More from Ground Zero

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

I thought I'd give you a few glimpses into life here at Ground Zero -

you know, the types of things that the news doesn't tell you.

There are many questions here that appear to have no definitive

answers. Top of that list is how to treat houses after the sheetrock, flooring,

etc

has been removed. The discussion centers on " mold remediation, " meaning how

to prevent the yucky stuff from coming back. The only thing worse than having

the black, green, gray and orange stuff in your house once is the possibility

of rebuilding only to have it come back a few months later. No agency,

company, etc has a proven protocol for treating the wood studs, etc to prevent

the

regrowth. So it's up to the individual consumer to make the call!

Consequently, mold is a common topic at any gathering of two or more people.

When people meet each other on the street, the top three questions

are: Where did you go for the hurricane? How is your house/how many feet of

water did you get? Where are you living now?

There is an utter disregard for news headlines outside of this area.

People don't care who won the World Series, what is going on in Iraq or which

friends of the Prez are in trouble now. Life in this bubble is so

all-consuming it takes up most of our energy just to deal with the local stuff.

We

figure the rest of the world will just have to make do without us.

Cleanup from a major disaster is NOISY. From early morning until

almost dark, in every neighborhood and every parish, the cleanup is an explosion

of sound. The bobcats, bulldozers in the streets (not knocking down houses -

yet), huge trucks filled with debris, steamshovels, saws, drills and tree

trimming equipment form an aerial carpet of nonstop noise. Most annoying is

that

beep-beep-beep sound made when the moving equipment backs up!

Having a refrigerator and/or freezer hauled away from your front lawn

is a cause for celebration and may elicit envy from your friends and

relatives. It's been 9 weeks since the storm - enough said.

Flat tires are the new rite of passage - literally - as roofs and

their nails are repaired and replaced. 'Wish I had stock in AAA.

Life IS still very livable without cable television and telephone

answering machines. The biggest casualty of the storm remains cable TV. A

whole

generation of kids is now learning that having only 4 channels is not extreme

deprivation or child abuse. And with no telephone lines in our temporary

homes (and no phone/machine at home), cell phones are standard for everyone.

Laundromats - the great equalizer of all peoples. The espirit de corp

that exists there is both comforting and entertaining. Good thing, because

cleaning up is very messy. Which brings me to

DUST. The dirt, dust, sheetrock powder and exhaust from trucks have

combined to produce a layer of filth that covers every car and most of the

area. Washing your car is an exercise in frustration and useless too.

Walking is back, as many streets are still closed to traffic due to

work being done there, etc. Don't even think about wearing anything but closed

toe shoes!

There are lines for everything! The hardware stores, drugstores,

groceries and especially restaurants demand patience. However, most people are

extremely friendly and helpful, so the wait is not so bad.

The in-drink here - Bottled Water!

Quite appropriately, current fashion has a practical feel to it. Most

people remain true to the " fall evacuation look. " With the exception of

professionals whose wardrobes have been subsidized by their companies and

workers

from out of state, jeans, T's and tennis shoes are the standards. Forget the

matching jewelry, make-up and perfume. We are talking basic, no frills (though

clean, please) look. Oh yeah, the long gloves, boots and respirators are on

call in the car.

Lastly (I have to end so I can get showered) is the friendliness and

genuine concern among the people here. With life at a necessary slower pace,

people are not only talking to each other but listening to each other.

Everywhere you go, people look past the surface differences and focus on the

similarities between them. It is not unusual to get into lengthy conversations

with

complete strangers that end with them telling you that they will pray for you.

And they mean it. It is this facet of life here that brings people back home

and will hopefully ensure the survival of my beloved city.

Gail