The Week at a Glance

Our days with AmeriCorps are almost over! It's about that time that nobody can call home anymore without parents asking "So when are you gonna get a real job?" Well, most nights we have got teammates browsing colleges, filling out job applications, and studying for the GREs. I'm sure that in our own ways of measuring success, we'll all be extremely successful after AmeriCorps.

We are all just loving St. Bernard Project! Most of us are supervising volunteers and it's really exciting to be experienced enough in construction to lead others. I met the woman whose house I'm building today and she brought Gatorade for all my volunteers. She's such a nice person that I feel extra inspired to get her house done.

The Church of the Brethren invited us over for tacos on Tuesday and extended the invitation to every Tuesday we're in town. The culture and atmosphere there was so welcoming and relaxing - we had a great time.

Kate, Katie, and I run on "Bayou Rd." We're always guaranteed plenty of wildlife - snakes, armadillos, egrets and turtles. Dogs are also plentiful around here. Katie also claims to see all kinds of nutria just everywhere, but I'm starting to doubt her.

Kate, Katie, Amanda and Maria went on a swamp tour Sunday. They fed alligators marshmallows and said it was a lot of fun.

You might not believe it but it's starting to cool down a little in Louisiana.

~Stacy

Round Four Begins

Fourth Round. I continue to ask myself where the time has gone…. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were in the mountains of Tennessee building trails or hammering away at rotted wood in the upper Ninth Ward? First, second, third, and fourth round… that’s what this year has become; defined into quarters, breaks, and natural disasters. In just one month, we’ve had a week long break, witnessed two major hurricanes, and started our last project. Reflecting back on all these experiences has made me realize that in just two short months, we’ll all be saying our goodbyes to people who have become so close to be considered family, who have shared and witnessed both good and bad times together, and who have been there every waking and sleeping moment. It’s incredible.

So what is Earth One doing for fourth round anyway? We are working with St. Bernard Project in St. Bernard, Louisiana, about 30 minutes away from downtown. We are living at Camp Hope, volunteer housing in what was previously a middle school. With St. Bernard Project, we are able to serve as site supervisors, electricians, starters, and runners. For the first time, we are working alongside another AmeriCorps NCCC team, Raven 2 from the Perry Point, Maryland, campus. I am working as a runner, which is basically the person who delivers materials and tools to the worksites, makes frequent trips to Home Depot, and gets to learn the streets in St. Bernard parish really well. As Sam mentioned in the last post, St. Bernard Project was started by two ambitious individuals, Zack and Liz. From just an idea to help families rebuild their homes, they built an organization that has rebuilt at least 70 homes in St. Bernard Parish in this past year alone. With help from over 3,500 volunteers from all over the country, families are able to move back into their flood damaged homes, finally, after over three years of living in FEMA trailers, with other family members, or even in different states.

As I was driving through these neighborhoods today, I was disturbed at the number of homes still in major disrepair. Our efforts during the next six weeks will surely help some families be closer to moving back into their homes; I just wish progress was faster and that every family could have the lives they had pre-Katrina. Sadly, as I look around as the dilapidated store fronts, piles of rubble, and abandoned homes, I’m not sure that will ever happen. Thankfully, there are individuals from all over the country who continue to volunteer to help the rebuilding efforts. Thankfully, my team and I are part of those efforts.

-Maria C.

St. Bernard Project

We had our orientation today. We saw some of the houses we'll be working on, we met the people that we'll be working with and we learned the story behind the St. Bernard Project. We also met one of the homeowners. It's pretty amazing. The people here are full of love and hope. They work hard and they have done amazing things.

St. Bernard Project was started by a couple from Boston, Zach and Liz. They first came to Louisiana about 6 months after the storm. They thought they would help rebuild. They thought that they would put up new walls, pound nails or cut wood. But the city wasn't even cleaned up yet. There was still half a foot of mud in most houses and trash in the streets.

When they went back home they decided to continue to help. They set up a tool lending program. It quickly grew into much more. St Bernard Project now gets thousands of volunteers every year and they have completed more than 140 homes.

But 3 years later there is still a lot of work to do. It's humbling and inspiring. I'm excited to start.
~Sam

Throwing Sand Bags at Ike

Friday morning we were all expecting a pretty quiet day. We were all sitting around watching a movie when all of a sudden one of the other volunteers here at Camp Hope flew into the room and asked us who wanted to throw sand bags. We were like "Why? What's going on?" He told us the levees were getting over topped by the storm surge from Hurricane Ike and they needed help. We had 5 minutes to get ready and get going.

When we got there we drove out to where the water was spilling over. It was windy and muddy and for a while we helped throw sand bags on the levees. But they needed more help further back with palletizing sand bags. So we went and helped unload huge trucks full of sand bags and stack them on pallets. It was tough work. The sand bags were heavy and when we were working the pace was grueling. In the afternoon we helped fill the bags with sand. By the end of the day we were sweaty, sore, and filthy but for a while it felt like we were saving the world. We were on the front line doing battle with mother nature.

Shuffle Team Earth 2 - Iowa Disaster Response

My shuffle team was Earth 2 - even though this project ended a few weeks ago, I wanted to share a little about my experiences. During my shuffle round I was sent on disaster to the town of Oakville, Iowa. Oakville is a little town that is known to make some of the best hog feed in the country. It was built on a flood plain right off of the Iowa River. The levee broke due to the increase of water in early July, causing the whole entire town to be flooded with at least four feet of water. The town literally had a channel of water flowing through it. When you first drive to the town you can see how the river broke through the town because of the displaced homes and the houses split in two. The community of Oakville is very small and is made up of families that have lived there for generations. Because Oakville is on a flood plain no one had insurance for the disaster. Volunteers from all over came and helped get the town ready to rebuild. Our team arrived in late July and we stayed until the middle of August. The mission was to muck and gut as many houses as possible so the town could start getting ready to rebuild the following spring.

The disaster was really tough. When they ask you in the NCCC interview if you can be flexible and work in strenuous conditions, they are talking about disasters like this. The one I experienced was very intense work. We took apart houses. To take apart a house it takes a lot of work and problem solving skills. To gut a house is not as easy as you think. We had to pick up things that were destroyed by the flood. Sometimes we had no idea what we were picking up because they were so unrecognizable. Rule number one in gutting a house is never open the refrigerator. If you do, expect to smell the worst thing ever. One of my teammates was curious and did not heed this advice so he opened two of them and each time resulted in a very very very bad smell. One time we called in some help to lift them out of a basement and some Amish men came and helped us. They worked so hard it made us look bad. They did everything bare handed without masks and boots. They tore off the door, took all the spoiled food out, and then tossed the freezer on the pile in a matter of minutes. After that we all felt a little flustered but we were so grateful that they were there. The most disgusting aspect of the disaster was the basement. The basement was filled with frogs, crawfish, water bugs and the biggest salamanders you have ever seen. On top of deconstruction we also saved tons of wildlife in the basement in between shoveling all the slop. The basements smelled bad; it was the hardest work and it kept on filling with water. But it was by far some of the most important work we did. When we were cleaning out basements we had to wear the TYVEK suit with booties and a hood.

The hours were long, the work sometimes was impossible, but it is some of the most rewarding work you can do. The people in the town were so nice to us and touched all our hearts. One such family was Lyn and Teresa, a nice couple who had their house destroyed. They were so nice and kept on finding us in the town to make sure we were all right. My teammate Noel and I took apart their bathroom and they asked us to keep a huge mirror, the toilet, sink, and the tub. It was a lot of extra work to keep these pieces intact but worth the price because it made them so happy that something could be salvaged. It is really hard to explain the atmosphere of a disaster because it's such a physical and emotional experience, but all you can do is give your all. The two teams that were on disaster did an amazing job. We worked really hard, had a great attitude, and all were always willing to help each other get things done. We left everything on the table and let the community touch our lives.

~Kate

The Week of Waiting

It's been an interesting week. We all got back from our week of vacation on Monday rested and eager to get back to work. Unfortunately, hurricanes have a way of messing up plans. Hurricane Gustav was hitting Louisiana the day I got back to Denver. We were all here holding our breath hopping that it wouldn't be another Katrina. Thankfully New Orleans was mostly spared. Still we couldn't go back right away. There was still no water or electricity. Our departure was delayed for a day. Then it was delayed again another two days. Today we heard that we wouldn't be leaving until Monday. Then just, an hour ago, I found out we're packing up and hitting the road tomorrow. It's tough not knowing what's going on. We're still not sure what we are going to be doing once we get there. With two more storms on the way things are even more unpredictable. Sometimes that's just how it is in AmeriCorps. You have to be flexable.

Despite the delays and the uncertainty we've been keeping busy. Yesterday we worked at The Food Bank of the Rockies packaging meals for families and senior citizens. Today we helped set up for the 21st annual Colorodo AIDS walk and 5k run. It was fun. We helped set up the stage. I got to live my dreams of being a roadie and play with 400 lb. speakers.


I've got to go pack and prepare. Lots to do!


~Sam