Rebuilding New Orleans with Hands, Hope, and Healing
A Resource Handbook for Immersion & Service Groups

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section One: WHAT SHOULD I PREPARE FOR?

1.1 Health and Safety Concerns
1.2 Educating Yourself
1.3 From the Developed World into the Developing One
1.4 What to Pack
1.5 How to Set-Up an Immersion/Service Trip 

Section Two: PRE-KATRINA SOCIETAL REALITY

2.1 A Word on the Pastoral Circle: Taking Service to the Next Level
2.2 Reports, Papers, and Articles about Pre-Katrina New Orleans

Section Three: POST-KATRINA OUTLOOK

Section Four: REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS

Section Five: I’M BACK ON CAMPUS… WHAT NOW?  

5.1 Keep Donating
5.2 Spread the Word
5.3 Hold Your Congressional Representatives Accountable
5.4 Pray and Keep in Touch
5.5 Taking it Local—Experience, Reflection, Action

SECTION ONE: WHAT SHOULD I PREPARE FOR?

I. Health and Safety Concerns

1.1  MOLD
 
You can be exposed to mold both indoors and outdoors, through inhaling or ingesting it through the mouth and into the lungs, or simply by skin contact.

• You should always wear respirator masks when working inside houses.
• Wear long protective shirts, long pants, and work boots. 
• Bandanas are a good idea when doing outside clean-up.

1.2  ASTHMA
 
If you have moderate or severe asthma or are immuno-suppressed due to being sick or recovering from a sickness, you should consider waiting to volunteer in New Orleans, as there are high numbers of contaminants and mold in the air. 

• You may experience hay-fever like symptoms—including red, irritated eyes, itchy eyes, wheezing, sneezing and runny nose—and for those with asthma, more intense breathing problems while working.   
• Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (www.cdc.gov) for up-to-date information.

1.3  WATER

• Do NOT drink the water unless told it is safe to do so.  Bring large jugs of water with you or be prepared to buy bottled water/jugs down in New Orleans.

1.4  VACCINATIONS

• Adults should get a booster dose of tetanus-diphtheria toxoid (Td) if you have not had a booster dose within the last 10 years.
• Children and adolescents 11-18 years should receive the new pertussis-containing Tdap rather than Td if this is available.

1.5  FIRST AID

• Bring with you a fully-packed first aid kit to address minor wounds, cuts, scrapes, etc. 
• In a city without infrastructure, there are two functioning hospitals, but they are not reliable.  Be sure to take all necessary safety precautions.

II. Educating Yourself

New Orleans is not your typical city.  Hurricane Katrina was not your typical hurricane.  It is important to have some background information about New Orleans’ history and culture prior to your trip.  It is also good to have some general information about the hurricane, why the levees broke, how many homes were destroyed, people were displaced, etc.  A good website that has everything from the Times-Picayune (the city’s newspaper) to the history of Mardi Gras can be found at: www.nola.com 

**These following quick facts are from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans . . .

• New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 because it was close to a Native American portage and trading post, and it was a rare piece of higher ground close to the Mississippi River that flooded its banks frequently.

• The Spanish took control in 1763, and then Napoleon regained control of New Orleans from 1801 to 1803, before ceding it to the US in the Louisiana Purchase. 

• Many Haitians fled to the city after a revolution and ensuing war there. 

• It was the biggest entry port for incoming African slaves, but also the city with the most freed slaves/former slaves in the United States up to the Civil War.

• New Orleans is nicknamed The Crescent City because of the bend in the river where the city was settled.  It is also nicknamed The Big Easy, since the city is known for its slower pace of life, as the birthplace of jazz, and for its truly unique culture.

• “Until the early 20th century, construction was largely limited to the slightly higher ground along old natural river levees and bayous, since much of the rest of the land was swampy and subject to frequent flooding. In the 1910s engineer and inventor A. Baldwin Wood enacted his ambitious plan to drain the city, including large pumps of his own design which are still used. All rain water must be pumped up to the canals which drain into Lake Pontchartrain.”

• In 1965, Hurricane Betsy also severely damaged New Orleans at a time when its population was the highest (804,108 inhabitants, compared with 521,197 inhabitants in 2005 pre-Katrina New Orleans).  The infamous Lower Ninth Ward, a mostly poor, African-American sector of the city, was also severely flooded, like in Katrina.

• Unlike many cities in the US, according to the 2000 Census New Orleans’ racial makeup was 67% African-American, 28% white, and just 3% Latino. 

• But poverty was/is rampant, with 23.7% of families, 40.3% of adolescents under age 18, and 19.3% of persons age 65 or older living below the poverty line.  Average per capita income for New Orleans was $17,258.  The US per capita income was $40,100.

** Wikipedia.org has a very thorough entry on New Orleans, with links to many other aspects of the city and its past history, food, culture, unique neighborhoods, and other things. 

III. From the Developed World into the Developing One

It is important to know that much has changed in New Orleans since the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina.  Even though New Orleans is located in the United States, the damage was so extensive and the infrastructure so battered, that many typical services and conveniences simply do not exist. 

• 75% of New Orleans was flooded after Katrina, and as of February 2006, just 28% of the population living there before the hurricane has returned (The Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program).

• A Brown University sociologist, John R. Logan, has suggested that as many as 50% of whites and 80% of blacks who relocated away from New Orleans during the hurricane and its aftermath may relocate permanently, significantly decreasing the population of New Orleans and its cultural diversity (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/new_orleans).

In light of this, here are several tips about what sorts of things to pack when you come and some general “heads-ups”:

• Many parts of the city still do not have electricity.  In many parts of the city it is profoundly quiet and dark at night where there are neither people nor electricity.

• Exchange cell phone numbers with everyone in your group and distribute the list to each vehicle before you leave.  Cell phone reception is still spotty. 

• Many convenience stores, hardware stores, supermarkets, and other businesses are not yet open.  Try to bring down as many of the supplies as you can. 

The people of New Orleans are the epitome of what it means to have “Southern Hospitality.”  Most are easy-going, friendly, and will want to give you things in return for your services.  These people have suffered almost complete loss, but still desire to give back.  Whether you are offered bottled water or a meal or some toiletries when you arrive at the place you will sleep at, accept it gratefully and cherish the opportunity for cooperation. Seek to form relationships that are reciprocal, not just one-sided.

IV. What to Pack

Many of the people you will be serving have lost everything, and have been forced to live very simple lives, while trying to regain what has been lost (their house, their job, family members).  In light of this, pack lightly as a powerful sign of living in a spirit of true simplicity and solidarity with the people you will be walking with on your journey.  Luxuries can often distance us from others instead of engaging the community, sharing of ourselves and our talents, and listening to stories of devastation and of hope. 

V. How to Set Up an Immersion/Service Trip

When you first think about going down to New Orleans, you may be wondering exactly who are the people you should be talking to.  If you are struggling with this part, this section can help you start thinking about exactly where you see yourself going with the project and who to coordinate with down in New Orleans. 

WHO TO CONTACT 

Decide what volunteer organization you want to work with in New Orleans.  You may have some contacts of family or friends living down there and they would be your main contacts.  If you are taking down larger groups, there are several options for people you can contact:

• New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus
  —http://www.norprov.org
  —Contact Pastoral Associate for Relief Ministries, Jocelyn Sideco:
     Phone: 504.377.8425
     E-mail: noprovsj@norprov.org

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
  —http://www.catholiccharities-no.org 
  —Contact the Director of Volunteers, Denise Chetta:
     Phone: 504.371.7747
     E-mail: dchetta@archdiocese-no.org

• New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
  —http://www.habitat-nola.org
  —Contact the Volunteer Coordinator:
     Phone: 504.861.2077
     E-mail: volunteer@habitat-nola.org

• U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu’s Volunteering Page
  —http://landrieu.senate.gov/volunteer/no.cfm
  —This is part of Senator Landrieu’s Official Web Site.  It has many good  
  resources for people looking to volunteer as an individual or group, for
  both long-term and short-term experiences.

Remember to give these people extra time to get back to you.  Some of these volunteer coordinators are operating out of temporary offices and others are short-staffed and over-worked.  Patience is key.  A delayed response does not mean that they do not care about you, but that they are very busy trying to organize groups.  The coordinators are doing everything they can to respond as efficiently as possible.  Stay in contact with these people and use the information in the previous section to begin preparing for the logistics of the trip. 

HOW TO FINANCE THE TRIP 

If you need to fundraise, let your creative energy flow and do not feel hesitant about asking people for donations (like water or tools or gloves) or money (to help pay for gas or vehicle rental or food).  If you are a student group at a high school or university, ask your student government for financial support.  If you are going as part of a church group, ask your pastor to take up a second collection for your trip.  These are pretty typical things to do, but get creative! 

Have some fun while you fundraise: Maybe even throw in a Mardi Gras themed party or have a pot luck with traditional New Orleans Cajun foods, like jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, po’ boys, catfish, or café au lait and beignets.  You could even make an online Wishlist through Target or The Home Depot and have people donate supplies the next time they are in a store or online.

** The more hype you make, the more people will remember that the situation is still pretty grave and there is good reason to donate time, talents, and treasures to help in the recovery efforts. **