On March 18, ten AmeriCorps members from McArthur Ohio left for St. Bernard
Parish, a suburb of New Orleans, to work for ten days at an Emergency
Community’s site. Through this site we helped provide free organic meals for
the 1,300 people who rely on this “Love Cafe” for food every day.

In St. Bernard Parish, not a house was spared from 10 to 15 feet of water.
There is still no electricity or grocery stores, and debris from houses
cover sidewalks like a war zone. In addition, the soil is saturated with 1
million gallons of oil that was spilled during Hurricane Katrina.

We spent our days chopping fruits and vegetables, stirring chili, slicing
barbeque, cleaning dishes, and serving residents in the food lines. We also
ventured into the surrounding communities, removing black mold-invested
furniture and gutting drywall from damaged houses. The most rewarding
experience was another aspect of service: that of listening to the stories
of residents that we came to know so well like Catfish, John Wilkes Booth,
Lester and Lee, and Joe and Wilma.

We slept in tents located behind the kitchen and dinning dome; we cleaned
our solar-powered showers and hand washing stations; we gathered with
residents to listen to good Cajun music at lunch and dinner; we even enjoyed
our first ever crawfish boil where you “break the tail and suck the head” to
get those good Louisianan spices.

One Saturday particularly impacted us all. Lester, a resident from the 9th
ward, asked that we help him with the cleanup of his house. For 4 hours we
trampled in and out of his waterlogged brick home in our blue suits,
goggles, and breathing masks. We pulled out furniture, clothes, drywall, and
even a freezer that had sat with rotting meat for 6 months. Afterwards,
Lester took us for a tour of the levee systems that had failed him and his
community. He explained that contrary to how the media described the
flooding, much of the water that rushed down his street occurred because the
levees were not set deep enough into the ground, thus allowing water to come
up from underneath the levees like a garage door opening.

Later that week Lester and a local cook, Lee, prepared 25 pounds of crawfish
with ham, potatoes, corn, and Louisianan spices to show their appreciation
for our help. This example of gratitude was just one of the many ways we
were humbled by the warm hearts of the residents we had the privilege of
serving.

The AmeriCorps members have now returned to their jobs at Sojourners where
they mentor foster children as well as plan community events. Emergency
Communities is a grassroots organization formed to coordinate not only
traditional relief efforts such as food and shelter, but also to help
rebuild a sense of community in the areas affected most by the hurricane.
Visit them at www.emergencycommunities.org

If you are interested in having us present to your group on our travels in
New Orleans, please contact tparrotti@hotmail.com to schedule a presentation.