Reflections on New Orleans

Alright so we finally figured out this blog thing...

It has been an incredibly interesting trip so far, with more questions than answers. We (two groups) are living in the Felicity House, a wonderful house funded by the Methodist Church next door.

So far, each group has been working on people's houses daily. The focus of our work consists of "gutting," or stripping all belongings, sheet rock, ceilings, and everything that comprises a person's home. During our stay today, one of the most prevalent issues was brought to the forefront: Where is everyone? After walking out of our house after a morning of gutting, we go to the end of the driveway and think. We are ONE house, in ONE neighborhood, as a part of ONE big city. And we feel like as much as we are working, we are just a small dent in one huge economic, political, and social problem.

We have taken many tours of the city, from downtown to uptown and the now-famous ninth ward. Although we have only visited the upper ninth ward, it was a lifechanging experience. Driving through the streets, it is apparent that some of the houses have not been touched since the national guard came through in September. You can see into the houses and see overturned couches and furniture. The lawns are all littered with personal items, and tree debris is everywhere. It feels like a different world down here. There is so much work to be done that it is overwhelming. As an outsider, I can't fathom how much rebuilding and new building needs to be done.

The attitudes and mindset of the citizens of New Orleans varies from person to person, and we get to see the range of viewpoints as we talk to neighbors. On our tour the other day, we talked to someone who had never even seen the ninth ward before the hurricane. Others are just starting to figure out what to do. At Tulane University tonight, we attended a panel discussion with six different members of the community. One woman has been housed in fifteen different hotels, as well as the homes of five different friends who could take her in. She feels very disallusioned from the rebuilding process and highlighted the racial inequalities that have been brought out and reinforced by this disaster.

The attitues regarding the government and FEMA also range within the community. While some can admit that some government members are doing all they can, others describe FEMA as "Nazi" or "Failure to Manage Anything." The experiences I have can attribute to some of the widespread confusion and frustration. On Saturday, my group worked at a woman's house who had received a FEMA trailer. Although the trailer had been at her house for two months, she had NEVER received a key to it. She had to move away her family because she couldn't use the trailer that was provided to her. Secondly, FEMA's impact (or lack therof) is seen in the different communities. In some of the middle class neighborhoods, there are trailers at every house of the block. In the ninth ward part that we visited, I didn't see one trailer. It baffles me how the system decides who is deserving of these trailers and where they are going to go.

Like I said earlier, this trip has raised more questions than answers. How is this city going to be rebuilt? The amount of time it would take is more than I can physically picture. Where is the authority? In New Orleans, there are 25 people running for mayor in the upcoming elections. Who is the best candidate for the job? Who knows what is right for New Orleans? What has been worse for the city: the natural disaster or the aftermath of confusion?

We are just a small dent in this project that will take years to complete. The morale here is very high as we continue to do all that we can to help gut out people's homes and help individual people to restart their lives. As we struggle with our individual moral battles, I am realizing that the city has touched everyone in a different way. For me, the city has literally brought me to tears. In some instances, there are no words to explain what is happening. It is comforting to see that many people are finding their comfort in God. There are over 7,000 college students in New Orleans this week each doing all they can. In addition to working, it is important to pray for both the city and the citizens as they grapple with the struggle they face every day.

Jenna Witt