The Student Hurricane Network and the FEMA Trailer Park Survey & Mapping Project

By Marisa Swank

The Student Hurricane Network has coordinated the efforts of thousands of law students in their quest to provide legal aid and support to the many victims of Hurricane Katrina. Formed soon after the storm struck in August of 2005, SHN got its start when law professors and students from Gulf Coast law schools realized that they could make a difference for so many people left displaced, destroyed, and abandoned by Katrina.

Since October of 2005, SHN has worked with local and national legal service and public interest law groups, matching law students with the organizations to conduct research, interviews, and physical cleanup. During our Spring Break alone, SHN has organized efforts with More than 550 law students. The sheer number of volunteers illustrates just how much work is yet to be done to repair the damage caused by the storm.

Eleven UI law students worked on a mapping and survey project for SHN. SHN created the FEMA Trailer Park Survey and Mapping Project in order to assess the needs of those living in FEMA trailers. More than 60,000 people are living in FEMA trailers, either on their property, or in trailer parks. While hundreds of thousands of people have yet to return to New Orleans, those living in the FEMA trailers choose to remain and rebuild. There are two groups of people living in the 240 square-foot FEMA trailers: homeowners and renters. While homeowners are living in the trailers with the hopes of receiving grants to rebuild and move back into their homes, former renters are faced with little choice of leaving the parks, as housing prices have increased by 100 percent since Katrina. Many Katrina victims lost their cars and their homes in the storm, making it difficult for them to get to and from jobs now. Many still are unemployed. Now, more than 18 months after the storm, many local officials are calling for the removal and evacuation of FEMA trailer parks and homes for renters.

As a result of the growing problems that trailer residents face, SHN created this survey and mapping project. Law students will travel to the trailers to interview residents. Many of these residents have been living with their families in these trailers for over a year, and the living quarters are very small. As many as eight people have been living in very cramped quarters.

SHN recognized that these families have very special needs and created the mapping project with four main goals in mind. The first goal is to assess the legal and other needs of residents of the FEMA trailers in Louisiana. The thousands of people living in the trailers are the most under-represented in New Orleans. These surveys will assess their needs, from the most basic health care, to grants to rebuild their homes.

The second goal is to map objective indicators of disrepair in Orleans Parish. Things we take for granted, like gas stations and paved roads are missing from many parts of the Parish, and we need to take account of what services residents need. The third goal is to widely disseminate the information that we gather through the survey and mapping project. Once all of the information has been gathered, it will be distributed to organizations that can reach out and help the trailer residents. The fourth goal is to assist these legal and social service organizations and institutions to determine: 1) how to better provide the residents access to existing services, and 2) what additional services are needed.

Overall, SHN and the law students who have partnered with them want to provide justice to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The notion of justice is something that all people can understand, and we hope to work together, in solidarity, as a community of human beings, to bring justice to the Gulf Coast.

Quotable Quotes

"I don’t do multiple choice."
"Really?! How’d you get here??"

"I don’t even know this shit in English."

"They should make a sling shot from Texas to Mexico."

"HABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Man-pon, son! Do work!!"

"Hit a bartender on Bourbon Street - see what happens."
"What happens?!?!"

"What?!? English!!! (drunk person talking to himself)"

"Are you okay? Are you fighting invisible tigers??"

"They were saying I gave them SARS. I’ve never even been to Asia!!"

"Can you tell me the definition of ‘gauche’?"

"I fought the law."
"And the law won."

"You guys are both allergic to crab. You’re soul mates."

"That was kind of romantic - like poetry"

"I don’t want to press one for English; it’s my fucking country!"

"I just expect it to be like cheerleading camp and it’s not."

One Man Reconstruction

By Patrick Berkshire

It was March 13 and I was walking down a lonely residential street in the Sugar Hill Neighborhood of Gentilly, New Orleans with a fellow student. We were there to take surveys concerning the conditions for people who were still living in the ubiquitous FEMA trailers. It was a warm afternoon and there was a sweet smell in the air - some mix of humidity and vegetation. However, what was most notable was the silence.

Sugar Hill is large neighborhood with more than 100 single family homes and two apartment buildings, with a university adjacent to it, yet I heard very little. While walking I passed one gutted house after another, with a few trailers here and there, but turning onto Annette Street I met someone who would convince me that Sugar Hill would certainly be coming back.

I saw a small group of students who were helping to gut one of the houses. Some of the students were standing around a man who was smiling and talking enthusiastically. I approached to see if they knew anyone in the neighborhood who would be interested in taking one of the surveys. As I neared, the man who had been standing in the center of the volunteers stepped forward and gave me an enthusiastic greeting.

The man was Tony Dalgo.

He was a man of average height, with a bald head, glasses and rough hands. The man stated that not only did he live on Annette in one of the trailers, but that this was his street, his neighborhood and these were his neighbors. He had lived in New Orleans for 36 years and one way or another he was going to rebuild his home.

Tony agreed to be interviewed for the survey and in the course of the conversation I learned much about him. He was married, had two children, and was a handy-man by trade. He was not only personally repairing his own home. He was also actively helping his neighbors with their repairs. He was even running around the neighborhood mowing his neighbor’s lawns. Even more interesting was that he was acting as the neighborhood “bull dog” reporting suspicious activity. He even filmed an arson taking place and turned the materials over to the police.

It turned out that he was heavily involved in the Gentilly Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association. He felt that it was his responsibility as an association member to do all he could to help rejuvenate the neighborhood. He was devoted and quite energetic. He might have been only one man, but if each neighborhood had a similar man there would be quite a bit of hope for at least some of New Orleans suburbs. Or in the words of Tony, “All we need is the Road Home money and some more time, but even without the money we’ll make it happen, we’ll bring our homes back”.

Repair the damage in New Orleans

by Raymond Thomson

I spent Spring Break in New Orleans, knocking on peoples’ doors and asking personal questions about their lives. The purpose of the questions was to compile statistical data about people living in FEMA trailers.

I kept thinking to myself, “I’m imposing on these people’s lives, and I can’t offer them anything but my ear.” Hopefully, the data we collected will be of some use. Otherwise, the best service I can give is as a reporter.

To sum it up: I went to the city, I talked to a lot of people, and I have found that people are being left to flounder.

The backs of society have been turned against them to America’s shame. America will be judged by what is happening in New Orleans. It has revealed an amazing resilience and courage among many of the people displaced by the floods. It has revealed a less than flattering image of the rest of the country at every level: public, private, large scale, and small scale. Many look the other way; what we choose not to see does not exist. Others have actively preyed upon tragedy. It’s time for America to look in the mirror and inspect every blemish.

What does it mean when the richest, most powerful country in the history of the world cannot provide durable levees to protect its people from floods, or compensate people for the government’s failures? When one of its oldest, most culturally rich cities is left half dead, and its people forgotten? What happens to the American Dream? I’ve talked with people who worked their whole lives to own their house; people who have paid insurance premiums for 50 years and received only $1,800 in compensation when their house was destroyed.

The companies told them, “You don’t need flood insurance, because your home is not located on a flood plain.” So they didn’t buy flood insurance, not realizing that the Federal Government, which bore the sole responsibility for maintaining the levees, had neglected its duty. All the main damage that has been done was a result of inadequate levees. The people of New Orleans didn’t foresee the heartless avarice of the insurance industry, or the reluctance of the government to help them rebuild.

The people I spoke with were not looking for pity, although they did want people to hear and care about their stories. They don’t want to be victims; what they want is to rebuild their homes and their neighborhoods. They want to move out of their FEMA trailers and get back to living the way they used to.

But apartment rates have doubled, many apartment buildings have not been repaired, and building supplies have tripled in price. Many schools and post offices are still closed. The few running buses are slow and sporadic. There are no loans to be had, interest rates are sky-high, and many credit ratings have plummeted. Many people gave their money to contractors who have skipped town. Federal assistance is not forthcoming, through the “Road Home” program or otherwise. No one was looking for handouts, they just wanted the resources to rebuild.

Retirees are living off pensions, and workers are collecting income, but without insurance compensation there’s nothing left over to rebuild with. The neighborhood we went to was lower middle-class; only a few people could afford to rebuild, maybe around 15 percent. The rest of the houses were still ruined - some of them had trailers in the front yard, some totally abandoned. Former renters were corralled in trailer parks, surrounded by chain link fences controlled by FEMA security guards.

In contrast, the wealthy areas have almost completely recovered. You can go to New Orleans today as a tourist, have a great time, and the city will be happy for your business. But unless the whole city is rebuilt, it will end up as a museum surrounded by a ghost town.

I’ve heard the other arguments. It’s not worth rebuilding New Orleans. It’s under sea-level. The destruction of the city is inevitable. Investment will not serve the interests of the market. Try telling people that in the devastated neighborhoods. Markets should serve the interests of human beings, not the other way around. Go tell people who have lived in their neighborhood for 30, 40, or even 70 years – tell them they aren’t wanted; tell them to give up. All the people I spoke with are determined to stay. Their whole lives have been invested in these communities.

Some of the people wanted to know why our country can fight a war on the other side of the world, while leaving one of its own major cities gutted and half occupied. They told me that many people wanted to come back to town and get a job rebuilding, but there were no jobs to be had. I talked to a woman whose husband was a carpenter, and there was no work for him in New Orleans. Half the city needs to be rebuilt, and yet there are no jobs for a carpenter. He could find work by spending weekdays in Houston, leaving him the weekend to return to New Orleans and be with his family. The construction jobs that do exist are mostly being filled by migrant workers at slave-wages. Everywhere you turn, people are being squeezed.

So what does all of this mean? It’s not just a case of failures by the government, insurance companies and banks. People have been turned on by their own families. I spoke with people who had been driven away by their family while looking for a place to live after the floods. Eventually the family had these people arrested in the attempt to get rid of them. Another man I spoke with hired his brother-in-law to repair his house; the brother-in-law took all his money and left town, never to return.

Many individuals jumped at the chance to take advantage of tragedy in the same way, passing themselves off as contractors and stealing all the money these displaced homeowners had to their name. There is a cancer of indifference eating away at America. Our values have deteriorated into callous greed and disregard. America is in danger of losing its humanity and its soul.

Our nation has a moral decision to make. We can abandon New Orleans or rebuild it. People are willing to rebuild. America has the resources to rebuild. But, it lacks the political will to do so. The story of New Orleans will be the story of America. It will mark a turning point. It could be the first signpost of a dying civilization, which abandons its people and its cities, rather than repairing damage when it occurs.

It could also be the wake-up call America needed to change its priorities. A culture divided against itself in grasping selfishness and materialism cannot survive. A society prospers by bringing its people together, because everything we have is built on the foundation of the populace. Right now, Americans would rather cut their own taxes than help their neighbor. We would rather rob our neighbor, waste our resources, and pass the mess on to the next generation. Everything is disposable. Ending is better than mending.

This is a question of priorities. I believe America can turn itself around. I believe it can turn New Orleans around. I believe it can build houses. I believe America can build levees that don't fail. I believe America can care about people again. Now is the crucial moment. In our future, New Orleans will stand as either a monument to our self-destruction, or it will stand as a monument to our rebirth.

New Orleans Potential

by Erick Thomson

After spending a week in New Orleans, I’m still having a hard time digesting everything that I’ve experienced. Like the crawfish that filled my stomach and stuck to my ribs, the memories of tragedy and despair still fill my mind. I hope the following story will help others realize the true situation of the forgotten people in the city of New Orleans. As I ate my ahi tuna stuffed with crab at the Oceana restaurant with my friends Marisa and Autumn, we saw the almost-familiar face of Darius McCrary enter our very own dining space.

Darius McCrary was once a star. As the eldest brother, Eddie Winslow, on the hit TV show “Family Matters,” Darius was an inspiration to many. Cashing high paychecks, he was an integral part of Steve Urkel’s entourage on one of the longest running African-American sitcoms in television history. On the last episode of the show, Steve Urkel was sent into space with NASA astronauts. While he was in orbit, the series was cancelled, leaving Urkel stranded somewhere in the bleakness of zero gravity with no reunion show in sight to bring him home. Similar to his onstage co-star, Darius has also been stranded. After his show was cancelled, Darius did not immediately work on rebuilding his career. While he took an acting break, the buzz around him quieted and eventually died, making it impossible to reach the heights he had once known.

In today’s New Orleans, while many others are busy worrying about finding the finances to rebuild their homes or looking for an apartment in a city where the rental price has gone up more than 100 percent since the hurricane, Darius faces unique challenges. While tourists were busy eating $25 plates of ahi tuna stuffed with crab and washing it down with a local Abita brew, Darius is forced to live in a world completely new to him. As he walked into the restaurant, the staff did not immediately greet the actor. His new attire mirrored his new mood: morose, black, and gothic. Darius once heard fan echoes of the catchphrase “Did I Do That?” on a daily basis. He surrounded himself with pseudo-celebrities, like the guy who played a cop in “Turner & Hooch” and “Die Hard” before becoming the cop on “Family Matters.” On this day, he was not even recognized. He was ignored.

Finally deciding that he was famous enough to do what he wanted, Darius walked into the restaurant without a greeting at the doorway and strolled around, waiting for a response to his celebrity from the diners and practically begging the staff to comp him a meal. The staff allowed him to stroll through the tables, presumably because they were afraid of the large gothic man who was brazenly interrupting their business. After what must have been an arduous three minutes for Darius, I heard “It’s that guy from the Urkel show,” being murmured by the clientele. Finally, people looked at Darius with smiles. One person, deciding on the spot to become a fan, even went so far as to take his picture. No longer a has-been, Darius was, for the moment, a novelty.

While FEMA, the federal government, and the state of Louisiana are still failing to help the downtrodden, one man was able to rise above his personal tragedy and rebuild his career. Darius McCrary, recognized again, is acting in the upcoming “Steppin’: The Movie.” He has hopes to appear on a VH1 show soon. If only the future of the devastated New Orleans could be so bright. I plead to the city of New Orleans: Don’t allow the citizens to rebuild. Make them wait longer while people forget them and their former neighbors lose any reason to move home. Build high-rise hotels and casinos. Develop the Ninth Ward to your municipal liking and prohibit the residents there from recovering. I suggest a theme park.

Don’t put in the effort to rebuild your city as it once was. You have the ability to modify the flavored past and culture created by these people and use it as a money-making gimmick. With the help of private companies, this city could become the new travel destination in the American landscape, rivaling Las Vegas and Disneyland combined. The longer you wait to legitimately help your citizens, the greater chance you have to achieve this dream and realize the potential of your novelty. Helping the backbone of your society now only encourages them to stay to build the infrastructure that a living city so desperately needs. New Orleans, I plead that you see the hope in the story of Darius McCrary, continue to ignore the needs of your citizens, and embrace your potential to become the greatest tourist trap the world has ever seen.

An Over-All Perspective

by Sharon R. McLaughlin

First off, I want to clarify an important point regarding who controls the levees. It is not the federal government that is solely responsible for flood control and levees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the principal agency in charge, but most of the system is maintained by local governments and local levee districts. So the actual evidence goes against the claim that the federal government made the water flood where it did. Also to note, the reports testify that it was not anticipated that the levees would fully fail; the expectation was more or less just that the waters would go over the levees - not through them. Regardless, the levees were designed only for Category 3 hurricanes and below. Katrina was a Category 5, and hit land still holding at a strong 4. Further, the structures in New Orleans themselves were not built to withstand Category 5 winds. Even if the waters hadn’t come rushing, Katrina’s winds still would have wrecked these communities. So, while there is the claim that higher levees would have saved the neighborhoods, perhaps taller levees really would have done nothing more than provide a false sense of security. Furthermore, these protection walls are not engineered for extended retention of water. They are designed to work in short-term storm events.

It does not surprise me that the quality of levees varies in correlation with the wealth of the communities. I see this as economics, not racism. Look at property taxes. Someone has to pay for those levees to be built and to be maintained. People put more money into protecting things that cost more. It is debatable whether or not this is right on a moral level, but it does make logical sense on the economic front.

A colleague of mine held the view that rather than totally devastate certain entire communities while leaving others completely unscathed, the flood should have been regulated to give equal damage to all residents with any potential to be affected by the massive waters. Okay, perhaps this approach could have worked. I don’t know enough about water damage to houses - whether or not two feet of water can essentially do the same amount of damage to the soundness of a structure that six feet of water can do. My tendency is to remain skeptical of this “equal” approach. Economically the damage would certainly affect one group more than another - two feet of water in a mansion will cost significantly more than two feet of water in a shack. Also, logistically, where would they have put ALL the people??? The number of people displaced from their homes as is remains vast. How much more chaos would have been created by prolonged displacement of EVERYONE in the region? Where would they have gone? Maybe this lower water level would indeed have caused less damage, and thus people would have been able to return home more quickly. As I said, I don’t pretend to know enough about flood damage to structures to make a stand on this matter.

Ultimately, though, would it have really made any difference as far as getting to the point where the people of the Gulf Coast are currently at? By this I mean to point out that the wealthier people would have their homes fixed, and the lower classes would still be without.

So, while I can respect and appreciate the viewpoint of this alternative, I am not convinced by it.

Whoever made the decisions that concentrated the effects of Katrina on certain neighborhoods, I do not believe that those decisions where wrong, nor that they should be blamed for the resulting destruction. I think it was a government function and within the government’s discretion, regardless of whether it was federal, state, or local government that made this choice.

At this point, though, I think that the management -or lack thereof- since the hurricane has been where the powers-that-be have failed. It has failed the residents, the communities, the state of Louisiana, and our whole nation. It is a failure because a year and a half later and there are still entire communities that are virtually nonexistent. It is a failure because there is money out there that has not been distributed to those in need. It is a failure because simple communication has broken down - and without communication people make assumptions and draw conclusions based on the limited information they have. This ultimately leads to frustration, hostility, and despair.

One of my colleagues who worked with FEMA surveying people living in trailer homes articulated that one of the most rewarding aspects of his volunteering was being able to be an outlet for these people. They just want someone to listen; all they have otherwise is their neighbors - people who, instead of simply listening, are just waiting to tell their version of what happened to them. Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on. You need to let it all out, and from there you can work on figuring out how to deal with it and moving on...

There is the opinion that privatization of the recovery effort is a major problem, and the efforts to prevent contractor fraud are slowing down the rebuilding process. This is real. But here’s the irony I see - if the federal government was taking it all into their own hands, people would still not be happy with the efforts. They would complain that the government should be contracting out to give the little guys an opportunity to come back after the devastation. They would point out that contractors will compete with each other for the jobs - which should lower the prices, increase the quality, and speed up the entire process. Honestly, I think people would be much more upset if the government monopolized this whole reconstruction effort.

Monday, our first day of “legal” work, the People’s Organizing Committee lead our orientation of the pervading issues that need to be dealt with since Katrina. They felt very adamant that help was delayed due to the fact that they were black folks in poor communities. Their claim is that New Orleans does not want them back, that the city will rebuild only for a higher class - economically and racially. These people allege that, thus, they need to be in charge of the reconstruction. They assert that from within these poor, minority communities leaders must step up to voice the concerns and needs of the people who actually lived there.

I respect this motivation. I would go as far as to say that I even admire the voiced conviction of this motivation. Yet I didn’t see it put into action while I was down there. No, instead, basically I saw nothing. The few people that I did see out working in these communities were volunteers such as our group.

Race and class are great divisions in the rebuilding after Katrina. The dominant view seems to be that black people are being discriminated against and they can’t do anything about it because they’re poor. They think the city is trying to get rid of them (umm, does any city want poor people?) by rebuilding their neighborhoods to a degree which they cannot afford. There are housing projects where renters live that are not yet reopened, and there is no forthcoming reason for this delay. The buildings appear to be in livable conditions. One of these projects did get reopened; it’s the one that most of the French Quarter’s workers reside in. The community opinion is that the city let these residents return because they need these ‘slave’ workers to run the tourism of New Orleans. It’s part of that Southern charm.

One of my colleagues accurately pointed out that we did not talk to anybody white in our volunteering. Our efforts did not interact with these white communities; we do not know how the white neighborhoods look, nor do we know how they feel about everything since Katrina. We don’t even really know where the “white neighborhoods” are.

Additionally, and what really vexes me, is how this all collides with immigrant workers who have come on H2B visas. The H2B visa basically authorizes temporary employment for one specific employer. The rational behind it is that when there is no workforce available, employers can go to foreign countries and recruit workers to come to the United States for a limited amount of time to do a specific job. There are workers from Mexico and India, and likely immigrants from many other countries, working in the Gulf Coast through this program. The paradox I see in this is why aren’t the people of the communities that were devastated providing this workforce??? Why do we have to go halfway around the world to recruit people to do the manual labor of this massive reconstruction? The prevalent claim I heard in response to this controversy is that the people of these communities cannot work because there is no housing for them, and they cannot afford housing because they cannot work. This circular argument is essentially a copout in my opinion. These H2B workers come here to nothing. They live 24 to one small room and eat the unappealing food that is offered by their employers. They leave their families and lives behind and travel hundreds or thousands of miles; it isn’t even their own country, much less their own community! Yet they take that step toward a better life and do what they can to improve their status in society. So why cannot the people who actually live in these neighborhoods come and make such an effort? Why do they expect others to make it easier for them? Why are the locals not willing to rebuild their own neighborhoods for minimum wage? Why does it have to be a race issue - why can it not be economics (though certainly race can have some correlation to class)? Indians fly halfway around the world, leaving families and the comforts of their own homes. Why cannot the victims of Katrina put forth this effort? What have they got to lose at this point?

I do not understand it. I, for one, would be blissful to have people pay me to fix my own home and the houses of my friends and neighbors! So my logic is having great difficultly aligning the locals’ arguments. I say: Start by getting one house built. Share money, merge abilities. Get doors and windows that open and close and lock. Furnish a space to sleep and a place to bathe. Make the kitchen functional. Then use that house as the base while working on the rest of the neighborhood...

These H2B visas workers were the focus of the pro bono aid I was assigned to. Myself and two of my colleagues from the University of Idaho worked with the Workers’ Center for Racial Justice. We researched various aspects of the H2B program, such as which employers were applying for these visas, how many they requested compared to how many were certified/denied, what types of jobs these workers were being requested for, where these employers were located throughout the state, etc., etc., etc.

These people did not actively seek out this opportunity to come to America. They were recruited. American employers have recruiters working for them, and those recruiters then contact recruiters in foreign countries, then those foreign-based recruiters gather the workers who accept the H2B visas. Tracy Washington, a local New Orleans attorney, called the H2B program “social sponsored slavery” and said that these employers and recruiters were essentially trafficking “legalized slaves.” Yet the Mexicans stood up there and told a national audience that they had not had a single day of work since they came to the United States.

Apparently I’m missing something from this story, because I don’t see how those two statements align.

I believe that some of these workers are mistreated. I believe that this happens every day, to workers of all types - legal immigrants, undocumenteds, citizens, etc. I do not believe that it is right. It would be better if it was policed and corrected. But this does not mean that H2B guest workers should be given free visas to work for any American employer; this is a claim that organizers are pushing for these workers to have - the protection of the free market. That would defeat the whole purpose of the guest worker program, and it would then be abused in a whole new light. I don’t want to trade one wrong for another. These workers also wanted to be able to go directly to their employers, rather than through recruiters. This is called self-initiative - it requires an affirmative effort on the workers’ part to go seek the American dream. They admitted that they were not looking for this opportunity, so how did they expect it would find them other than through recruiters? There are other types of visas that foreigners can apply for if they want to come to America and work on other terms. H2B is a guest worker program - not a “here-I’m-handing-you-the-American-dream” program. The program needs some revision and refinement, but it is workable. If these workers’ issues arise from an actual contract with their individual employers, then I think they are approaching the wrong legal forum to correct this issue.

The United States government does not ensure dreams.

Part of me fears that these people coming to America and fighting for “rights” may actually end up corroding the very essence of the culture that they so longed to be a part of. America is a land of survival of the fittest. That is how we got to the top of the global food chain. Yet I am honestly apprehensive that more and more our nation is catering to the lowest common denominator in the effort to produce “equality.” America has never been about equality. America was built by the outcasts who no longer lived on the bottom - those who chose to make something happen. America is about getting to the top and refusing to let yourself linger at the bottom. Stop complaining. Complaining does nothing. Instead, assert a realistic alternative approach. Then we can talk. Then there is something to debate and expend energy working out. ‘Til then, let me enjoy the American way of life.

There is a huge difference between trampling on others and simply not handing them what they want and/or think they need. My rights end where someone else’s rights begin. But do not expect me to give away what I have earned so that someone else can enjoy those same benefits - in the name of Equality.

Lack of resources is not the sole reason it’s taking so long to get the Gulf Coast rebuilt. The resources that do become available are unorganized, unproductively employed, and outright misused. Inefficiency. Wow, I understand that there are new volunteers coming in each week and only staying for a week, but you’d still think that these organizations would be a little better prepared to utilize people. I definitely do not feel like I got to contribute all that I could. There was so much confusion and misdirection and just waiting. Yes, some things are uncontrollable and it’s always a task to get large numbers of people on the same page, but these networks have been trying this for over a year now. We came to help so put us to work! We were informed that this is an improvement from last year, though. I am surely glad that our University of Idaho’s Public Interest Law Group did such an excellent job of organizing our fourteen law students who went to New Orleans.

The community organizers who oriented us seemed quite concerned with how we felt about the circumstances. These New Orleanians wanted to make sure that they affected us, that we took lessons home to our own communities. At least it was my impression that they really wanted to change our take of the situation. This is a fine goal, and it is good that we are exposed to their perspective. But I came here to help you. At least give me some constructive rebuilding work while you try to reform my outlook on American society.

Personally, I would have much preferred to be doing manual labor the entire time in New Orleans. But I think that it is very good that I worked with these racial and global issues. It gave me exposure to things I’ve never had to really worry about, and it is nice to have more information towards forming my opinion when I may have to take a stand on these topics. My views are not totally solidified concerning these matters; I need and want more firsthand observations, as well as additional input from other perspectives. It does make me feel secure that the experiences and observations of the week reaffirmed my initial feelings on the issues. I try to remain open minded and to consider the various views presented. Yet ultimately I essentially wound up where I started, only now I’m a bit more passionate about my opinion on it. And that’s a good thing :)

In closing, I want to share the beginning of the week’s happenings - orientation. When asked why they chose to spend spring break volunteering, a vast number of my peers voiced that they felt obligated to do it. It honestly blew my mind how often this concept in general and this word in particular pervaded the introductions. Obligation had never even occurred to me. I felt no obligation to contribute to the reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina devastated an area of our country. Nor do I now feel that weight on my shoulders.

Slow down before you think me wrong or coldhearted! I want to help. My motivation is quite distinct from obligation. I in no way, shape, or form feel that I have to do anything for the Gulf Coast - but I do want to. Think about it...

It was an intense week. I won’t say that I enjoyed it all, but it was a good experience.

“Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

- Luke 8:18, NIV

Information on guest workers under the H2B visa: (search “guest worker”)

• www.wwltv.com
• www.time.com
• www.latimes.com
• www.democracynow.org
• www.SPLCenter.org
• www.indymedia.org

Reports concerning levees:

• CRS Report for Congress, “New Orleans Levees and Floodwalls: Hurricane Damage Protection” by Nicole T. Carter, Sept 6, 2005 - Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, order code RS22238
• http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22238.pdf
• “Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?” - Sept 2, 2005, FactCheck.org
• http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html
• “Hurricane Katrina: Who’s in Charge of the New Orleans Levees?” - S. Hrg. 109-616, Hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, 109 Congress, First Session, December 15, 2005
• http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/74812231?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpurl.access.gpo.gov%2FGPO%2FLPS75598&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail=