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Expeditions and Explorations
Alternative Spring Break 2006
Service Trips
Contact Information
315-859-4680 |
Lacombe, La.Journal3/14/06 Today was a lot of fun. We worked on the exotic gardens which are on the grounds of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Building which we are staying in. At first it was sad to cut back bushes and plants which had blooms on them. However, Jim, the volunteer who we've been working with the most, told us how if we didn't cut them down, the plants entangled with one another would die. When we were done with our area it seemed very bare but it was understandable how it would look better. Now, the plants will be able to grow freely and blossom beautifully. I felt really useful because it was easy to see our progress and the piles of brush which will be burnt soon. I hope these gardens will be able to attract more people to the USFW center. Tours will show the public the offices and educate more people in what they do here with the refuges in Louisiana. The place has such a neat history; it would be a shame if the garden wasn't kept up. The project can seem overwhelming at times though. It almost is easy to want to walk away because there is a chance another hurricane could come through again and ruin everything. However, the people here realized they just need to pick themselves up and start over. It's the only way to get their lives going again, even if its six months after. The resiliency of this area is truly inspiring. I don't think I've ever worked so hard and loved it so much. -Maura We went to Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge today, which is the largest urban refuge in the U.S. -- its 23,000 acres within New Orleans city limits. On the way there we saw some of the most devastating damage we've seen yet. There were lots more piles of debris and so many "empty stilts" where the houses were just gone. Doug also told us about his friend's restaurant that had disappeared with the hurricane and they just couldn't find it. Its so incredible what these people have been through, and they yet they keep on coming back and staying positive and helping each other. They're all so appreciative of us coming down to help, too, which is really touching. I guess I thought they would sort of take it for granted that people would want to help, but they don't at all. Another poignant thing we saw on the way to the Bayou Sauvage were all these boats just lying in the middle of huge fields like beached whales. Doug and other always remind us that it's already been six months and even though it gets better every day, there's still so much wreckage and so much left to be done. I'm really glad that we could come down here to help, and I actually feel like we're making a difference, even if it is a very small one. -Kat 3/17/06 We're driving into New Orleans right now -- from the highway I can see rows of houses that are barely left standing. There is no point in turning my head to the left, as I know I'll only see more of what I'm forcing myself to stare at now. I don't see any people, just lines of seemingly random collections of wood, shingles, and trash. Its only trash because it's been abandoned like everything else on this street. What I see as "trash" or "debris" was nearly the entirety of a family's household. Boarded windows, missing roofs, fallen trees -- what I have been looking at for nearly 20 minutes now I still cannot completely fathom it. My reaction remains visceral, as I have trouble allowing it all to sink in completely. New Orleans is two worlds within one. I experienced both of these worlds during ASB. Friday we went into the city and had a fantastic time at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, eating Creole food and shopping at the Flea Market. The city seemed alive with tourists, Irishmen, vendors, and Native N'Orleaners. New Orleans lived up to its reputation, Bourbon Street in particular. New Orleans now has another identity after Katrina. Saturday morning we drove into the area of the city that had suffered the worst of the Hurricanes destruction. Entire sections of the city were wiped out. Neighborhoods are gone. Houses stand side by side, with their inhabitants gone, they've moved on to some other place, losing everything they owned in one fell swoop. The population of the city was drastically reduced as people moved to Houston, Baton Rouge and other places, who are now facing their own problems with the sudden surge in population that they are now experiencing. But, as we drove by the abandoned houses, that are empty inside in neighborhoods where businesses have not even bothered to rebuild, I had to hold back tears. Nobody seems to be helping these people. A FEMA trailer is not enough. When you lose everything you own it takes more than FEMA to get you back on your feet. So many people have moved away -- given up hope of living in N.O. as they used to. My question is and remaining what will become of the city and the people who are struggling to survive in these deserted areas as they are if the rest of the country forgets. The news no longer speaks of Katrina -- but after visiting the city its presence is obvious after 6 months. Although the French Quarter where the tourists generally flock was spared for the most part, New Orleans' poor, depressed areas and people were not. The United States must be introduced to this fact. So many people are in LA to help, but a few is not enough. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of help from many people to rebuild New Orleans. The highlight of this trip would definitely be the people we met. Everyone was so kind and pleasant and tried to make us as comfortable as possible. Before this trip I didn't comprehend how much our presence would mean. At times, while we were working, I felt like I was in the way or not being very helpful even though I tried. But then I realized that just the fact I was there helped these people get through their day. I think it's reassuring in times of disaster to know that there are people from elsewhere who care and want to help. Many of the people we met had lost their homes and had their lives turned upside down. Hearing about that type of thing on the news doesn't begin to illustrate the magnitude of what it's like. Until this trip, Hurricane Katrina was a trivialized news story in my mind. Now that I've seen some of the areas that were ruined and met a few of the people from those areas, I can understand the hurricane as a vivid disaster. I think this understanding is vital to a cooperative effort to recover. ASB trips and other such trips are important to raise a conscious generation of people. |
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