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

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


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?
Trip Down Main Street - Judge Perez Parkway






Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Lighter Side At Andrew Jackson Elementary




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.
Day Two at Andrew Jackson Elementary
Her class is filled with 26 kids who can tell story after story regarding their experiences with Katrina, and any one is capable of curling your hair. One boy related how he and his family clung to a light pole for hours during the storm, afraid that they would "go flying" if they let go. Winds were 100 - 140 mph in the area, as the waters reached the second floor of the schools and office buildings. 65,000 people lived in this area, and only three of their homes escaped the flood waters after the levees broke. Water in the downtown area reached 20 to 30 feet. Most residential areas had from 14 to 20 feet of water, and the peak depths lasted for three days. Several feet of water remained for weeks.
School appears to be an island of normalcy in the Chalmette area of St. Bernard Parish. As mentioned previously, the Andrew Jackson (public) Elementary School combines the seven elementary schools which existed prior to Katrina. None survived! AJE also has the preschool kids down to the age of three, so things are hopping in this 2,000 student facility. Workers did an outstanding job of opening this school, and the walls and ceilings show no evidence of the water levels that existed in the area for weeks.
With 2,000 students arriving at the same time, traveling through a minefield of abandon neighborhoods, on streets where only a few traffic lights are working and using a single driveway - traffic control can be a nightmare. However, they have it down to a science and it all seems to work flawlessly. Cooperation and patience have become the watchword in this town.

These are the FEMA trailers which are spotted on the grounds of the school and reserved for teachers and school personnel. All over town there are FEMA trailer parks like this, only most are much larger. FEMA trailers are also spotted on home owner's lots when they plan to rebuild their homes. 24' x 8' is the standard size. For my few nights in trailer #AJ-16 this was enough room, but it is very tight for families. "Trailer stories" abound, wherever two or three are gathered.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
First Day in Chalmette, near New Orleans





Saturday, January 20, 2007
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage
A hero in the war of 1812, Jackson and his army drove the British from New Orleans, and rode his popularity from that victory to the Presidency. No wonder Andrew Jackson Elementary School bears his name. The "Battle of New Orleans" was fought in Chalmette!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
WOW!!! This Is A Great, Compassionate Class
I can't say enough wonderful things about this group of young adults. You can tell by the smile on my face (back left) that I am very proud of their compassion and their hard work in raising the money.
Not just the children, but Mrs. Dicke (front right) deserves to be recognized. When she heard that our teacher in Andrew Jackson Elementary (Donna Schultz) was starting on her master's degree in night school, she offered to share her entire professional library with her. In addition to the other supplies, I'll be bringing two cases of Mrs. Dicke's professional books to Donna Schultz. This story just keeps getting better and better!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Packing Week - FEMA Trailer
With my van at capacity, I did make a few more shipments directly from Staples this week. They were scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon, but I haven't heard yet. I've noticed that communications to the school are very difficult. Despite repeated tries at telephoning the school, I have never connected. All our communications have been through email or through Donna Schultz's cell phone. I suspect the lack of phone lines is but one of the resident's frustrations.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Another 4th Grade Classes Connects
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Some History
On August 29, 2005 an enormous storm surge was pushed by Hurricane Katrina up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a little-used commercial channel dug by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s. The entire town was innundated, up to 30 feet in some places. As a result, in a matter of hours, Chalmette was almost entirely destroyed. A mile to the west, the 9th ward of New Orleans was similarly flooded.
Buckeye Sale is a Big Success
Friday, January 5, 2007
Buckeyes for Bucks
Thursday, January 4, 2007
How can I help?
Staples has been the supplier where most of the basic supplies have been purchased, and they will ship at no cost. http://www.staples.com/ will take you to their website. Holcomb's Knowplace was a good location for teacher's supplies, and we did find the special "Judy Clock" on-line at ABC Teacher's Supply. I have asked for ten of the teachers to share their needs with us, so we can help them with specific purchases. I expect to have that information soon.
We have set up a bank account at Fifth Third Bank in Columbus, and one can donate directly to that account: The Andrew Jackson Elementary School Charity Fund. If you would like to send checks to me, please email mitch2006@columbus.rr.com for mailing instructions. If you would rather do that, I will continue to communicate with the teachers, and ship to them using the funds in the account. Needless to say, 100% of the funds are used for supplies.
The Assistant Principal at AJE who helped get us started is Lisa Young and her email address is lyoung@stbernard.k12.la.us. I'm sure Lisa can put you in touch with a specific teacher with whom you can "connect", if you would like to go directly to the school. Please let me know if you do, so we can have an overview of what is happening should more coordination is needed.
The school's address is: Andrew Jackson Elementary School, 102 Eighth Street, Chalmatte, LA 70043. AJE is a K through 6th school.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Information about our teacher

scholarship). Her daughter had moved to Las Vegas in November, right after the storm. However, the day she was supposed to move, Donna's dad died. Just 3 months after Katrina. Her daughter was able to move back to New Orleans, and now works as a concierge in one of the hotels.