Did you know...
I just returned from New Orleans. If you told me what I'd see there, I wouldn't have believed you.
Did you know that schools are at only 30% of pre-Katrina enrollment? The city estimates that 75% of people are back based on the number of households receiving mail. Yet many homes can't be entered because the pile of mail behind the door blocks the way. What will a city become without education?
Did you know that the wide open green fields were once fully developed neighborhoods? At first glance, I saw many urban parks, but upon closer inspection found rows of steps leading to porches that no longer exist. What can that homeowner do when all they own is an expensive weed patch?
Did you know that many temporary living trailers provided by FEMA were built without ventilation? The fortunate ones can open a couple small windows. Others have children whose ears bleed for unknown reasons. Unknown until three inches of mold is found growing under the bed. Many trailers were taken back before homes were repaired. One woman couldn't even enter her trailer because the doors were locked and she wasn't given keys. Six months later, they came back to remove the trailer and found the keys locked inside by those who delivered it (they still removed it). What could you do in that situation?
Did you know the total amount of stolen financial aid in a single church body totaled $250,000? Imagine your house in a state of destruction like those pictured below. You've been given $18,000 to fix the whole thing. Most of it, if not all, was used as a downpayment. The contractor left town with it all. What do you do to repair your house now?
Did you know that in one neighborhood, shootings occur 4-5 times per day? A 17-year old has a wall full of rags hung from nails. Each represents a witnessed murder. Who else did we think would take over the streets in a time like this?
So is this a hopeless situation? After all, what can these people do? On their own, almost nothing. The question is, what can WE do? Collectively, almost everything. It's a hopeful situation.
Helping hang sheetrock in a neighborhood church didn't seem like much. But when visited by people who attended the church before the storm, it was clear that it meant the world. One man had attended the church since it was built in 1923. He turned the first shovel of dirt in a groundbreaking ceremony. He loved attending that church so much that the only way his family could get him out of New Orleans was to wait until it was time to drive to church on Sunday morning, and then head past it to the freeway. Visitors were left speechless and most communication was done through tears.
Help is needed, wanted and appreciated! Find your own way to help if you'd like, but here's one way...
The final impression I left New Orleans with is that this isn't an effort in rebuilding structures, but it's one of saving lives. I mean this very literally. Relatives of those we spoke to had died just recently at ages much less than normal for their families. They understand clearly that it's due to complications brought by living conditions after the storm. The man who broke ground at the church was in his nineties and his son says all he's living for now is to see it full again.