose, to help you withstand the stench. All refrigerators were ruined, and the instructions were to tape them shut, never open them, and put them out on the street for pick up. Those that did not heed the advice on not opening were greeted by a stench which they will never forget. The National Guard got high marks for helping in these endeavors, as did countless church groups and volunteers from across the country. The Federal government is not given high marks, given the unbelievable red tape which is placed in the way of an applicant has been unbelievable.
The bigger question was one of options. The insurance industry is balking on payments because of arguments whether the damage was flood, or wind or whatnot, money was in short supply for most home owners. Speculators are offering $20,000 for houses which were appraised at $160,000 pre-Katrina. Many don't have any choice but to rebuild, because of the economics of the situation. There isn't enough cash from the sale of their homes plus any insurance payments to build a similar home anywhere else. Many, over half, have decided not to return to the city, and have sold to speculators or simply walked away.
The second daunting question is, "who else is going to be in the neighborhood?" The number of vacant lots is staggering, and the number of former residents who will eventually restore the gutted hulks in the neighborhood hangs in the air. Put your self in their shoes. Even if the house is paid for, there isn't enough in the bank to build a home somewhere else, which would cost fifty percent more. Drive down a street, and you are greeted by the scene above - Block after block after block of empty shells and lots which have been cleared down to the building slabs. The school where your children attended is no longer there (11 of 13 are gone). Gutted wrecks, as seen below, still stand.
These pictures were not selected for their shock value. The questions discussed above were the ones shared with me by many residents. "Do I want to be the first one to move back into a neighborhood, which has only one house out of fifty still inhabitable?" "Will my friends and neighbors return?" "Will the neighborhood ever have the same "feel" it had before the storm?" "Will the commercial establishments return, so I will be able to purchase the goods and services I need?" All legitimate questions/
Life in the FEMA Trailer
Let's see...... Jane, you sit there and do your homework, while Jack.... you try to take a nap back there in the bunk beds past the refrigerator. Harry, will you see if you can store the groceries somewhere, while I get this roast in the microwave. I'm sorry that there is no television, but the radio was good enough for our grandparents. Did you ever hear Brace Beemer portray the Lone Ranger?
Or, after dinner...... Let's kick back and relax on the couch a while before turning in. We have only been here for seventeen months, and the contractor says the house could be finished by July (weather permitting). Does anyone know where we put the broom?
Feeling frisky honey? Let's climb into the spacious master suite a little early tonight. First, I'm going to have a nice soak in the 18" x 40" tub. There were no end of "tub stories" exchanged at a lunch with the fourth grade teachers. One shared her methodology for using the tub. First, you kneel in the center of the small vessel, then cross your ankles behind you, then...... Well, you get the idea. Despite the hardships, I was constantly amazed at the good humor exhibited by the teachers at Andrew Jackson. My few days in one of these units could give me a sense of size, but never the effect of the long term exposure to the claustrophobic conditions when one shares it with a family of four for better than a year an one half.Trip Down Main Street - Judge Perez Parkway
The stores that do open, have a terrible time finding help because there is no place to live. It is Catch 22 all over again. In the entire town there are only a few restaurants open, there is no hospital because it was so damaged it had to be demolished. The same is true for the medical center where most of the doctors maintained offices. The traffic lights are sporadic even today, and many makeshift stop sign supports serve as traffic control.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Lighter Side At Andrew Jackson Elementary
A special basket was given to me to deliver to Mrs. Dicke, and in includes the traditional Mardi Gras food stuffs along with a tiara to wear with her Mardi Gras outfit this year. I'll have to find a UPS store here, so I can get it into her hands for the parade.
The kids had a special assembly today from a group know as the Islenos (meaning islanders). In 1762 Louis XIV gave Louisiana to his cousin, Charles III, King of Spain. He did so to keep the English from getting their hands on it. In 1777 Bernard Galvez was sent to protect and govern Louisiana (St. Bernard Parish is named for him), and he brought eight shiploads of Canary Island inhabitants (2,031) and more followed.
These people have lived in the area ever since, and have maintained much of their culture. They aided in the overthrow of the British from Louisiana through Florida, and later became the Captain General of Louisiana and Florida, as well as Viceroy of Mexico. In the assembly several of the Islenos people presented information on their culture to the kids. Note the infamous "blue tarp" being used as a floor in they gymnasiam in the picture.