Today was supposed to be another day of painting, but the weather did not cooperate. So, we gathered in the kitchen and were assigned small task for the day. Some of us were setting for the Indian Santa event in the Dulac Community Center Gymnasium; some were organizing the closet in the back of the DCC gym; and Leigh, Joe, and I were going back over the Shrimper’s Row to re tile a bathroom floor in an abandoned house. When we arrived at the house to inspect the condition of the floor, we discovered that someone had already tried and half completed the flooring incorrectly. An adhesive was used to connect the pieces of flooring, some pieces still didn’t fit correctly, and it was just a mess. Needless to say, my first reaction was frustration and we decided the best way to handle this was completely remove the work that had been done on the floor and start from scratch. We ripped out the flooring and gave Jamie a call; our new assignment was to scrape up flooring the front room, which I assume will be re tile or repainted in the near future.

Today, when the five of us; Kayla, Leigh, Shari, Joe and I were scraping up the flooring, I must admit I was starting to get sore almost immediately. Bending down and scarping off flimsy pieces of flooring was again frustrating, but eventually it got done and after putting the tools away and loading up the van, we were headed back to DCC.

As soon as we got back to DCC, we got another call from Jamie asking for our help moving plywood and sheet rock from her house to the center. After waiting a few minutes, I voiced my decision to help with this project and so did Leigh. Shari and Kayla decided to go back inside, and honestly I can’t blame them because today’s weather was certainly not ideal. The lighter pieces of wood fit into the van easily enough, but for the sheet rock and plywood, we needed Jamie’s dad’s pick up truck. So, it ended up being Isaiah, Joe, Leigh and I moving wood pieces, plywood and sheet rock to DCC. I was extremely grateful for everyone’s help today because I just feel exhausted. I think this trip has finally at least some toll on me physically if not emotionally.

I realize I have not blogged since we got here so:

1st day of work:

After we finished breakfast and cleaned up my group of six loaded up into Jan’s van and headed to PNOLA. We were greeted by one of the two permanent employees of PNOLA, Jen, who oriented us and discussed the work that PNOLA tries and accomplishes for those people who continue to need support five years after hurricane Katrina made landfall. She also informed us that their goal was to have 14 houses built in time for Christmas. I was really surprised by the fact that there are only two members of PNOLA; it just seems that, based on all the work they have accomplished they would have more permanent staff members.

When we arrived at PNOLA, we were also greeted by members of Americorps, three of whom would be joining us later at our work site. The fact that these volunteers, from different parts of the country were giving their time and effort to those affect by Katrina makes them heroes in my eyes. I am strongly considering joining Americorps after I graduate. After introductions had been made, we left to go to the work site and we learned that the owner of the house was a victim of contractor fraud and so the circumstances fit the criteria for PNOLA’s assistance.

The first day at the work site was comprised of clearing out the debris inside the house, installing insulation, and in the remaining time, we begun putting up sheet rock. My favorite part of the job was definitely putting up the sheet rock because, although it is a tedious process, you definitely feel a sense of accomplishment once the sheet rock is up, the walls begin to look more like, well, walls. I was thankful for the help of the PNOLA members, Chris, Taylor and Cane, who assisted us during our work especially since I struggled at first with installing the sheet rock. Once I had installed the first piece, I felt much more comfortable. A lot of my sense of nervousness stemmed from wanting to do a great job. This was someone’s home I was working on and if I was going to work on it, I wanted to make sure I did the best job I could.

The speakers we had that night talked about how the BP oil crisis affected the people of New Orleans and many other areas along the coast. It is still very shocking to hear about how unsafe seafood still is to this day and it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that our government did so little both in response to Katrina relief and the oil crisis. Someone brought up a good point in the discussion that some Americans think that if it’s not immediately affecting their region of the country then they have no responsibility to help when that is clearly not true. The same thing can be said about the government or corporations, if a disaster does not affect them directly often they show a lack of interest because it may not fit in with their agenda.

The other issue is holding government accountable to some degree for a crisis, whether it is at the national, state or local level; it is so easy to simply say that a natural disaster can not be prevented or is simply too big to help victims after the fact. Katrina has definitely exposed the government’s inability to help communities either through lack of interest or a lack of committing the necessary resources. It is quite obvious that more could have been done before and after Katrina made landfall otherwise we would not be helping out five years later.

That’s all for now, next blog coming soon,

~James Cernik

During the past couple days, preparing for this trip, I have had a mixture of feelings. I am anxious to experience life in a new culture and to try and better understand the situation of the residents of New Orleans face from day to day. I believe it will be invaluable to gain a first hand perspective of this “man-made” disaster rather then rely on what the media portrays. I really want to know how people are coping with the way Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill has affected their lives and as an econ major it will be especially important for me to learn about the economic situation of New Orleans. This trip is directly relevant to my thesis, “What is the Effect of Macro Economic Conditions on Happiness,” which deals with changing unemployment rates and the effect it has on a person’s satifaction of life. I believe that it is important to keep in mind that the “Growth Machine” can have real long-term negative effects on individual citizens not just economically, but in terms happiness or health status. These non-economic “costs” are not so easily quantifiable and may be underestimated or even neglected when public projects are constructed. I hope to gain a better understanding of both the economic and social issues facing New Orleans. My hope, is that after my trip, I will leave knowing I made an impact on this community, share my experience with others, present an accurate portrayal of what life is really like for those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil and be able to purpose furture actions that can be taken to further aid the victims.

Since I started the process of signing up for this mini term I was excited to have the opportunity to contribute positively to the victims of Hurricane; this feeling has not changed, but has grown in the past couple days as we have discussed the various issues that effect New Orleanians’ daily lives. Not only am I excited to help rebuild structures and contribute to the urban farming, but I also want to interact with the residents of New Orleans and really listen to their story if they are willing to share with me. There is no way in which I can relate to what many of them have gone through, but by listening, hopefully I can have some positive impact.

My other feeling before we leave is nervousness. In all of my excitement, I know I will have to be careful to show sensitivity and to display empathy when conversing with residents of New Orleans.

Even though we all are going to be approaching this trip from different prespectives and backgrounds; I am happy to know that we all share a strong desire to volunteer. I am very proud to call myself a part of the Louisiana Mini Term 2010 group. I can’t wait to get to work!

~James