NCC Students Take Tour of Lower Ninth Ward

March 17, 2010

A group of students, faculty and staff have decided to spend their spring break in New Orleans, helping out in the Lower Ninth Ward. They'll be painting, cleaning, and doing mold remediation to benefit those hit hardest from Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to being a student at NCC, Elizabeth Saville also works at Country Meadows, a continuing care community for seniors. She decided to return this spring break because she felt "as though my work wasn't finished."

March 16 was day two of working at a house in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, but it felt like day 20.  The weather is lovely, and our group's spirits are high, but we are already exhausted.

The day started out with a car tour of the Lower Ninth Ward.  I believe the community has grown since I was last here a year ago.  There are more cars, and it looks as though more people are living in the area again.  This scene is still bittersweet.  There is still so much work to do.  It's sad knowing a year since I first left that a lot of people still aren't back into their homes.

We visited the area where the levees broke, which brought our group to silence.  From this view, we were able to truly see how small these levees are, even though they are all that's protecting this community.  The levees are so small at points that we were able to walk on top of them.

As we continued our tour, we caught a glimpse of the "Make it Right" homes, which are green, storm-resistant homes.  Residents of this community believe Brad Pitt's foundation is wonderful, but they would much rather live in "shotgun"-style homes, which are two family units with a clear shot from the front porch to the back porch.  Residents miss the homes that were in their families for generations.

The Lower Ninth-Ward isn't all full of sadness though.  As we continue driving around the city, seeing the progress made, it gives everyone a feeling of hope.  After the tour, I felt as though I was missing so much, but I am sure the week will uncover more.

We worked at the same house we were at yesterday.  We finished painting and worked on insulation.  We were able to get most of the higher places of the house clean and started working on the inside.  As we touched the sides of the house, the feeling of knowing we were helping someone get their home back is a rush.

Even though we feel as if we've been in New Orleans for more than two days, we are excited to face the challenges that lie ahead of us.

If you missed Saville's first blog installment, click here.
If you missed Saville's second blog installment, click here.

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