Extreme Toxic Playground

Extreme Makeover Home Edition came to St. Bernard Parish a couple weeks ago. For those not familiar with it, it's a reality TV show in which a crew of volunteers usually renovate a home in some record amount of days and the family comes back to this fabulous, overdone house of their supposed dreams. Well, as you can imagine, redoing a home in the parish would be a farce at the moment. At the end of March, FEMA will indicate to residents which areas will be deemed 'flood zones' and therefore demolished and which will be slated for rebuilding. So renovating a home in a destroyed neighborhood that might be demolished is not exactly useful.

So, instead, in an attempt to show its 20 million viewers that New Orleans is rebuilding, Extreme Makeover had the brilliant idea of redoing a children's playground that had been devastated by the storm. It didn't seem to matter that there are few people, let alone children, in the neighborhood and less important was the fact that the soil in the area is toxic. In the world of reality TV, what matters are the ratings and reclaiming an area destroyed by Katrina is what makes people feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

A couple weeks before, I had attended a talk hosted by the Common Ground Collective on pollution in the wake of Katrina. What residents really want to know are the simple questions, "Is food grown in my garden safe to eat? Is the soil contaminated? What are the long-term health effects of this disaster?" A very thorough soil sampling of hundred of sites in New Orleans and surrounding areas was conducted by the EPA post-Katrina. One hundred percent of the sites tested exceeded Lousiana screening standards for health risks with regards to toxins such as pesticides, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In understanding the extent of the contamination, it's imporant to realize that these weren't just ordinary waters that spilled into areas such as the Ninth Ward; this was water from canals laden with sewage and fuels. Add to that the thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals that were stored in fuel tanks, warehouses, gas stations, dry cleaners and in households that spilled out into the neighborhoods and you get an idea of the long-term health risks that may exist in the area. And don't forget the Murphy oil spill in St. Bernard Parish, one of the largest since Exxon Valdez. Looks like little Johnny will be playing in an extremely toxic playground...

Steps are being taken by organizations such as Common Ground to clean up people's backyards and gardens through bioremediation methods such as compost tea, mushrooms, and by growing special plants that leach toxins out of the soil. However, like so much in this area, the process is going to be a slow one. With the oil refinery belching out nasty fumes, the dust flying about and the chronic sore throat that I seemed to have most of the time that I was in St. Bernard, there were days when I questioned whether having people move back into the area was such a good idea. You can rebuild the city all you want but you are building on sick land.

But let's get back to the set of Extreme Makeover - Volunteers from Emergency Communities were requested to participate in the rebuilding of this playground. We were handed blue shirts, made to sign releases and then waited for an hour or so for the cameras to arrive. I spent my time looking out at a cleared and bulldozed site for the playground that was restaged to have cardboard and debris strewn back across it to make it look like the floodwaters had recently subsided and here were all these enthusiastic volunteers ready to clear the way. The length to which television will go to contrive 'reality' astounds me sometimes. I left after a couple of hours, tired of waiting around and not accomplishing much of anything except possibly bolstering the ratings of such an inane TV show. I never did see the playground, hopefully it will be of some use, eventually, if/when the neighborhood rebuilds. To be fair, there is something shiny and new in the midst of a destroyed neighborhood...perhaps that is worth something...

Stock Thugs and Palette Jacks

I know it's been awhile since my last update...so much has happened over the past 2 weeks...more stories, much sadness, joy, laughter and discussion in this small community that has formed on a piece of pavement below sea level.

I've hit day 23 of my time here and am feeling pretty burnt out. Part of that has to do with my role as Inventory Girl a.k.a. Stock Thug, which involves stacking, restacking, unstacking and taking inventory of everything that comes into the organization in the form of donations and procurement. So I spend my days moving palettes of food around, making sure the cooks know where everything is and counting....lots of counting. Much of our food is still being donated by such relief organizations as Islamic Relief, United Methodist Committee on Relief and various local food banks, companies etc. We have 2 refrigerator trucks, 2 freezer trucks and various tents storing all sorts of food. This is a big operation and considering we are up to serving roughly 1500 meals/day, all of this is needed.

Emergency Communities is also in the business of supplying smaller relief organizations in the area that don't have access to as much food. This is either because they have taken a political stance in the community and therefore receive less support or because they are not a big enough organization to procure large quantities of food(check out www.commongroundrelief.org).

It has been especially important to procure as much food now as supply lines are drying up and we'll need to start buying most of our food in the next couple months. In fact, Red Cross is pulling out of the area because the disaster is apparently over and New Orleans is rebuilding. Needless to say, that really isn't the case in St. Bernard Parish and the Ninth Ward. There are now 8,000 people returned to this parish out of 65,000 but darkness on the streets still prevails and the likelihood of a grocery store in the area any time soon is a distant reality. I just spoke to a woman this evening that has to drive 20 miles to the nearest Walmart in order to get milk. In addition, numerous residents are still waiting for their FEMA trailers and every day we get requests from residents in the area to camp on our site because they have nowhere else to stay. Unfortunately, we can't help them as our tent space needs to be reserved for on site volunteers as our numbers keep growing.

The government response has been a source of frustration and anger. The other day I went to an event hosted by FEMA entitled "Louisiana Speaks". It was an attempt to obtain opinions from the residents on how they want to rebuild their community. I walked into a clean, shiny modular trailer located in the parking lot of an abandoned Walmart and was directed to listen to a 3-minute long talk by the Louisiana Governor about how my opinion mattered and that New Orleans was rebuilding. I was then instructed to prioritize on post-it notes what I thought were the most important aspects of the reconstruction effort. Of course, I was more of an observer than a participant but it was interesting to see the responses: "higher levees", "close MrGO (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet)", "better schools", "safer communities". My skeptical self had a hard time imagining that a bunch of post-it notes on a wall would evolve into some concrete project or action, considering at least 6,500 FEMA trailers have yet to be set up for residents on a waiting list.

I miss the woods and beautiful places...not to say that what is being built here isn't beautiful. The coming together of activists, rainbow kids, and anarchists with mostly conservative, Christian residents is definitely an opportunity to create a community space that is unlike any other. It is a chance to come together not based on politics and lifestyle but based on what is necessary and important to all of us - food. However, it's hard to have as your view every day the destruction of houses and the toxic debris littering the field in the back of my tent. Yesterday morning I was given a reprieve when a friend of mine and I went to the French Quarter for hot chocolate, coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde. There are parts of New Orleans that remain the same, a history that didn't get flooded and remade....and there is still so much beauty, in the people, the music, the landscape...

Enough for now, I hope all is well. Abrazos, Kareen

Bicycle Tour

Yesterday, another volunteer, Christina, and I went on a bike tour of the area. I wanted to take a few photos and also get away from the pavement that has been my reality for the past week. The bikes were of course salvaged from the storm and conveniently enough, there is also a bike co-op in this community responsible for maintaining the rusted, storm-tossed human-powered vehicles. We also wanted to go down the street to one of the very few local places that is open for lunch to have some authentic fried southern food - catfish po-boys.

But of course the afternoon bike tour was unlike any one I have taken before. I don't think I need to tell everyone how absolutely devastating it is down here. St. Bernard Parish wasn't even the most hard hit and it is still overwhelming to see the debris, smashed vehicles, gutted houses and chaos that continue to exist in the streets. Although the main highway that we biked on is quite busy, very few of the streetlights are working. Signs are posted all along the road with gutting services, recovery operations, companies and individuals to contact for mold removal, sheetrocking, roofing etc.

Today, I talked to a contractor who is reinstalling electricity in homes that have already been inspected and deemed in adequate shape to rebuild. He is having a hard time, however, getting building permits as the city is talking about a moratorium on building. As you would imagine, there are many competing interests in the area. Many would rather see the lower-income districts like St. Bernard Parish and Ward Nine completely demolished...wouldn't a casino and some hotels be much better? And with only a fraction of the population back, and perhaps only every 10th house (if that) in a neighborhood occupied, what is the incentive to provide services like electricity and water to this smaller population? In fact, this man claimed that if they wanted to, they could turn on the electricity. Their intention, however, is to keep people away and dissuade them from coming back to this area. There is quite a battle ahead for the people of New Orleans. Mind-boggling issue and completely forgotten in the media...

Dish Pit Guru and Inventory Girl

So a week into being here and I have been nominated as the Dish Pit Guru....this is basically a glorified way of saying that I have the dubious honor of managing the industrial dishwashing station which is actually not so industrial because there is not yet plumbing set up at this temporary encampment. But, 4 days into being here, I showed that I was slightly more responsible perhaps than your average hippie (not that I would define myself that way necessarily) and therefore I am once again doing what I seem to do best - order people around. It also means as point person, I get to participate in a daily meeting which of course you know is my favorite passtime.

Then, a couple days after that, I was asked to replace some guy who is taking a break after being 3 months in the disaster area. So I am now pulled into helping do inventory and procurement of all things necessary to run this operation. Promotions work quickly here...didn't even have to have an interview...of course, when your getting paid such a large salary...

Days have been long and exhausting with incessant wind. This morning we woke up to a tornado warning in the area and scrambled to tarp everything up before the heavy rains hit. What keeps me going, however, is the chance to meet such amazing individuals who are not only part of St. Bernard Parish but also those that have been volunteering here. Emergency Communities is like a small village where everyone knows one another and each individual has their specific task. The central area is in what used to be the parking lot of The Finish Line, an off-track betting place and it encompasses the kitchen, the dome (dining hall) and distribution center. Beyond the parking lot area is the 'tent sprawl'...or our nylon version of the suburbs. There are little 'neighborhoods', walkways to stay out of the toxic mud (this place was under several feet of water after Katrina hit) and people who are here long term are even constructing small shacks for themselves out of plywood. One guy in my neighborhood who goes by the name PawPaw Hoot (convoluted story behind that), actually still has his Christmas lights up. Every day more structures are being built on site - showers (as there is currently only one), a new office, shelves for the distribution center...the list goes on. The place is constantly changing, adapting and streamlining to make it easier and more efficient to serve meals to an ever growing number of people (we're now up to 1,200).

Day 4.

So the computers on site are located in the 'distribution' tent - the equivalent of a gigantic thrift store with clothing, food, toiletries etc.- free stuff available for people in the community. As I sit here, the tent is bustling with residents who are attempting to replace something, anything that they've lost since the storm.

I can't believe it's only Day 4 of this journey, seems like I have been here forever, as is often the case when you enter into a completely different situation. The past few days have been spent serving food, washing dishes, working in the distribution center, picking up donations and getting to know this amazing group of volunteers that have taken the time to give back. I've met people from as far as New Brunswick, Canada, others from Maine, California, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Washington, North Carolina...the list goes on. Some are staying for a few days, others a couple weeks, still others are able to stay for months at a time. This came as a surprise to me; I guess I didn't understand how willing, able and called people are to help, in whatever form they can. It's humbling and perhaps the real face of this country.

And as you can imagine, I keep hearing stories. There's Ryan, who rode out the storm on the North Shore but who had a house in St. Bernard Parish. He's been away for four months but had to come back. The first night he came back to Louisiana, he slept better than he has since he left. "This is my home" he said to me on the verge of tears. "The whole experience has changed my perspective on life. Money is no longer important to me. It's family and friends that count." Well said although I wonder if it had to take having everything taken away from you to learn that lesson. There's Bill who decided to stay in his house and had to break through his roof to escape the flooding, the water having risen 6 feet in 20 minutes. He's tired, though, unable to spend much time cleaning out his house.

I know I'll hear more stories and part of me, akin to my experience in Guatemala, can barely believe the resilience of these people. I went on a 'tour' of the disaster area and what's overwhelming is 'where do you start exactly?' It will take at least a decade for this area to rebuild but what other option do you have? And, in the meantime, where does all the waste go, the completely unsalvageable moldy toxic furniture, belongings, and appliances, the rubble from various structures in the neighborhood? Too many questions to answer...

Day One.

Woke up this morning at about 5:30am after getting to sleep around 2 in the morning. I arrived in New Orleans last night, as dusk was settling in...in time to see the blue FEMA tarps on many of the rooftops and the backup of traffic as mostly construction trucks and cars were leaving the city...these are all the people that are commuting every day, probably from Baton Rouge, in order to work on their houses.

So here I am, in a disaster zone, and it surprisingly has most of the amenities...in fact, I am sitting here in a canvas tent at one of four computers on site at Emergency Communities, the organization that I am volunteering with over the next couple months. EC is located in St. Bernard Parish, just outside of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. The night I arrived, I was taken from the well-lit streets of downtown New Orleans into the absolute darkness of a neighborhood where no one is living or working. I was shocked even then...tomorrow one of the other volunteers is going to take me on a 'disaster tour' (believe it or not there is actually a company that is giving these tours for real and charging...a bit odd and not quite right if you ask me...).

As I said, my morning began early in the bustling kitchen, grating cheese for the grits and eggs that we were serving for breakfast. EC runs the "Made with Love Cafe and Grill" and provides three healthy, often organic, meals per day to residents, workers and volunteers in the area. They usually provide upwards of approximately 1,000 meals/day, 80% of which are for returning residents who are currently staying in FEMA trailers and working on cleaning out their houses. The Parish is slowly coming back to life. With a pre-hurricane population of 70,000, most of the people living here were middle to low-income families, many of them fisherpeople. There are now 8,000 residents living back in the area, with an additional 15,000 that commute every day to work on their houses. All houses have to be cleaned out before they can be inspected in order for residents to start living in them again. Of course, as you would expect, many have opted to demolish the structures as most of the houses in this area were entirely under water after Katrina hit.

As for myself, I feel fortunate to have a tent (thanks Danielle!) and am currently nesting. The weather has been fairly cooperative thus far although nights and mornings are pretty chilly. I have to admit, I'm already skeptical as to whether I'll be able to work twelve to fourteen hour days for 2 months but I figure I'll get into a groove. Currently there are approximately 40 volunteers working here, with people coming and going literally every day. They are desperately in need of more so if you have a week to spare please consider coming down!

For more visuals of the community, some volunteers have set up a photo gallery, go to http://actionhero.smugmug.com/gallery/1059510/4.

More detailed updates soon but my fingers are getting cold and it's time to crawl into my sleeping bag...

Kareen