It has been hard to find the time to write in this blog. I have been staying very busy, and though every day is very different, there is now a bit of a routine in my day.

Last night was sound sleeping until early this morning when a storm was tossing the walls of the tent about, and it's persistence finally made me get up early so I have some extra time to write today.

I have been feeling very grateful. I came down here with the intention to serve. To help with the recovery. What I wasn't expecting is the amount that I have learned. As Common Ground Collective moves into the next phase of its existence, from relief work to long term rebuilding work, they are looking for more organization. I have been put on the project of finding a task management system for the whole organization. Just at the right time another volunteer with programming skills showed up from London. Daniel will be here for two months and we have been working together on putting together this system. It is of course open source, and web based. I have learned a lot during this process about MySQL and php. Next we are to look into developing a patient management system for the free clinic.

We continue the tutoring three nights a week and though turnout has been low for the last couple nights, it is really nice to work with others and teach them while learning about their culture and passions.

I have also been working on websites. We launched a new retreat section for the monastery, and the Living The Dream 2006 site continues to grow. Next I will be working on a new producer partner section for Cafe Campesino's website.

Prior to coming here, I didn't really have passion for what I was doing so I tended toward the easy, doing what I already knew how to do and not taking on many new challenges. When we do push ourselves and take chances it is amazing what we can accomplish. When you step outside of your comfort zone you start to really flex the muscle that is your brain it is amazing how much we are capable of learning. The more you use that muscle the better it works.

Yesterday I met with Otis and Liz. They are coordinating RUBARB, a bike collective that started shortly after Katrina to recover bikes. Their name, and acronym for rusted up beyond all recognition bikes came from the mass of bicycles that were abandoned after having been underwater for weeks. They now have shop hours and people of all ages come and learn how to build themselves a bike. We are going to create a website for them to raise awareness about what they are doing and to find contributions of bikes and supplies. Watch for it at rubarbike.org

I'll try and write some more this weekend. I hope I have a few readers left, I will work on getting back into posting a little more often.

Peace,
geoffrey/pax

This film was made 120 days after Katrina, but there is very little difference between the scenes in this video and what I saw a few days ago. Apart from personal property, business remain abandoned, schools empty with their front doors flung open and even stoplights that have not been brought back into service. From what I have been told much of the lower 9th ward remains without water and electricity. For someone who didn't know they would think Katrina happened a few weeks ago in the Lower 9th ward. One can watch all these videos, but when I see it first hand it really hits hard and makes me go through a real mix of emotions.

I helped a really nice gentleman fill out his on-line application for "The Road Home" because he has not received any money from his insurance company or FEMA. His case is confusing because has power of attorney for his brother and they are co-owners of the property. It is sad that because he has a "special case" it seems the are being very slow about helping him. Meanwhile his home continues to deteriorate.

I have a new desk space in the media lab now that I am doing more website work than anything else. This office is right next to the free legal clinic. A big board out on the street reads "free legal advice" with an arrow toward this house. Another sign reads "bankruptcy workshop Wednesday 12-3." Sitting next to the legal clinic I hear the stories of people that have arrived for advice. I found myself almost in tears this morning listening to a 69 year old woman share her struggle to get back into her home. I am doing my best to not make this blog become political because I know my readership is diverse, but it is hard when I hear these stories of how the government has let these people down. The Road Home program seems to be a total joke and maybe just a PR campaign as there is story after story of people going through the effort of applying, but then never getting any assistance. Meanwhile insurance companies are paying off mortgages which assists the bank, but then the homeowner is left with a house that they may own but is uninhabitable. And then there is case after case of landlords evicting tenants, or raising rent through the roof so that people can't afford to return home.

I have a lot of respect for the legal team here, mostly legal assistants who have taken time out of their career to come and volunteer. They have sevral pro-bono lawyers working with them. Apart from advising, they will take cases to court with the help of those lawyers. One of them is Bill Quigly who also helps defendants at the annual School of the Americas Watch vigil.

Took a bike ride through the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and Faubourg Marigny. I didn't realize this was all just a few blocks away from where I am staying. New Orleans really is a beautiful city despite all the rebuilding of neighborhoods that still needs to be done. The areas where there is money have recovered quite well. There are still the occasional gutted buildings waiting for revival, but a lot has already returned to pre-Katrina normalcy.

Bikeriding is a great way to get around in this city. The traffic is light in the neighborhood streets, and Bourbon street is mostly foot traffic. We were there early in the evening, but Ted was telling me in a few hours the area will be packed with people all night long.

I am finding a city where I could really enjoy living for a while. I used to wonder why people would want to live where they are below sea level and so vulnerable to a hurricane. Now I think that this is really a city worth protecting.

The work is keeping me busy, and I have been putting together websites that would normally take me a week or two in a couple days. The two sites I have worked on are for Rebuild Green, and New Orleans Home For the Holidays.

Though there is a lot going on right now, with house gutting, legal help, food distribution, and computer labs; the future of Common Ground Collective seems to be a bit uncertain. So Ted and I are talking about what a non-profit web design and computer technology center could look like. We will need to find funding, so if there are any readers looking to support a good cause, let me know.

Critical facts concerning the Gulf Coast’s recovery:

“Hurricane Katrina was the single most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history.”
(FEMA, By the Numbers One Year Later)

Physical Area Impacted by Katrina: 90,000 square miles, roughly the size of Great Britain

Number Displaced by Storm: Approximately 1.3 Million

Initial Estimates of Cost to Rebuild New Orleans: $200 billion*

*A widely cited underestimated value, the real cost is probably much higher.

Direct Economic Impact of Katrina in Louisiana Alone: $120 Billion

Federal Funds Allocated to Redeveloping the Gulf Coast: $107 Billion

Proportion of Funds Actually Spent: Less than Half ($44 Billion)

Proportion of Funds Allocated to Levy Reconstruction: 4% ($4.3 Billion)

Proportion Allocated to Mobile Homes: 7% ($7.5 Billion)

Funds Received by the City of New Orleans: $220 Million

One year Later: Number of People Living in Mobile Homes (113,000); Number of Displaced Who Have Not Returned Home Yet (289,000); School Buildings Open in New Orleans (29%); Homes with Electricity (60%); Unemployment Rate Among Evacuees (23%)

Went to mass at St. Mary's of the Angels yesterday,

Father Bart Pax

this is the church that is hosting all of us at the school across the street. I really enjoy the mass there as the songs are song gospel style so it really adds a lively tone to an otherwise formal service. Father Bart seems to be very well loved by his congregation, and after hearing his homily about how we must all love each other by seeing the best in each other I can see why. I spoke with him last week outside the church, and heard about all that he has gone through to rebuild. He still is facing a "serious issue" with the ventilation system in the church which is why they have to turn up the sound system to be heard over the big fans that have been brought in. There is a great article about Father Bart and his church online.

St. Mary of the Angels during the flood.

All visitors are introduced at the opening of the service and there were three of us there who shared that we were from Common Ground Collective. In the point in the service where we greet one another, I sensed a very interesting mix. Some where very warm, and thanked me for being here, while others acted awkward, and though I don't like to form an opinion without knowing for sure, seemed wary of us.

After mass I walked to the House of Excellence and did a lot of pondering about this. I have been told by others that there is mistrust of white people showing up for various reasons. Some are fearful that jobs related to cleanup are being taken by outsiders, and though CGC is only helping those who otherwise could not afford to rebuild, we may be seen as a part of that. There also may be discomfort because white people in the neighborhoods in which we are working was met with suspicion before Katrina, and then there is the reality that we are working in a city that has been dealing with some of the most fierce racism any where in our country. You should take time to read more about this by downloading the anti-racism packet from the CGC website.

So how can we move past this but still be sensitive to people that still have feelings of bitterness?

I hope some of you will respond to this post, especially after you have read some of that packet. This is not an easy topic, but living here it seems to be an important thing to work on. What are some things that I can do to help with the healing? I know that what I am doing is the right thing, but I still feel like maybe there is something that I am missing.

Feeling like we're

The wall of donated computers

getting a few things accomplished. We took the day to clean up the technology office and inventory what we have. We are still getting requests from across the community for more computers so we had two people, nick and Brad setting up software (Linux) on donated machines. After completing the cleanup and inventory we found that we lots of some things but are lacking in others. We have 10 complete systems going to a new lab that I haven't seen yet called Kidz in Community. I am learning a lot about Linux as Microsoft Windows is not really an option with the expense of the user licenses. For any readers not familiar, Linux is an alternative to Microsoft Windows. It has may of the same type of programs (word processing, spreadsheets etc.) but they are all what is called open source. Open Source means that instead of the code that is running the system being proprietary, and very protected by the designers at Microsoft, it has all been designed by people wanting to offer an alternative that is available to all for free. You are allowed to change anything you like about the system, and if you publish those changes others can learn from them. So the whole system continues to be improved.

Other than the technical stuff, I did get to work with a boy who has been hanging out at the house where we work. He has been trouble in the past because he arrives and loves to make his presence known. He was told that the only way he could stay is if he had a mentor there with him at all times. I gave it a try. I found as long as I could keep him busy things went well. I had to remind him every half hour or so when he stopped working that we all have a lot of work to do and if he wants to stick around he's going to have to pull his weight. I think others have been treating him as a "brat," so he has be responding by being a brat. He will be back next Friday after school, and I am going to do my best to keep a list of things that he can do for us as the toughest thing for me today was finding tasks.

I have begun working with the website here. We are going to start by leaving the design alone, but working to update the navigation and the content. The site has aspects that make it look like not much is going on here when of course nothing could be further from the truth.

Volunteers continue to arrive at St. Mary's, and I hear that the count is up to 75. With others across the city, the count must be well over 100. With 3-4 gutting crews going out almost every day, they are finishing about one house each day. To finish means not only pulling out all the wallboard, carpet, and anything else that was flooded, but also scrubbing and rinsing all the remaining parts. Stories are shared at the evening meeting here at the house about how appreciative the homeowners are. One homeowner asked for everyone's name and address to send thank you notes.

The organization though strong in volunteers and accomplishments, is having some trouble with locations. After quatrain, properties were gladly opened up for use by those working to rebuild. Now, it is time for some of the property owners to reclaim the spaces. The building the tech department (and free legal, media, computer lab and drop-in help center) is going to return to it's prior use as a day care center at the first of the year. So now Common Ground Collective is looking for another building. Meanwhile, the Woodlands which is the largest facility (apartment complex with multiple buildings) which was offered by the owner to common ground collective during a time when there were no rents to be had because everyone had evacuated, was foreclosed on by the bank who has found a buyer. They are trying to stall for time with legalities about current occupancy, and repairs that have been made by CGC (not a real strong argument), long enough to find donations for CGC to purchase the property themselves. St. Mary of the Angels School, where I am staying at night seems to be stable for the time being as Father Bart has said that they will eventually want to re-open the school, but not anytime real soon.

Had a good conversation with Nick, who helped with the computers. He is from Vashon Island, Washington. He and his friend Logan raised funds to come down here and are now keeping their own blog called Vashongosouth
So if I go a day or two without writing, you can read their blog because they're tag teaming on it.

I did get permission to move over to the House of Excellence, so I did move a cot over there so I have an option to stay there if I work late, but I must be honest, with the really good meals prepared for us for breakfast and Dinner I think I like staying over here at St. Mary's.

Yesterday I had perhaps the most eye opening experience yet, and I warn you that some of this entry may be a bit too graphic for some. I was here in the tech office when Alex, the house coordinator asked if I would come to Margaret's house to see if I could help with some rebuilding work. Margaret has been volunteering here in the administration office for a couple months. She remained in New Orleans through the hurricane and the flood until finally she was able to get out and go to Florida to stay in a hotel using her savings to do so with a promise that she would be getting some money from FEMA. She made it back a few months ago and is now trying to rebuild her house.

Margaret showing us where her bathroom used to be

So I sat next to Margaret in the car as the five of us made our way to her house in Uptown. Margaret has such an incredibly open and friendly personality. As we drove down the streets of downtown New Orleans, she described the scenes that she saw during the storm and flood. She described water levels on the downtown buildings, some still abandoned with broken windows. She shared about the alligators that were not bothering the living because they were satisfied with the dead that were floating in the water. She shared stories of sharks spotted in the downtown streets, of hundreds of people waiting for rescue on top of a bridge she pointed out to us. She talked about the relief helicopters in the Wal-Mart parking lot and how the wind from the blades that you could feel blocks away. She pointed out parks and buildings where people where staying because their houses were uninhabitable (as many still are). I did sense a little bitterness as Margaret shared that nobody came to get her. Everyone she worked with, and all her friends didn't show up to take her clear of Katrina. According to Margaret, after she was featured in Time Magazine (Nov 28, 2006), then everyone was calling her and she was thinking "where were you then?" [If anyone keeps back issues, or can get to a library you can read Margaret's story and see a picture of her in front of her house 3 months after Katrina]

We made it to her house and I got my first look at a house that had been completely gutted. No wallboard, insulation, ceiling or floor cover. You could see light from the outside streaming in all over the place. One of the windows missing promoted her to share that's where the birds come and visit me. Her brother had helped put up wallboard in one upstairs room where Margaret sleeps, and someone had tapped into the power line outside the house and stretched extension cords so that she could plug a few things in. I learned that the insurance company, though offering her a $150,000 policy, has only granted her $3,000 (the balance due on the mortgage) because they say the house is still standing.

We walked around to the back of the house and Margaret showed us where the addition to the house once stood. She shared "this is what she took from me" referring to hurricane Katrina. The addition was built out of cinderblock while the rest of the house was wood. Margaret's way of explaining the odd way that the addition was ripped from the house was: "that's 'cause that's what man made and the rest is what God made." Margaret struck me as someone who is very close to God, even while huddling in the bathroom of her house during the storm praying as she heard the house being torn up around her that she would be saved. Every time she pointed out how a part of her house had been destroyed how grateful to God she was that she made it through.

Finally, after 13 months, Margaret has been offered a FEMA trailer, and she is in the process of moving over there so that volunteers, including some of us from this house, can begin to rebuild. Despite it's current state, it is a nice house, and Margaret pointed out that she really wants to stay in this neighborhood. There is a lot of work to be done, if anyone reading this can come lend a hand, you will experience for yourself the gratitude that is so much a part of Margaret's personality.

I am now back on wheels. Yesterday Don Paul, the organizer of rebuild green which is the first website I have worked on since being here, brought over an extra bike he had at his place. So yesterday I rode around the area, and got to see yet more deserted neighborhoods all representing so many people who have not yet been able to return. New Orleans is a unique city, and especially the Lower 9th Ward (where the reconstruction is the slowest) because of it's high level of home ownership. In the Lower 9th Ward, figures vary, but the median household income is much lower than national and Louisiana averages yet home ownership is higher than average. Therefore many if not most of the houses that remain abandoned represent somebody's "piece of America." These people are now spread around the country having either given up on their home, or trying to raise the funds to return and rebuild. Trouble is the city is trying to condemn them before they can get back. This is why it is so urgent to get the houses gutted and cleaned so that they are not condemable.

New volunteers have been arriving as a part of the Common Ground Relief "Fall Campaign." It is nice to no longer be the "new guy" and see new faces. I'm still living at St. Mary of the Angels school. The makeup is a real interesting mix of people that appreciate living in this community as they don't have an alternative and people from all over predominantly college age that have come to help out leaving behind the comforts of home. There is such a strong mission that conflict seems rare. Most of the people who live there are known as "gutters" or the ones who gut the houses. The others prepare meals, keep the house clean, and there is a crew that are the bio-remediation team who go in and test the levels of toxins both in the houses and in soil throughout the city.

Today is St. Francis of Assisi's feast day. We have been looking at picture for our desktops depicting St. Francis. This evening everyone wants to watch "Brother Sun, Sister Moon."

Today was one of the most eye opening days so far. I spent the day visiting other Common Ground Collective locations.

First I attended the Team Leaders meeting that happens every Monday, and had a chance to meet Malik Rahim, one of the founders. I learned more about the philosophy of the organization and realized that really the number one focus is rebuilding New Orleans while fighting the racism that has caused so many problems before and after Katrina hit. Second is to have a plan in place created by and for the citizens of New Orleans in case of another hurricane. The North Carolina chapter of Veterans for Peace managed to raise funds to donate a generator that was previously used as backup for a hospital. After updated from each team leader we all went outside to meet the residents of the Evergreen Apartments.

Ted, the other guy working on tech and I then set up another computer network for the residents there. So they now have two labs with three computers each.

Next we went over to the Common Ground Health Clinic to make sure their computers where working ok. We walked in a very small building that still looked like it's pre-Katrina restaurant use. Inside was a crammed waiting room. I have heard that there have been days when they had to stop taking patients 10 minutes after opening because there were so many waiting to be seen. As I said in an earlier post, only half of the hospitals in New Orleans have re-opened and the ones that have are not running to capacity. We could see some of the members of the all volunteer staff looking very busy, so we agreed to come back another time after clinic hours.

Next we walked through another historic part of town where any other time I would have liked to stop and see the amazing old cemetery, and beautiful old buildings. This part of town did see some storm damage (we even went past a church with it's steeple laying on it's lower roof), but it did not go under water when the levees broke. We arrived at the Lighthouse which is an old house where the volunteers that work at the clinic stay. They had another computer lab where they can do research, or just take a break. This network was cobbled together using all wireless even though they were all in the same room, so we began the first step of re-wiring the whole office.

We then caught the ferry across the river and arrived in a very different scene. This is the first time that I have seen the French Quarter, and it was looking as glamorous as ever. For the first time since being here I saw no signs of Katrina's devastation. It was all fixed up and tourists were everywhere. I felt like stopping them and asking if they knew what it looked like just 10 blocks away.

On a lighter note, Common Ground Collective might scrape by in some areas, but they have been getting great food donations from health food companies among others so it seems I will have no problem getting a great meal prepared by loving hands three times a day. Each of the centers that prepares meals open them up to the community so there is a good mix of volunteers and local residents.

I feel a bit like I'm at summer camp at times and I'm off to bed because they have a 6:30 wakeup team that goes from room to room so we don't miss 7:00 breakfast.

Common Ground Collective just published their first newspaper, which we will go out and deliver to the neighborhoods later today. I have spent the morning reading all the stories of people who's lives are still devastated by Katrina. Landlords who are evicting people before they can even get back to see if any of their possesions are recoverable, yesterday I found a graduation diploma for a young woman who graduated with honors before Katrina, now just a bit of paper in the street. There are people as far away as New York, including single mothers, who have been evicted from temporary housing because their FEMA money has run out. There are houses being bulldozed because the owner cannot afford to restore it yet. Only half of the hospitals have reopened creating long lines at the ones that are, some suffering from respiratory ailments from trying to live in an unsafe house. Suicide rates have skyrocketed; the list goes on and on.

I originally had thought about coming down here right after the storm, but maybe because of fear of the unknown, or just finding other priorities I didn't. Maybe the photos and news stories were not enough to motivate me. I know that had I seen all this first hand I am sure I would have made it a priority. I found myself thinking this morning, when something like this happens why doesn't every body stop all but essential responsibilities and come and help. Wouldn't we hope for the same if it was our house? How can a whole year go by and the tragic stories go on and on. At the rate things are going it could be 10-15 years maybe more before all these neighborhoods are cleaned up. That is if the bulldozers don't come first.

I heard Kone speak the other night, he is one of the key organizers for Common Ground Collective. He was sharing that he thinks the plan is to create some sort of "New Orleans Disneyland." He says that they're not hiring back the great chefs because now they have the recipes, and they're not hiring back the great musicians because now they have the music. They want to hire people from overseas to fill these roles. He said Common Ground Collective is going to prevent this by getting people back to their homes.

A lot more needs to be done. The volunteers here seem exhausted, some of them have been here for months. There were times when there were 200 volunteers, now just about 60. This morning, Sunday, a man who came from Australia to help was going from table to table at breakfast asking who could go gutting today. Gutting as I mentioned in another post is the very essential first step in restoration after a flood. They go in and strip everything that could harbor mold and then scrub down the rest. This creates a bare, but habitable space and allows for rebuilding to begin. Below is a picture that I just took of today's crew loading in a van to go to the Lower 9th Ward.