Misery is slow to recede in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans

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Posted on Tue, May. 09,

Misery is slow to recede in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans

volunteer returns from devastation, sees little progress

being made

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/ohio/news/14534724.htm?

source=rss & channel=ohio_news

By Kay Quinn

Beacon Journal staff writer

JACKSON TWP. - Not much has changed in New Orleans since Hurricane

Katrina hit eight months ago, a local volunteer says.

While water has receded from streets and homes, mold has taken its

place.

``It's not just black mold, it's black, blue, yellow, green,

brown... unknown mold,'' says Jay of Township. ``It's

everywhere and on every thing.''

A lieutenant in the Green Fire Department, has visited the New

Orleans area in February and April as a church volunteer. He plans

two more visits this year.

What keeps him coming back is the obvious need.

Pictures from his February trip show trash piled high in the

streets -- as residents returned to their homes, they found that

little could be salvaged and tossed out their ruined belongings.

The many houses knocked off their slab foundations by flooding are

still askew. In one photo, a house came to rest, arched like an

accordion, over a car.

In his recent visit, he found things much the same.

rushed to action after finding that a nonprofit group working

in the city's Lower Ninth Ward -- an area with no city water

service -- had run out of bottled water.

He gave Common Ground Collective his two cases of water, then

purchased 25 more cases at local stores.

He and his wife, , with donations from family, the Lutheran

camp and two bottled-water companies, eventually got 400 cases of

water delivered to Common Ground.

The weather at that time, about mid-April, was in the low 90s, with

high humidity.

During 's stay, authorities recovered two bodies in formerly

flooded areas.

With 458 people still considered missing just in Louisiana,

predicts many more corpses will be found.

``I'm glad they're finding them to give the families some closure,''

he said.

While in Louisiana, stayed with the Lutheran Disaster Response

camp, which is set up at Atonement Lutheran Church's soccer field in

Metairie.

About 100 volunteers a week are based there, helping local

homeowners with cleanup.

On his last visit, cooked and cleaned at the camp and assisted

Common Ground, in days that began at 5 a.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m.

The Common Ground volunteers work in one of New Orleans' poorest

areas, helping people who cannot afford to rebuild their homes.

When five volunteers go to a house and gut it in a week, that saves

homeowners $10,000, according to Common Ground. The first step to

making a house livable is to rip out moldy drywall, often taking the

interior down to its studs, said.

He made his first trip this year with his dad, Ed of Bolivar,

and expects that they will go together again in June and September.

Both are members of Shepherd of the Valley Evangelical Lutheran

Church in Sandyville, south of Canton.

Lutheran Disaster Response, which has several teams working in the

Gulf Coast, is committed to helping residents for 10 years, or

however long it takes, said the Rev. Massey, assistant

director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Domestic

Disaster Response in Chicago.

People interested in volunteering should try any one of the

religious organizations working in the area, including the Salvation

Army, said. He also suggested contacting Common Ground and the

Hands On Network.

Life is not back to normal in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,

said.

``It's far from that,'' he said.

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Kay Quinn can be reached at 330-996-3778 or

mkquinn@....