Collective Conscience- Jamaica Plain Volunteers for Katrina Relief

Houma Nation's Appeal for Donations and Assistance

2008-09-25T00:11:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

We're passing along this note from the Houma Nation as an appeal for donations and assistance. Please spread the word, and again, encourage others you know to join KIN

Houma Nation Relief Needs
I have spent the last few days traveling throughout our tribal communities assessing the damages and evaluating the needs. Tribal communities suffered flooding as well as wind damage. Unfortunately, the media focus continues to be in New Orleans and once again our community is forgotten. We sincerely appreciate your concern as we struggle to rebuild our tribal communities to which we are so deeply rooted.

Donations:
Monetary donations may be sent to:
United Houma Nation Relief Fund
20986 Hwy. 1
Golden Meadow, LA 70357
Your donations are tax deductible as the UHN has 501(c)(3) status.

Supplies may be sent to:
Old Store Relief Center
4400 LA Hwy 1
Raceland, LA 70394

Supplies needed to address our immediate recovery:

Non perishable food
Water
Flashlight
Batteries
Gloves
Boots
Shovels
Large garbage bags
Cleaning supplies
Fans
Tarps
Tree and debris removal equipment & supplies
Personal hygiene items
Ice chest
First-Aid kits
Gas gift cards
Wal-mart gift cards
Generators

Elderly Needs:

Depends
Ensure

Baby Needs:

Formula
Diapers
Baby wipes

In Solidarity,
The KIN Team

Visit the KIN website for more information.

New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative

2008-09-25T00:05:00.000-04:00

New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative (NOBI)

Alternative Energy

The New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative was active in the spring and summer of 2006 as a biodiesel processing enterprise in post-Katrina New Orleans. The Big Easy loves its fried food, producing hundreds of thousands of gallons of waste vegetable oil each year. Furthermore, the warm climate is ideal for running vehicles on B100 or even Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO). In 2006, Topher Mira and Bengy Adler began building the infrastructure to produce several thousand gallons of biodiesel a year. Throughout the winter and spring, they worked on developing a processor, filtration system and contracting with restaurants throughout the city to collect their waste vegetable oil.

Though this project is no longer active, Topher has since partnered with Eileen Beall to form NOBI, LLC, a for-profit employee co-op that produces and sells biodiesel in New Orleans. If you want to get involved in the cooperative, find out about future biodiesel workshops, or purchase biodiesel, please contact Topher at topher (at) nobifuel.com or Eileen at eileen (at) nobifuel.com. You can also visit their site at www.nobifuel.com.
Thank you!! Please call if you have any questions,
Eileen 541-390-5402 or you can call Topher at 413-695-8636.

"Trouble the Water"

2008-09-24T23:54:00.000-04:00

A JP Report Back from Post-Katrina Louisiana

2008-06-21T19:45:00.001-04:00

14 Hands, 7 Toolbelts &
1 New Orleans Family
A Report Back from Post-Katrina Louisiana

Friday, June 27th
7:00pm

Did you know that, since Hurricane Katrina, Boston-area building trades people have made several trips to rewire and replumb flood-damaged homes on the Gulf coast?

In fact, a crew of seven local electricians, plumbers, and carpenters just returned from New Orleans' lower ninth ward. Come hear their stories and watch a multi-media presentation of storm-ravaged neighborhoods, recovery efforts, and the faces of marginalized minority residents who are fiercely determined to rebuild their community.

Come hear from electricians Peg Preble and Rick Yoder, plumbers Maura Russell and Barbara Taggart, general contractor Jeff Murray, carpentry and electrical helpers Louise Johnson of SEIU and her brother Eric Johnson of Red Sun Press.

Event Info
Friday, June 27th, 2008
7:00pm
FREE

First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist
Sanctuary
6 Eliot St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Make It Right Nine

2008-03-31T00:59:00.001-04:00

Protests In New Orleans 12/20/2007

2007-12-20T21:11:00.001-05:00

New Orleans Independent Media Center

Original article is at http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2007/12/11682.php Print comments.

Police Attack Protesters With Mace, Tazers to Keep Them Out of City Hall
by Darwin BondGraham Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007 at 4:16 PM
darwin@riseup.net (email address validated)

First locked out of their homes for more than 2 years, and now locked out of the very City Council meeting in which the city�s politicians are set to vote for tearing down their homes, residents and activist today were attacked by police to keep them from entering the City Council chambers.

Police Attack Protes...
header.jpg, image/jpeg, 1200x450

Police Attack Protesters With Mace, Tazers to Keep Them Out of City Hall:
Council to vote on demolishing 5000 affordable homes

Thursday December 19, 2007

The scene was described by many as a microcosm of everything that�s wrong in the city and America. The whole situation has been referred to as �high noon,� and �do or die time.� It�s decision day for public housing in New Orleans.

Underneath New Orleans City Hall, a huge office building topped with a neon casino-style sign, milled a growing group of public housing residents and supporters. They had arrived for the 10am Council meeting to speak against the demoltion of affordable homes. They were locked out and told to �go home.� The City Council is expected to vote in approval of demolishing more than 5000 public housing units in 4 developments across the city today. The majority of the council has already pledged publicly to rubber stamp HUD�s highly controversial plans.

Locked out of the council chambers the protestors were quickly surrounded with dozens of police. Behind them stood eight horse-mounted police, and behind the gate keeping them out of the hall were many more heavily armed officers. Right in front of City Hall, behind the protesters is Duncan Plaza, which has been turned into an enormous homeless camp. Many Duncan Plaza residents came over to show their support for the cause. There are more than 12,000 homeless in the city today. Inside the chambers, the City Council proceeded.

First locked out of their homes for more than 2 years, and now locked out of the very City Council meeting in which the city�s politicians are set to vote for tearing down their homes, many of the residents began pleading with the officers to be allowed in. Pleading turned quickly to outrage as it was clear that the process would move forward without their voices or even witness. Receiving phone calls from their allies inside the chambers, the protesters were told that the Council meeting was being held up by chants and clapping until everyone was allowed inside. The Council members refused and called on their security forces to clear out the chambers.

In the desperation the group outside began shaking the large metal gates locking them out. The gate was easily broken open. Police moved in with pepper spray and batons, quickly beating back anyone near the entrance. Chants of �housing is a human right,� and �justice!� filled the air along with the putrid smell of the chemical weapons used by the NOPD. The gate was re-secured with handcuffs this time. Again the protesters chanted and demanded entrance. Some called into question the legitimacy of a �public� meeting in which the public was excluded.

As they pushed against the gates it suddenly became clear that something was happening inside the chambers. Dozens of police quickly sprinted into the building with their hands on their weapons. Outside this sparked concern among those gathered who began to slam against the gate once more. An ambulance arrived in the compound and a stretcher was taken into the building. Police would not communicate with those outside as to what was happening in the chambers. Protesters in the building began calling their allies and reporting that the police were forcefully clearing the room. It is confirmed by housing advocate Jay Arena that he, Malcolm Suber, Sess 4-5, and Endesha Jukali were arrested along with others. It is reported but not yet confirmed that Sess was tazered.

Outside the protesters again managed to break through the gates and pulled one side of it away from the officers. The police moved in and attempted to pull the gate back. Then came the pepper spray and tazers, this time much more forceful. At least two women were struck with tazers. On of them was simultaneously hit with spray and tazer and then smashed between the pavement and metal gate. She was rushed away from the scene by friends who treated her nearby until an ambulance could be found. Here medical condition is unknown at this time. Another woman, Bork, the same activists who yesterday chained herself to a building at BW Cooper was tazered and taken away in an ambulance. The police fanned chemical weapons out over the entire crowd hitting dozens in the face and eyes.

Activists from the Coalition to Stop Demolition have put out a national call to allies: come to New Orleans, help stop demolition, take nonviolent direct action. The struggle, after today continues, but it has become glaringly apparent the lengths to which the City Council and their allies will go to tear down homes.

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Protests In New Orleans

2007-12-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Bostonian Volunteers in the Gulf-from Bay Windows 8/2/07

2007-08-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

Issue Date: 8/2/2007, Posted On: 8/2/2007

Local man helps with Katrina rebuilding efforts
Lending a helping hand: Bostonian Adrian Budhu spent a week in New Orleans, where locals are still struggling nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

Laura Kiritsy
lkiritsy@baywindows.com
In the city of New Orleans nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the legendary Bourbon Street is once again swinging with the sounds of jazz and drunken revelers. The ornate mansions of the historic Garden District bear no scars from the storm. But venture beyond those well-traveled tourist hot-spots and “it’s a whole different world,” says Adrian Budhu, a local man who recently traveled to the Big Easy to help with the hurricane recovery effort. “It’s a whole different world.”

Take Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana’s southernmost parish, a more rural area that was swamped in 15 feet of water by Katrina. Budhu describes acre upon acre of land with “nothing to your left, nothing to your right, nothing in front of you, nothing behind you [but] just wide FEMA trailers. And there’s nothing to do. And for the past year and a half that’s what these people are living in, with nothing around.”

With nowhere for the children who inhabit the trailers with their families to play, Budhu was among a corps of volunteers who spent a day building a playground in the makeshift trailer park. In less than six hours the crew outfitted a barren plot of land with colorful swings, a slide and assorted other accoutrements aimed at channeling childhood energy. Grateful neighbors rewarded them with bowls of jumbalaya and plates of fried chicken.

Budhu, an openly gay South End resident, was in New Orleans from April 18-23 with 29 other local volunteers from Boston Cares, an organization that facilitates team-oriented volunteer work. Boston Cares is a member organization of the Hands on Network, which has helped organize long-term rebuilding efforts in Katrina’s aftermath.

Indeed, rebuilding the area will apparently be a very long-term effort. In New Orleans’s Ninth Ward, which experienced disastrous flooding due to breeched levees and failed floodwalls, Budhu said that the neighborhood’s landscape is still littered with debris from the flood, including cars jammed under houses that were uprooted by the surging waters. While gutting a house, Budhu said he was sickened after a day of inhaling the mold that had infested the water-ravaged dwelling. He cannot fathom the effect the destruction has had on those who call the area home. “You think about how I reacted to just one day of gutting the house, how they would react a year and a half later. The physical and mental effect afterward has got to be tremendous, with the mold, the termites,” he said. “And people are still living there. And people want to go back because you know, it’s poor, but that’s their base, that’s their foundation and that’s what they know.”

Budhu was housed at Hands on New Orleans headquarters at the First Street United Methodist Church in the Garden District. He shared space — primarily a large room filled with bunkbeds — with about 75 other volunteers from around the globe. Budhu said that locals were grateful for their presence. As volunteer crews carried shovels, barrels and other equipment to job sites, passing motorists would stop to thank them. During a few well-earned visits to local nightspots bartenders offered drinks on the house. “We said, ‘This is why we’re out, we want to give back to the economy,’” Budhu recalled. “But they were like, ‘No, no we need more people like you guys, more volunteers.’” Budhu said he plans to make another trip to aid in the rebuilding effort later this year.

Budhu, a 27-year-old native of Guyana who moved to Maryland with his family in 1994, called the conditions in New Orleans nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina disheartening. “It’s pretty sad to know … people in our backyards, who are American citizens, are being treated this way. It’s very disheartening,” he said. “I mean, if things were reversed, and let’s say it was a white community with a good economic system, absolutely it could have been done within a year. It doesn’t take that long to clean up a city.” He criticized what he perceived to be the absence of a visible government intervention in the rebuilding effort. “I don’t see why you can’t advocate more to help those people,” said Budhu. “Maybe I’m missing something in the politics, because I’m not very political and there’s obviously something deeper than what I can see. There has to be a reason why the help is not there.”

Despite the huge systemic problems that have hampered the hurricane recovering and rebuilding efforts, Budhu feels his work in New Orleans was not in vain. “You know, it helps,” he said. “Even if it’s just a playground for 20 kids. At least it can distract them from whatever happened to them a year and a half ago.”

Budhu said that his sexual orientation was irrelevant to his volunteer work. “I didn’t go there to advertise homosexuality,” he points out. “I’m not going to be like, ‘Hey I’m Adrian and I’m gay I’m going to help you rebuild your house.’” People within his group of volunteers, who spent their evenings socializing together, knew that Budhu is gay and had no problem with it, he said. In fact, he said he remains in close contact with his fellow volunteers from the Boston area. “I’ve never felt so comfortable with a group of people, even the best friends I have now,” he said. “With these people it’s something different.”

Budhu recently started a new job as marketing and development specialist at the Boston Metro. But he is no stranger to the world of volunteer work. He began volunteering at Boston Cares about a year ago and has since risen to the rank of project leader. He regularly volunteers at the Pine Street Inn, the Boston Living Center and Camp Sunshine in Maine, a getaway for children with life-threatening illnesses.

Budhu also serves on the board of trustees of the Point Foundation, a national organization that gives scholarships to students who are marginalized because they are LGBT. He has first-hand knowledge of some of the harships such students endure; after coming out to his parents at the end of his sophomore year at Boston University, his parents withdrew their financial support for his education and he was forced to drop out. Budhu then moved to Chicago and found a marketing job. He spent three years working full time to save enough money to return to Boston and finish his education. Budhu graduated last year. His broken relationship with his parents is healing slowly.

Buddhu said his volunteer work has helped him overcome his tendency to dwell on the challenges in his own life. “I used to take all the negative energy that people throw at me and kind of dwell on it for a while and kind of use so much wasted energy trying to make sense of things,” he said. “I decided to focus and channel all that energy into volunteering and it’s rewarding for me. It put life in perspective for me.

“You know, people come and go, that’s how human nature is,” Budhu added. There are people whose financial and physical needs are far greater than his own, he observes. “Granted I never dismiss my problems,” Budhu is quick to point out. But put in the context of the hardships that other people face, he said, “there’s no comparison.”

Want to help?
Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, there is still much work to rebuild the homes and lives of people in countless communities that were destroyed by the storm. Here are a few agencies that can help you help others, be it through a financial donation or by volunteering in the areas affected by Katrina.

Boston Cares
For volunteer opportunities visit www.bostoncares.org or contact Lynn Weisel or Kellyn Shoecraft at 617.422.0910.

Hands on New Orleans
For volunteer opportunities and contributions visit www.handsonneworleans.org. To schedule a trip to New Orleans contact volunteer@handsonneworleans.org or call 504.899.5589.

Hands on Gulf Coast
Volunteer opportunities: www.handsongulfcoast.org. To schedule a trip to the Gulf Coast contact info@handsongulfcoast.org or call 228.257.6064.

Mississippi Home Again
Volunteer or make contributuions of either cash or in-kind goods like beds, furniture and appliances through an organization co-founded by lesbians Tammy Agard and Annie Card. www.Mshomeagain.org To volunteer, visit www.operationtlc.org or call the TLC Volunteer Hotline at 228.712.2669 or 832.851.3502.

Rainbow World Fund
Make a financial contribution for Katrina relief through an organization that promotes LGBT philanthropic giving.
www.rainbowfund.org or 415.431.1485.
— Laura Kiritsy

VOLUNTEER WORK CONTINUES--MORE HELP NEEDED

2007-03-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

Boston College volunteers chat and get some last minute rest before leaving for another day of work.

click on hyperlink above for slide show

Photography, Audio and Production by
Ted Jackson. or click here : SLIDESHOW

For a list of faith based organizations needing volunteers: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/wide.ssf?/news/pdf/031007_helpinghands.pdf

A WELCOME TIDE

Thousands of volunteers, including college students on spring break, are arriving to help with gutting and, increasingly, with rebuilding

Saturday, March 10, 2007

By Bruce Nolan

Staff writer with the NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE 03/10/2007

On a clear, bright morning this week, Kara Huselton, a Boston College freshman from Rochester, N.Y., muscled a dead washing machine out the second-floor door of a vacant duplex on Franklin Avenue and, with the help of two friends, tipped it over a railing to fall two stories with a satisfying crash.

Vile water spilled out of the bent machine. "Cockroach water," declared a disgusted Kristen Dacey, a 19-year-old who hails from New Hampshire.

Visitors to New Orleans for a week, they had been at the house the day before as well, masked and gloved, tearing out its interior in the familiar, sweaty and nasty ritual that prepares a Katrina-damaged house for repair and reoccupancy.

But elsewhere in town, others of the 52 Boston College volunteers were installing wall insulation and hanging drywall under the supervision of Southern Baptists from Arkansas. Those, too, were relatively simple jobs -- but a sign of measurable progress as well, because they lie across the demarcation that separates mere cleanup from the first stages of rebuilding.

In the second spring after Hurricane Katrina, more than 10,000 college students and other volunteers once again have skipped spring break's traditional beachfront bacchanal and instead poured into metropolitan New Orleans to work hard. It's a volunteer wave that will reach its high point in the next week or so and continue into April before tailing off.

But this year is markedly different in the sophistication of the agencies managing the influx of volunteers, and in the work they are being sent out to do.

Once again, the volunteers represent the full roster of American higher education, from the University of Texas to Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Travis Scruggs, a relief coordinator at First Baptist Church of New Orleans, said he had bookings for 1,000 volunteers in March. Catholic Charities is full, with 1,200 incoming volunteers, said Joan Diaz, director of Operation Helping Hands.

"This is not falling off," said Courtney Cowart, who directs storm relief for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. "If we had more capacity for housing people, we'd have even more volunteers than we do."

Systems fine-tuned

Spring break is the high point on the year-round calendar of volunteerism in New Orleans. Even as the memory of Katrina becomes more distant, thousands of volunteers ebb and flow through the city every month, relief directors say. They follow the predictable rhythms of the school and work year: Numbers spike at spring break, during the summer and, to a lesser extent, during the winter holidays. In between are troughs in which directors say volunteerism slows, but never stops entirely.

Since spring break of 2006, secular nonprofits such as the Common Ground Collective and nearly a dozen major Christian relief agencies have benefited from another year's experience, fine-tuned their goals, beefed up their programs and become increasingly adept at marshaling and directing volunteers.

Now volunteers are housed in networks of long-term bunkhouses established in gymnasiums, fellowship halls or ruined sanctuaries of vacant Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, among others. Often they cooperate; a coalition called the Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnership acts as a booking agency that finds available bunks for many incoming volunteers.

Southern Baptists long ago leased three floors of the World Trade Center at the foot of Canal Street to house up to 500 volunteers. The Salvation Army's center on South Claiborne Avenue houses up to 200 volunteers. A Common Ground encampment at the closed St. Mary of the Angels elementary school in the 9th Ward holds 300 or more.

Precise count elusive

For most of the 18 months since Katrina, those agencies have trained their volunteers in the simple skills of house-gutting, then deployed them in the wastelands of New Orleans, St. Bernard and parts of Slidell.

No one knows how many homes private volunteers have gutted across the metropolitan area.

Among just a few of the major groups, Catholic Charities reports having gutted more than 1,600 homes and apartments; Southern Baptists, more than 1,000; Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham's Christian relief agency, more than 500.

This spring, FEMA and a number of secular nonprofits and faith-based disaster ministries have joined forces to launch a Gutting Task Force.

Private relief agencies for the first time have pooled their separate databases to estimate how many owners still want their houses gutted, presumably in anticipation of rebuilding.

The task force also is taking new requests from owners who contact the task force by dialing "311."

But even with an expected growth in new addresses solicited by the program, the numbers in the database are plunging, said Mary Sutton, a FEMA official who coordinates that agency's work with private relief groups.

Months ago, homeowners seeking help typically signed up with many agencies to have their homes gutted, happy to have it done by the first organization to get to it. The new, combined database is full of such duplications, she said. In addition, over time some of houses have been demolished or by now clearly need to be demolished.

A few weeks ago, the task force's list of houses thought to be in need of gutting stood at about 4,800. Scrubbing out obvious duplications quickly cut the number to 4,100. More inspections and phone calls to owners will whittle it down still further, Sutton said.

"I suspect the bottom is near 2,000 homes in New Orleans," she said.

After 18 months, she said, "You can see the end of the last chapter coming, although we're not yet on the last page of the chapter."

The economic value of all that work is imprecise.

Sutton said the agency nominally values volunteer labor at a little more than $18 per hour. Early in the recovery process, there was interest in keeping track of the donated hours, perhaps for local parishes to count toward their match of federal funds, she said.

But in the months since then, it has become unclear whether volunteer hours are as valuable to parishes as once thought, she said. And while "there's millions and millions brought in by the faith-based and other volunteer organizations, trying to get these statistics is like herding cats."

Tasks changing

Still, with an end to house-gutting at least on the horizon, major denominations for months have begun a shift toward rebuilding houses.

While Kim and his Boston College friends were gutting their assigned house on Franklin Avenue, another team of volunteers patched the roof on the house across the street.

A few agencies -- exceptions to the general rule -- have been helping homeowners with repairs since the earliest days after the storm.

Arkansas Baptist Builders, headquartered at Gentilly Baptist Church, have specialized for months in hanging drywall, installing insulation and rewiring houses. Operation Noah Rebuild, another Southern Baptist agency, based in Algiers, similarly has been importing teams of skilled and semi-skilled workers to help underinsured homeowners with major repairs. And two weeks ago, a gathering of Mennonite volunteer builders from Canada, Ohio and Mississippi happily dedicated their new operations base on Hayne Boulevard, a former church they converted last winter and will occupy for the next four to five years.

But most volunteer rebuilding efforts are only just beginning. And most will focus first on the neediest cases, helping the elderly, the infirm, or underinsured families close the gap between their depleted resources and a finished home.

They will take different approaches.

The Catholic Church's Operation Helping Hands, for instance, helps applicants negotiate the tangle of the state's Road Home program, Diaz said. As money becomes available, the agency will introduce clients to preferred contractors who have pledged not to soak them at top-of-market rates. Helping Hands will help the clients work with contractors, and pair them with volunteer builders such as the Mennonites, should their Road Home money fall short, said Diaz.

So far, about 100 people have signed up for that kind of help, she said.

Other groups, such as the Episcopal Church's Jericho Road project and the Presbyterian Church's "Build Blitz" seek to rehabilitate badly damaged homes. United Methodists intend to build or rebuild about 200 homes, said the Rev. Darryl Tate of that church's storm relief ministry in Baton Rouge.

The Rev. David Crosby of First Baptist Church of New Orleans said Baptists hope to focus on the Upper 9th Ward over the next few years. The goal is to build 300 homes and help an additional 1,200 families return to their neighborhoods.

Relief managers say fulfilling that mission will require a shift toward volunteers able to quickly pick up simple construction skills under supervision.

Some said that shift is already occurring.

"Our volunteers are getting more sophisticated," said Crosby. "We're getting repeat visitors who really know what they're doing."

Relief managers say it is not uncommon to see volunteers touched by one trip to New Orleans returning months later, with fresh faces.

"People are going back home and saying, 'This will change your life,' " said Cowart, the Episcopal relief director. "They're right. It absolutely will change your life."

. . . . . . .

Bruce Nolan can be reached at bnolan@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3344

HANDS ON NETWORK NEW ORLEANS & GULF COAST

2007-03-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

Get Hands On in the Gulf Region!

Since Hurricane Katrina and its devastation along the Gulf Coast, volunteers with Hands On Gulf Coast and Hands On New Orleans have made a huge impact in the area. The work has included removing trees from more than 400 sites, gutting more than 750 homes, walking hundreds of dogs, delivering countless supplies, and feeding and housing more than 1,000 volunteers.

Volunteers are still desperately needed. Hands On Network is continuing to support these civic action centers thanks to the contributions of our corporate partners.

Please Join Us!

To schedule a volunteer trip to Hands On Gulf Coast visit,

www.handsongulfcoast.org

To schedule a volunteer trip to Hands On New Orleans visit,

www.handsonneworleans.org

Minors and Young Adults:

We require that volunteers are 18 years of age and older.

Safety Precautions:

If you intend to volunteer in Biloxi or New Orleans, we strongly recommend that you consider these precautions:

Bring long pants and boots for protection
Secure current vaccinations for Tetanus, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B

Items to Remember:

Sweaters (for colder weather)
Long sleeved t-shirts
Work gear (keep in mind that it will likely be damaged/trashed )
Jeans
Work boots (steel toes are ideal)
Hat or cap
Work gloves
Sunscreen
Eye protection
Sleeping bag
Air mattress
Towel
Personal hygiene items
Medications you take or prescribe to
Tent (optional)
Your sense of humor!

The Work We Do

Our volunteer efforts are not only about cutting trees and moving debris. We utilize a wide range of skills and offer many different roles for volunteers. For almost any skill you can offer, we can put you to work.

Please join us with an open and humble mind. Projects and opportunities change and evolve daily. You will find your niche!

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Back

takeaction@handsonnetwork.org • Hands on Network • Terms of Usage • Privacy Policy

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES in LA and MS

2007-03-08T22:49:00.000-05:00

United Peace Relief

VOLUNTEER

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with United Peace Relief. Listed below are the volunteer opportunities and organizations we have developed a relationship with. Please use the links to check out the organizations and find the opportunity that will match your interests and/or skills. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if you need assistance in connecting with any of these organizations. We will help guide you through the process. Some organizations require registration and advance notice. Once you have made your travel plans, have confirmed dates and registered with the organization of your choice if necessary, please advise United Peace Relief of your plans including your name, scheduled dates and contact information (e-mail, cell and home phones). After you have completed your volunteer experience, we would love to hear from you with a description of your experience and feedback with your ideas and suggestions. We would also encourage all volunteers to post to the journal at our website.

Volunteer Placement Opportunities

1. Grassroots Volunteer Network, Biloxi, MS. Grassroots Volunteer Network was started by a group of Katrina Relief volunteers who wanted to make a long-term commitment to the victims of Katrina and assure others a simple way to volunteer. They work with those who are affected by disaster to assist them in the rebuilding of their lives. GRVN is working with the East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center focusing in East Biloxi, one of the hardest hit areas. There are a wide range of jobs available and necessary to complete the rebuilding process. All physical abilities can contribute in some way. A strong heart and open mind is all that is required. Visit their website for online application and more details. http://www.grvn.org

2. First Street United Methodist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana. Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hands On New Orleans volunteers have been at work every day to assist in the cleaning and rebuilding. Volunteers are still desperately needed to aid the recovery process, and the civic action center in New Orleans will provide a starting point for those eager to make a difference. This is a 120 year old church. Volunteers stay in two apartments just across the street from First Street UMC, or they may stay at a residential house managed by Felicity UMC. Each apartment has room for up to 6 individuals while the house can accommodate approximately 12. In both locations, we provide bunk beds. Volunteers are advised to bring their own blankets and linen. Meals are provided. Reconstruction and community support projects. The Reverend Brother Lance Eden, pastor. No charge to stay there. Fly into New Orleans and they will pick you up. If you rent a car you can help them transport volunteers. No volunteers under 18. Church info can be found at http://www.firststreetumc.com; and online registration at http://www.handsonnetwork.org/hurricane-relief/get-hands-on

3. Zion Traveler Baptist, Phoenix, LA. This is a small town south of New Orleans. This small, rural town was hit very hard. They need all types of volunteers, everything from community organizers to laborers willing to help the residents clean up their very friendly town. They have a need for volunteers for a special rebuilding project for the weeks of October 30 and November 6. Phoenix has been significantly underserved. Volunteers have access to the church kitchen but you should bring food and water. Housing is provided in the church. This is a beautiful community that could use our support. They need much skilled and unskilled labor. A special request by the church is for anyone with a chainsaw and the skill to operate it. For more information or to schedule to volunteer: http://www.rebuildingphoenix.com

4. ARNO, New Orleans, LA. Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) is an organization created and dedicated to the rescue and aid of abandoned and homeless animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, including responding to the immediate needs of those animals in need of medical care or who have been neglected, abused and deprived of love. ARNO promotes the foster, adoption, and reunion of pets with caretakers, as well as spaying/neutering of all companion animals. Volunteers are needed to go into the community to feed and water strays. Volunteers are also needed for animal care in the warehouse and preparing the animals for relocation after adoption. You must have own transportation. Volunteer lodging is available. Bring portable bedding (tent, air mattress, cot, sleeping bag, etc.). Electricity and bathrooms are available but no showers. There is a small kitchenette but no meals served. You must be self-sustaining. To volunteer call 504-571-1900 or you can register online at http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com

5. South Toward Home, Pass Christian, MS. This organization is working with the City of Pass Christian and Americorp on a long-term recovery and reconstruction plan. They need all kinds of volunteers including skilled and unskilled labor. Housing and meals are provided for $5.00 per day. You must have your own transportation which is a requirement of the county during hurricane season. Housing is in Seabee tents which have power, heat and air conditioning. Meals are free at God's Katrina Kitchen. To volunteer or get further information call Amy Hardee, Volunteer Services Coordinator at 228-452-7270.

6. Second Helping, Waveland, MS. This organization is setting up a kitchen and community center. Their goal is to provide a place for the residents of Waveland to go that is spacious and friendly. Most people in Waveland are living in FEMA trailers (whole families!). They are planning community dances, get togethers, movie night and much more. They need volunteers - many people will be needed to operate an endeavor of this size. They need people who can create a bright positive environment. Please no small children or large dogs. Solar showers, meals, tents and cots are available. Bring your own bed-roll. You must have your own transportation. They are a block from the beach and the water is warm. Beach parties are bound to happen, so get ready for some real experiences that will help people change their attitude and brighten their face. Call 228-342-8834 or e-mail mommakaboom@hotmail.com.

7. A.C.O.R.N., New Orleans, LA. This organization has been doing huge amounts or work in the gulf coast area and New Orleans since the storm a year ago. They are now in great need for volunteers since many communities have put a deadline to homeowners on get their houses cleaned out. When you register to volunteer, you will be asked if you need housing. They provide transportation to the job sites; but if you are flying in, please arrange your own transportation to the office address. 18 years old or older please. Check out their website at www.acorn.org/cleanout to view a video on mucking and gutting houses. To volunteer e-mail rebuild@acorn.org.

8. Restoration Point, Pass Christian, MS. This organization has made a 5 year commitment for recovery and rebuilding in Pass Christian. Their objectives are to help restore the community and to help residents rebuild their homes. There is a great need in this city. Homes along the beach as well as several miles inland were destroyed. The infrastructure in this town was virtually nonexistent after the storm. Progress is being made but it is very slow and the need for assistance from volunteers is great. Housing and meals are provided for a fee of $15.00 per day to defray operation costs. You must have your own transportation. This is a county-wide requirement. If you would like to help this devastated gulf coast community recover contact info@restorationpoint.org.

9. Emergency Communities located in Buras, LA. They need help with food preparation and serving. They always have a need for chefs. This organization has been serving thousands of meals a day since a week after the storm. They have camping at no charge and allow children 10 years and older to volunteer during the day, with parental supervision. They are currently serving meals in Buras, LA. and most recently in the Lower Ninth Ward. http://www.emergencycommunities.org

P. O. Box 933
Ukiah, CA 95482
info@unitedpeacerelief.org

VETERANS FOR PEACE -BUILDING SHELTER FROM THE STORM

2007-03-08T22:21:00.000-05:00

VETERANS FOR PEACE MARCH 19-31, 2007

Submitted by Niki on Tue, 2007-03-06 18:58.

In solidarity with the people of the and understanding that every bomb dropped in explodes over the U.S. Gulf Coast, Veterans For Peace and partner organizations will return to the area devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to aid in reconstruction efforts.

The project will raise money and volunteers to aid in rebuilding homes for survivors of the hurricanes. In addition, we will raise awareness of the continued plight of the gulf coast survivors and the persistent commitment to an illegal, immoral war fought at staggering costs, both financially and in human casualties.

The first part of this action will consist of a caravan beginning March 19, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, (the location of one of several Iraq War Anniversary demonstrations), and ending in New Orleans, Louisiana.
On this leg of the trip, Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and many individual signers of the Appeal for Redress, will travel to six military towns in the southeastern US; in each town we will hold an event for active duty military personnel and their families, where we will energetically engage them in discussions regarding the absurdity of this war and encourage them to sign the Appeal For Redress.

The second part of this endeavor will consist of Veterans For Peace and our partners taking an active role in rebuilding the gulf coast. The project will raise money and volunteers to aid in rebuilding homes for survivors of the hurricanes, and additionally, will raise awareness of the continued injustices faced by the residents of the gulf coast. We plan to work for one week and in that time should be able to make a significant contribution in the local community, both in terms of construction and in connecting on a personal level with the people of the gulf coast.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE WE ARE VOLUNTEERING:
We are going to be working with Operation TLC, a non-profit resource center located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Operation TLC was launched in September of 2006 and serves the people of Jackson County, MS. They are located in the Pascagoula Recretion Center, where they have cots for sleeping, men and women's showers, wireless internet, and nearby is a local church that cooks the meals.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed over 65,000 homes in Mississippi. We are hoping you will join us in our efforts to rebuild part of the Gulf Coast.

Here are several ways you can be a part of this effort:

JOIN us in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on March 17th for the demonstration commemorating the war’s anniversary and/or the caravan, which will depart Fayetteville and journey to the gulf, stopping in 5 –7 cities along the way for rallies and demonstrations (approximately March 19th through March 23rd)
VOLUNTEER in the gulf. We need volunteers who will help physically in the construction effort and support thereof. We need people who will work on houses, people who will help feed the workers, medical personnel, and others. [Sign Up]
SUPPORT the effort at home. Donate and raise money for this endeavor; tell your friends and families about the project and ask for their support. Contact your local press and government representatives to make them aware of who we are, what we are doing, and why it needs to be done. Download printable flyers LINK and distribute them in your community.
CONTRIBUTE in another capacity. The suggestions just listed are only that. Your ideas are not only welcome, but we encourage you to be creative in coming up with other ways you can support this project.

Please join us. To learn more about the project you can call the Veterans For Peace National Office at 314-725-6005, or email Cherie at ceichholz@veteransforpeace.net.

DONATE to the project
SIGN UP to join us on the Gulf Coast and help rebuild
SIGN UP for our Rebuilding the Gulf Coast E-Bulletin

A BOSTONIAN' S TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS

2007-02-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

Submitted by Niki on Tue, 2007-02-20 09:32.

Feb 19, 2007

Despite having HBO, I didn’t watch the Spike Lee documentary or the stuff on the Discovery Channel. After the first couple of days, a year and a half ago, I stopped paying attention to news about Hurricane Katrina. I’m up in Boston and New Orleans just seemed far away, and now it seems so long ago. I just assumed that things in the city were better, back on track. I found out last week that they’re not.

LouisianaI was in New Orleans for four days last week as part of reconnaissance for the annual leadership conference. My first afternoon, I drove from the airport and things seemed normal. I drove past the SuperDome and it was intact. I stayed near the French Quarter where all seemed operational, save for a few restaurants yet to reopen. That night, I went to a Mardi Gras festival and the locals were exuberant, despite the theme “Habitat for Insanity” and signs like “FEMA approved” and “Home is still where the tarp is”. But then I started to talk to a few of the residents, and they felt neglected, exhausted, and still very overwhelmed. It was apparent that Katrina created a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of some sort for the survivors. I told some people about the conference and repeatedly heard, "Thank you for having the conference in New Orleans - we need it."

That was what I saw and heard in my first six hours in town. Still not knowing what to expect, the next day I drove to find the devastation. I’d heard that the destruction affected 80% of the city but was unprepared for the vastness of what that meant. I drove for miles and miles, past a ton of empty neighborhoods, boarded up houses, signs advertising trash removal and pressure washing, abandoned businesses and inactive gas stations.

And then there was the lower ninth ward. The difference between that area and the rest of the destruction is that in the lower ninth ward, houses were literally leveled with no signs of recovery. They were crushed, crumpled and literally washed away. No one was home. It was eerie. The houses in other neighborhoods were mostly intact but as shells, and there were some that were occupied and many that were under construction, signs of life. Not so in the lower ninth. I felt sick.

Throughout the city, I saw many images of the fleur d' lis, not just as a logo of the New Orleans Saints. I understood it to be a French symbol that is part of the city’s history, but learned that, in recent usage, it's been used as a symbol of New Orleans' rebirth and rebuilding. These residents’ spirits will not be shattered. That is what this symbol tells us. I find that profoundly moving.

The staff and volunteers at Hands On New Orleans are amazing. Largely AmeriCorps members and alums, they have taken charge of a massive volunteer effort, coordinating a ton of different projects in various neighborhoods of the city. The office and volunteer management system are tightly organized, efficiently run, and by enormously dedicated people. They’re an inspiring bunch, still hopeful.

As an AmeriCorps alum, meeting the people from Hands On New Orleans challenged me to think about the service I do.

I’ve always been engaged one way or another, but over the past few years, my service has evolved more towards Board work and other behind-the-scenes activities. Last year I thought about going to New Orleans for a week to volunteer, staying with the folks at Hands On in their bunkers, but I decided against it because it wasn't the kind of vacation I wanted. It’s how I spent almost every vacation from ages 18-22. I guess I felt over it, less idealistic. It seems so selfish now.

Since I’ve been back in Boston, I try to tell everyone I know about my trip. I’m finding that most people aren’t interested in hearing it and I’m losing them after thirty seconds, no follow up questions. To them, like to me, Katrina seems so far away and so long ago. It’s not. I heard on the radio last week, "Broadcast live to all the evacuees on B97.com." Only 50% of the city’s population is back. I want everyone to get the same kind of reality check I got. And I want us all, in a revolutionary way, to do something big about it. The conference is a great start.

-Bernadette Smith

For more information on the Hands on Network Leadership Conference, please click here.

http://bostoncares.vox.com/library/post/new-orleans-absent-in-the-news-but-100-newsworthy.html

UPDATE ON ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS

2007-02-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

Buddy at the vet, with irritated eyes due to dehydration.

ARNO's New Buddy

(2/14/07) ARNO volunteer Anabel Salinas was helping out with an animal transport recently when she encountered two extremely thin and injured dogs roaming off the I-10. With the help of a good samaritan who also saw the dogs, and french fries as a lure, the two women were able to catch the thinnest dog. the other dog, despite missing one paw entirely and still bleeding, was too fast to be caught. After waiting two hours for the other dog to come back, Anabel called Robin from ARNO, who recommended that the injured dog, now called "Buddy" due to his friendly disposition, be taken to an emergency vet.

Buddy was starved, lacked muscle mass and strength, and was so dehydrated that his eyes could not produce tears. Though the dog looked older, the vet determined that his age was closer to two years old. Barely able to use his legs, Buddy drug himself into a corner at the vet. He stayed at the vet until Monday morning when he was then brought to ARNO.

No stranger to hard luck cases (see Chance, Howard and Lucky's stories), Robin began the task of bringing Buddy back to health. When he isn't eating or sleeping, Buddy likes to spend his time with his new friend, staff member Jackie's dog, Gracie. He was also able to walk across the street today and was wagging his tail! (2/14). Thanks to dedicated volunteers and the staff at ARNO, Buddy now has a hopeful future. Check back for updates!

Though still very thin, now at ARNO, Buddy is enjoying eating his way back to health.

BRING THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

2006-10-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

Click Title "Bring Them for the Holidays" for website

BRING THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

2006-10-25T10:58:00.001-04:00

Click "BRING THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS" for WEBSITE

UPDATE ON NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS

2006-10-25T10:33:00.000-04:00

Activists plead for help gutting homes
Many volunteers are back in school
Thursday, October 12, 2006
By Gwen Filosa
Staff writer

New Orleans desperately needs volunteers for the dirty yet necessary job of gutting flooded homes, relief groups said Wednesday.

"We're inviting the country and the world to give to our city a gift of hope," said Mary Fontenot of All Congregations Together. "We must get the world here to New Orleans. There are thousands of houses that need to be gutted. Come down to New Orleans, for a week, for a month. We build our homes, we build our city."

Against a backdrop of the Lower 9th Ward, where at least 500 homes remain on Common Ground's waiting list to be gutted, Fontenot and other activists on Wednesday announced the Home for the Holidays campaign drive to lure volunteers to work on gutting crews. An additional 200 homes, mostly in the Upper 9th Ward, round out the list.

Citywide, though, the number of buildings in need of gutting -- the first step toward rebuilding -- is well into the thousands, activists said.

One of the flooded Lower 9th Ward homes belongs to Arlin Pounds, who calls weekly to check in with Common Ground, a nonprofit group that has promised the free gutting. Pounds, who doesn't own a car, has been stuck in Alexandria since the floodwaters tore through her home in the 2200 block of Deslonde Street.

"She's so hopeful," said Matthew Sabin of Common Ground's Lower 9th Ward Project. "She signed up three months ago."

A crew worked on Pounds' home Wednesday.

A massive job

Gutting in New Orleans has become a daily part of most residents' lives, because the battered homes stretch from eastern New Orleans to the Lakefront to Uptown. The process involves tearing out all moldy belongings and then stripping the walls down to the studs, and hauling the ruined Sheetrock or plaster to the curb.

A single gutting job can save a homeowner $3,000 to $5,000, and it also serves as the emotional starting point for a family's rebuilding.

It's also become a mandate from the City Council, one whose deadline has already passed, Aug. 29, the one-year anniversary of the disaster. In District A, which includes Lakeview, city inspectors have ticketed 3,400 homes after finding that owners had not made an effort to begin cleaning up.

Common Ground leaders fear en masse property seizures will come unless the gutting work gets down. But the city has laid down a process, which has a built-in second chance and some exceptions to the rule.

In the Lower 9th Ward, all owner-occupied homes and all residential rentals owned by people 65 years old or older have been classified as hardship cases, eligible for exemptions to the gutting law.

If an inspection yields a violation to the homeowner, that person has 30 days in which to make good on the city's ordinance to start cleaning up.

If a second inspection finds the property is still in violation, second notices will be sent and posted, informing the owner of the date and place of an administrative hearing and warning that if the problems are not corrected, the city "has the right to enter private property, gut and remediate the property and put a lien on it requiring the property owner to reimburse the city for the costs," plus other penalties.

An owner may ask the hearing officer for a hardship exemption.

Helping hands

Citywide, many residents have relied on volunteers to help them start over, as faith-based groups, politically-charged relief organizations and ordinary residents dug in last fall to begin digging homeowners out of despair.

Since the storm hit, Common Ground has gutted about 1,000 homes. On Wednesday, leaders said they had six crews out, comprised of 60 volunteers.

The group would like to field a bigger team, but like other nonprofits that provide free gutting, it relies on college students to make up the crews, and they're back in classes instead of making volunteer road trips to Orleans Parish.

"Money is helpful," said Sabin, a volunteer. "But at this point, I'm so much happier when someone calls and says, 'I'm bringing 20 people down for a couple of days.' "

Volunteers can register online at www.nolahomefortheholidays.org or call (504) 218-6613.

The relief movement is helping revive housing where government has failed, said Malcolm Suber of the People's Hurricane Relief Fund. Renters, for example, can't apply for Road Home grants or help from the state's recovery authority.

"Justice says if you had a house before the storm, you have a house after the storm," Suber said. "People who rented should be able to come home and have decent affordable housing."

The campaign's goal is to line up at least 250 volunteers each day until the end of the year, essentially finishing a backlog of 700 houses in the 9th Ward.

The goal has precedent. On a single day in March, Common Ground placed 1,000 gutting volunteers in crews.

. . . . . . .

Gwen Filosa can be reached at gfilosa@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3304.

AS SHE GUTS HER HOME 69 YEAR OLD ORA BELL

2006-09-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

Slideshow: Undecided

• As she guts her home,

69 year old Ora Bell tries to decide

whether to stay in N.O. or leave

(Matt Rose/Times-Picayune)

click on headline to view slideshow with audio

KATRINA:ONE YEAR LATER with The Times Picayune

2006-09-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

for slideshow click on KATRINA: ONE YEAR LATER with The Times Picayune
above PHOTO

HOW TO GUT A HOME FROM ACORN WEBSITE

2006-08-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

STEP 1:

Identifying a house as a candidate for clean-out. Our Project Director, Scott Hagy, visits the home personally and assesses its condition.

STEP2:

The homeowner must then sign a Right of Entry form, granting ACORN and our employees the right to enter their home and clean it out.

STEP 3:

A crew of between eight to twelve people goes into the house and removes all personal items and furniture, being careful not to break or damage anything further.

STEP 4:

The same volunteers also remove appliances, including refrigerators that contain their own toxic sludge. The crew places all items outside the house.

STEP 5:

Anything that is salvageable, even remotely, is cleaned with MicroBan and returned to the homeowner. Items that are obviously too damaged to be cleaned are placed on the public right-of-way so that the city or FEMA contractors can pick them up.

STEP 6:

After all personal items are out, the crew proceeds to remove all drywall/sheetrock and insulation that has been damaged, as well as kitchen and bathroom cabinets, fixtures, and other items that were in the damaged area. If the water reached the ceiling, the crew removes the drywall or any ceiling panels, as well.

They remove drywall in sections of either four feet or eight feet, or completely. The reason for these measurements is that this allows for the easiest replacement time and cost, as new drywall pieces measure four by eight feet.

STEP 7:

After they have taken out all damaged portions of the interior walls, the crew treats for mold with MicroBan. This is a chemical that has been determined to be acceptable to all insurance companies and will remove mold to industry standards.

The crews wash the wooden studs using brushes to get all surfaces treated. They either brush or pressure-wash floors, depending on the material. Wood floors are brush-washed; concrete floors are pressure washed; both using MicroBan.

STEP 8:

If the roof has been damaged, the crew also tarps the roof, then secures the tarp to prevent further water damage from rain.

Katrina Relief Campaign
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Click on picture for details.

ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS

2006-08-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

NOTE: Out-Of-Town Volunteers, along with residents, STILL NEEDED!

Volunteers urgently needed to feed and water animals. Residents and out-of-towners desperately needed. Warehouse animal care needed: Morning shift at 8am, and afternoon shift 6-9pm. Call 504-571-1900 or just show up!

ARNO is running CRITICALLY low on donations and more specifically, CAT FOOD, please help us feed these animals.

We have a few volunteers to go out in the field to feed, but without any food, their help will be seriously hindered. Please donate so we can buy some food.

Donate via PayPal (at the top right corner of WEBSITE page, http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com/,
OR GO TO WEBSITE PAGE TO click ON PetSmart online gift card or PetCo online gift card

"I was here nine months ago. I'm shocked to see it hasn't changed much". AS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY APPROACHES THE NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS IS URGENT

2006-08-17T16:31:00.000-04:00

from August 17, 2006

an excerpt from:
New Orleans Times-Picayune

Lower 9th Ward victims memorialized
Monument will go on neutral ground
Thursday, August 17, 2006
By Gwen Filosa

...

"It broke my heart this morning,"

...

The Lower 9th Ward Memorial Park, due for completion two days before the Aug. 29 anniversary of the disaster, will include a six-foot granite monument, an American flag atop an 80-foot pole and a series of columns depicting the height of the floodwaters.

The height measurements will begin at 12 feet.

"I lost a few neighbors," said Smith, standing on the neutral ground near the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Tennessee Street. "It would be nice to remember them."

But Smith, 40, had more pressing things to attend to Wednesday, so he gave the memorial his partial blessing and quietly absorbed the sight of a planned park on the neutral ground. Smith was in town to finish gutting his Delery Street house. Alone.

"Today, I'm just by myself," said Smith, who worked as a longshoreman in New Orleans before floodwaters chased him to Houston. "It was me and my nephews, but I can't afford to pay them. I can't get a job in Houston. I've sent out 15 resumes."

In a neighborhood struggling to survive in a post-Katrina landscape, the Lower 9th Ward still lacks electricity and safe drinking water in vast stretches. FEMA trailers and rebuilt houses exist, but in scattered pockets.

Debris and abandoned, ruined homes still overwhelm the once tight-knit residential neighborhood where everyone knew everyone, and where homeownership was higher than the citywide average.

But the odds are, these days, most residents will not return. The Federal Emergency Management Agency won't provide trailers for those who don't have power and potable water, citing safety hazards. Tractor-trailers barrel down once quiet side streets, day and night. Hard hats outnumber neighbors. And at night, most of the neighborhood plunges into eerie, silent darkness.

"It broke my heart this morning," said John Martin, president of Walton Construction, which is backing the project and also building the new downtown hotel for Harrah's Casino. "I was here nine months ago. I'm shocked to see it hasn't changed much. Our company is committed to rebuilding New Orleans."

Benches and landscaping will complete the memorial park. The monument itself, built with $7,500 donated by lawyers, will have an image of praying hands. The park will also display a replica of a traditional New Orleans house -- an empty house, organizers said.

Activist groups, such as Common Ground and ACORN, have gutted hundreds of homes in this neighborhood, but the demand outweighs the supply of volunteers these days. Smith said he had been on a waiting list for the free gutting service since March.

The city issued a deadline of Aug. 29 for homeowners to either show they have started rebuilding their houses or risk having it seized. Common Ground, which is housed in the Lower 9 near the Industrial Canal levee, said there is a four-month wait for free gutting.

So on a stifling summer day in a storm-blighted neighborhood, there were those who respectfully dissented when it came to the idea of building a memorial.

"It's a joke," said Lionel Worthy, 72, who lives in a flood-damaged house across from where the park will rise. "Fix the neighborhood first and then come back and say, this is what we did."

Worthy lives in a trailer outside his home, which he said wasn't covered by insurance at the time of the levee failure because he was renovating it. "I'm a producer," Worthy said. "I'm putting a recording studio in there."

He pointed to the upstairs window, still missing from the battered house he bought in 1992. The window is where Worthy escaped, with his dog, after three days trapped by the floodwaters.

A number of residents, however, gathered on the neutral ground in support of the memorial. Council member Cynthia Willard-Lewis said the park will mark "sacred ground," and serve as a tribute to those who perished during the storm.

"It needs to be here," said the Rev. W.H. Jenneford Sr., who preached for 30 years at Greater New Home Missionary Baptist Church on Delery Street until the floods came. These days, about 40 members hold services Sundays at 8 a.m. at a church off River Road in Jefferson.

"People need to recognize that we are blessed," said Jenneford, a third-generation pastor raised in the Lower 9. "It could have been all of us gone."

. . . . . . .

Gwen Filosa can be reached at gfilosa@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3304.

NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS CONTINUES

2006-05-28T23:34:00.000-04:00

from healthcareforpeace.blogspot posted there 2 weeks ago

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Volunteers Urgently Needed! Help please, foward to anyone who might be able to help.

Greetings. It is 9 1/2 months since Katrina hit, 1/2 month to the beginning of the 2006 hurricane season. People are trying to mostly maintain right now, get houses cleaned and gutted, and figure out where to live this summer when their kids are out of school in wherever they evacuated to. THE DISASTER IS NOT OVER! Many many many people all across Mississippi and SE Louisiana want to return, but cannot do it on their own. They do not want welfare help, but just a hand to get back home or at least get their home ready to survive this hurricane season. There are still many stray pets running loose in and around New Orleans that rely on outside help to survive.

I have had urgent calls for help from 2 of the groups I have worked with, Bayou Liberty Relief Camp in Slidell, and Animal Rescue New Orleans. BLRC needs volunteers to assist local people, ARNO needs both volunteers (in their warehouse, trapping stray pets and filling food/water stations throughout NO) and dry cat food donations (or money to buy it with). If you know of anyone who has been considering helping out, I can vouch for both these groups. Please forward this information to others. Thank you.

BLRC

We are in need of Volunteers! Listen, folks, the work here is not done, we receive calls daily but have to put residents on a waiting list (as are many of the Organizations) because of the need for Vollies to do the work. Again, the residents are not looking for 'handouts', they are looking for a 'helping hand'. The number of families that want to return to are numerous, but the damage is too much to rebuild alone. They need our strength and they need our support. I know many folks wonder "Why move back if it is so bad or another Storm could wipe the area out again?" Because it is Home to them, and many of the areas that were hit can be rebuilt and are safe to move back to, even if another Storm hits. We do not know if and when and we know that past Storms have not been so distructive. Should folks in earthquake prone areas move? Tornado alley? Mud slides, mountains with issues of avalanche, drought prone states, river flooding? Many of these areas provide the whole country with an abundance of our supplies in food, oil and various other industries. Where do we propose to move these industries and agricultural needs? Where do we propose to relocate over a million people. They want to come home and rebuild their communities and lives where they have lived for generations. I guess it is hard anyway you look at it, but having been here for nine months now, I understand how these folks feel. Think of your own Town, City or State being wiped out, what would you do? Help us return thes people to their homes. Go to the Feedback button and sign up for Volunteering. You can get to the Volunteer page for more information as well. Contact us and share your thoughts or ideas. You can also do this by signing on and posting your comments. The folks of the Gulf Coast have the right to rebuild their lives, lets do the next right thing and assist them in that process. In Peace and Caring, Niki

ARNO

05/10/06 Volunteers urgently needed to feed and water animals. Residents and out-of-towners desperately needed. Warehouse animal care needed: Morning shift at 8am, and afternoon shift 6-9pm. Food, water and cat trapping orientation is from 9 – noon everyday. Call Kelly Jenkins at 504-858-6886 or just show up!

05/10/06 ARNO is running CRITICALLY low on donations and more specifically, CAT FOOD, please help us feed these animals. We have a few volunteers to go out in the field to feed, but without any food, their help will be seriously hindered. Please donate so we can buy some food.

posted by Heathcare for Peace @ 10:08 AM

SUMMER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH COMMON GROUND

2006-05-22T21:29:00.000-04:00

Summer Projects and Volunteer Opportunities

Submitted by kerul on Fri, 2006-05-12 21:04.

Registration is NOW working!

Interested in volunteering with Common Ground Relief this summer?
Below you'll find a list of the project areas seeking summer volunteers. Click the link to read more about the project and the work that needs to happen.

Most projects need both skilled and general volunteers. As a general volunteer on a project, you can simply register and indicate the project you want to work with. If you can offer the particular skills outlined in the description, make sure you contact the point person for that particular project before registering.

Check the "Volunteer Information" and "Frequently Asked Questions" links on our website to get general information about volunteering with Common Ground Relief. Summer volunteers should also read Hurricane Season for Volunteers. And, don't forget to register!

» read more

SHELTERING THE CATS OF KATRINA

2006-05-17T15:09:00.000-04:00

Sheltering the Cats of Katrina
by
Marisa Donelan
from the Sentinal & Enterprise, Fitchburg, MA
photos by Jonathan Phillips

LUNENBURG -- Bayou, Brooke, Easter, Jenny and Mardi Gras have had a rough year.

The cats, refugees from last fall's Hurricane Katrina, survived one of the worst storms on record and its aftermath, spent months in emergency care, and finally made a trip from New Orleans to the Pat Brody Shelter for Cats in Lunenburg, shelter employee Kylee Wilson said Tuesday.

"Some of the cats were found in the streets after the storm," said Wilson, the assistant to the shelter director. "A lot of them were traumatized and frightened. There were peoples' pets that had been lost, some feral cats ... They were all shaken up."

Volunteers at the Pat Brody Shelter have already taken in more than 30 hurricane-displaced cats, and are expecting 35 more to be delivered Thursday, Wilson said.

"We took in a bunch in March, and most of them have already been adopted out," she said. "The kittens went very fast, but we still have some older cats left. We're going to get a lot more in this week."

Shelter director Priscilla Deschamps and her husband traveled to Louisiana in February with food and shelter equipment to help animal rescue teams care for dogs and cats left homeless by the hurricane.

"When we first heard about the disaster, we started saving food back in October," Deschamps said. "We knew the big humane societies and corporations were down there helping, so we didn't go right away."

But the national groups had to abandon their posts when New Orleans residents started moving back into the area, she said.

"They had to give up their locations as the city came back to life," Deschamps said. "They're still making donations and helping the volunteers there."

One group, Animal Rescue of New Orleans, has worked to get the cats healthy enough for adoption throughout the country, she said.

"They don't really have shelters. We went down there with the intention of bringing them supplies and setting up a warehouse for ARNO," she said. "They don't want to adopt out the cats down there because the people aren't even ready to take care of themselves."

Pets who were separated from their owners have had a difficult time surviving on their own, Deschamps said.

"For 50 miles outside the city, the land is coated with a gray film," she said. "All the vegetation is dead from the ocean water that came in. Everything is dead. The plants, the trees, everything is dead."

Some animals who tried to leave the city in search of food did not make it.

"There are dead dogs along the roads," she said. "There is desolation everywhere. There's no way the TV can show you that."

Many of the survivors are kittens from feral cats that require some medical care before they can be adopted, and some of them have special needs, Deschamps said.

"They need help with the cats," she said. "They need to catch them, and make sure they are spayed and neutered so the city won't be overrun... When the cats are frightened, they won't come to you, but a number of them have been friendly. You know they belonged to somebody somewhere."

One cat, that is expected to arrive Thursday, is blind, Deschamps said.

"He'll need some special care and an inside home," she said. "Preferably, we'll get a person who is knowledgeable and maybe has had a blind cat in the past. Blind cats can do very well once they know their perimeters."

The shelter's newest arrivals will be given health checks and kept until they are big enough to be fixed, Wilson said.

"A lot of them have already had their shots down there," she said. "We just have to wait before they're ready for adoption."

Wilson made a trip to New Orleans a month after Hurricane Katrina, and said she saw a lot of lost cats.

"Right after the storm, it was like a ghost town, and there were a lot of cats living outside," she said. "Feral kittens can be worked with and they can get used to people."

Common Ground Continues Work

2006-05-05T12:06:00.001-04:00

Group lays foundation to rebuild Lower 9th
Idealistic youth are committed to area
Monday, May 01, 2006
By Gwen FilosaStaff writer
Across vast stretches of the Lower 9th Ward, there is only silence among the ruins. The floodwaters that tore through a faulty levee are long gone, but the residents who survived them have yet to return.

Eight months after Hurricane Katrina, nothing in New Orleans looks quite like the Lower 9th. The collapsed houses, mud-wracked cars and ubiquitous debris are only the most evident symptoms of a community's brush with death.
Other symptoms are invisible: The water is not safe to drink or even bathe in. Electricity is spotty at best. A few houses have been red-tagged and demolished. The streets have been cleared.
But for the most part, birds and late spring breezes provide the soundtrack for this urban neighborhood, not the hammers and heavy equipment that have begun to rumble in other areas.
The sorry state of the Lower 9th Ward post-Katrina is not for lack of residents who want to return.
"It's for an absolute lack of resources and government facilitation in return," said Michelle Shin, director of the Common Ground Lower 9th Ward Project, a volunteer effort that has taken root in the heart of the storm-scarred neighborhood. "You can't gut your house if you live in Houston. I've seen people sleeping in their cars here, in order to work on their houses."
Shin works out of a bright blue house at the corner of Deslonde and North Derbigny streets, within a stone's throw of the newly installed concrete floodwall atop the breached Industrial Canal levee.
Someone has planted fresh flowers in the front yard to greet the scores of volunteers who arrive daily to rebuild the Lower 9th, one house at a time. The Common Ground Lower 9th Ward Project, as the effort is called, is one of several efforts by Common Ground, a nonprofit agency created in Katrina's aftermath that has drawn the young and the idealistic -- and substantial philanthropic dollars -- from all across the nation.
Common Ground marries can-do idealism with a give-it-to-the-man political bent. But in this ruined neighborhood, where search crews are still unearthing the remains of storm victims, volunteers exhibit a respectful reverence for the residents. Those residents were chased out of their homes first by the disaster and then by the so-called recovery's tangle of government red tape, inadequate insurance and unalleviated poverty.
A youthful romance
"In the Lower 9th Ward, the needs are so great that working here requires a lot of sensitivity, a strong work ethic and respect," said Shin, 29, who arrived in New Orleans four months ago.
For her long days and administrative burdens she, like every other volunteer, is rewarded with decent meals and a place to sleep. There is a youthful romance in helping New Orleans rebuild, but Shin is determined to keep the effort from turning into a playground for privileged dilettantes on a break from colleges and careers. "I'm absolutely committed to the Lower 9th Ward not turning into a counterculture," she said. To that end, "residents are involved in every aspect."
The Lower 9th hit rock-star status after Katrina. Members of the news media seized upon the mostly black, poverty-stricken neighborhood as an icon of inner-city malaise. The very name of the district suggested it was a sort of geographical nadir in a city below sea level, an area that probably shouldn't be resettled. But in fact the "Lower" in Lower 9th refers to its downriver location, not its altitude.
The widespread misperception is that the Lower 9th Ward is the lowest-lying land in the region.
"Not even close," said Roy Dokka, a geologist at Louisiana State University. "It's typical New Orleans. It's similar to Kenner and Metairie." Indeed, parts of Lakeview, a white, middle-class neighborhood that was also inundated after levee breaches, sit farther below sea level than the homes across from the Industrial Canal.
Moreover, the Lower 9th was not as impoverished as media covering Katrina found it convenient to assert. The economic reality was more complicated. The district's disproportionate share of elderly homeowners gave the area a 59 percent home ownership rate, substantially higher than the citywide average of 46.5 percent, according to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.
Slow revival
Yet 14 percent of the 5,600 houses in the Lower 9th were vacant -- 1.4 percent higher than the citywide figure -- and more than three-quarters of the housing was built before 1970. The neighborhood had a 36 percent poverty rate, compared with the 28 percent figure citywide. The average household income was a little less than $25,000 a year, while the city's overall average was more than $43,000.
The depiction of the area as hopelessly ravaged by drug dealing and addiction is gainsaid by the substantial crowds drawn to Saturday morning meetings of the Lower 9th Ward Homeowners Association, a group formed by state Rep. Charmaine Marchand, D-New Orleans, who also lost her home to the flooding.
But the association got around to choosing officers only in March, a measure of how slow the Lower 9th's revival is proving to be. Trailers don't line the lawns and neither do construction crews. Instead, a half-dozen or so residents are camped out in tents on the lake side of North Claiborne Avenue. The city never lifted its "look and leave" order from December, when residents were first allowed entry to the Lower 9th -- and forbidden, on paper at least, from moving back into the few homes that were structurally sound.
But as with so much about New Orleans in the post-Katrina era, the rules are not clear. People, including Shin, do sleep in the Lower 9th. Common Ground recently opened about 30 beds, in scrubbed-out houses, as temporary housing for displaced residents.
Shanicka Reaux, 26, has lived for about a month on Deslonde Street with her husband and some of their eight children. Reaux is separated from relatives, and some of her older children -- her brood ranges in age from 5 months to 10 years -- are in schools out of state. But she wants to call New Orleans home.
"People are so mean in other states," Reaux said, while volunteering at the Common Ground distribution center, where clothing, food and tools are available. "They don't want you there. They were calling me a refugee. People said, 'You're here to take our jobs.' "
Reaux, eight months pregnant when she evacuated New Orleans, lost everything she owned to the flooding. "I get by day by day," she said. "It's good they're here," she said of the Common Ground volunteers working with her at the distribution center. "They can probably get some justice done."
Cleaning up
Outside the temporary homes in the 1600 block of Deslonde Street, Common Ground volunteers have removed the top layer of flood-ravaged lawns, on the assumption that they remain contaminated from the toxic floodwaters. They have planted mustard greens and sunflowers, which draw poisons from the soil, Shin said.
Common Ground hands out bottled water and other necessities. The temporary light poles and meters on the block were installed by Common Ground workers. They operate the community kitchen that serves free dinners almost every day at 5 p.m. Shin's team is also working on bringing in a filtration system to provide clean drinking water.
Shin considers herself a guest in the Lower 9th. She is there serving at the pleasure of the residents, she says often, and will leave only when they tell her she isn't needed anymore.
Shin, who has a master's degree in international relations, has launched a nationwide effort to track residents, in order to call them whether their home is one of the estimated 2,100 houses on the demolition list. Residents may register by e-mailing
commongroundlower9@gmail.com or calling toll-free, (866) 611-9795.
The registry has about 600 residents so far.
In March alone, Common Ground had 2,800 people gutting and cleaning houses citywide. But Common Ground's do-it-yourself ethic does not preclude professional assistance. They bring in licensed electricians to rewire homes, for example, and other skilled craftsmen.
Genevieve Hirschmugl, 22, from Jersey City who coordinates the work crews, has a degree in structural engineering from Rutgers.
Common Ground volunteers have gutted more than 100 homes in the Lower 9th, as well as three churches and the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School -- all at the urging of residents, Shin said. The school gutting, which prompted the Orleans Parish School Board president to call the police, was the idea of residents, Shin said, and saved the city an estimated $500,000.
"We took an inventory of everything removed," Shin said. "A box of pencils. Everything."
A study in devastation
The blue Deslonde Street home, where Shin and her team have computers and Internet service available for residents, was loaned to the group by the homeowner.
"We have tons of properties available to us," Shin said. "People say, 'I can't come back right now,' or, 'I can't be without electricity,' or, 'I'm stuck in an 18-month lease, so use the house.' "
In return, Common Ground guts, cleans, mold-treats and essentially rebuilds the houses.
For all the effort invested in the area by the likes of Common Ground, the Lower 9th Ward remains a study in devastation evidently irresistible to members of Congress and other dignitaries who want to memorialize their visit to post-Katrina New Orleans with a photo op.
"It's always show-and-tell, but where is the money going? Where is the action?" asked Stuart Moses, 33, a lifelong resident of the Lower 9th now raising his 14-year-old son in Gonzales and returning when he can to work on his damaged two-story house on Flood Street. He plans to start hanging new wallboard in a week or so.
But returning to live in the Lower 9th is another story.
Moses collected just about enough flood insurance to repair his 2,400-square-foot home, provided he does most of the work himself. Common Ground gutted the place, as it did Moses' father's house on Choctaw Street, saving the family several thousand dollars.
"They are the front-runners," Moses said. "They're doing more for residents than any of our politicians or state representatives. These people like Michelle have no real interest other than helping the residents."
Like many of his neighbors, Moses isn't giving up on the Lower 9th, in spite of all the obstacles and lack of government assistance.
"I'm optimistic because it's my nature," Moses said. "But what I see in six months is my house being finished, but it's pitch black (for lack of electricity) and there is no one around. I don't think it's because people don't want to be there."
. . . . . . .
Gwen Filosa can be reached at gfilosa@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3304.

VOLUNTEER WITH COMMON GROUND THIS SUMMER

2006-04-29T18:25:00.000-04:00

Summer Projects and Volunteer Opportunities

Submitted by sue on Mon, 2006-04-17 21:04.

Interested in volunteering with Common Ground Relief this summer?
Below you'll find a list of the project areas seeking summer volunteers. Click the link to read more about the project and the work that needs to happen.

Check the "Volunteer Information" and "Frequently Asked Questions" links on our website to get general information about volunteering with Common Ground Relief. And, don't forget to register!

Emergency Preparedness and Response (read more):
Preparing for the next hurricane season.

Disaster Relief & Community Stabilization

Lower 9th Ward (all services)

Upper 9th Ward Distribution Center:
Place for residents to pick up information, food, water, and to sign-up for other Common Ground services.

Upper 9th Ward Clean-Up:
Offering house-gutting and mold abatement services.

Safety and Health Services and Training:
Organizing and providing safety and health resources to residents and Common Ground volunteers.

Temporary Housing:
Providing temporary housing for returning residents.

Women's Center (read more):
Challenging systems that put female hurricane survivors and children in harm's way.

Workers’ Cooperatives:
Creating worker-owned economic opportunities.

Kids and Community Project (read more):
Supporting teachers in local schools and organizations, tutoring, enrichment learning, and mentoring programs for kids in and out of school, GED/work-study programs, and literacy programs.

Environmental Justice

Legal Advocacy (read more):
Providing free legal assistance to residents as they rebuild their lives after the 2005 hurricanes

Anti-Racism Working Group (read more):
Directly addressing structural racism both within the wider culture and within our organization.

New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative (NOBI) (read more):
Using grease to produce fuel.

Administration: The glue that holds it all together.

Volunteer Coordination Team (read more):
Connecting volunteers to the work.

Housing Coordination

Media Team (read more):
Keeping the stories of New Oleans in the American and international media.

Special Projects

Post-Katrina Portrait Project: Recording history
Bike Cooperative: Offering transportation

Health Clinic (read more):
Providing free quality health care for the greater New Orleans community, and developing and providing programs to address community health care needs through collaborative partnerships.

KATRINA ACTION

2006-04-10T23:32:00.000-04:00

UNDERSTANDING KATRINA

2006-04-01T01:17:00.000-05:00

The Criminalization of New Orleanians in Katrina’s Wake

By Sarah Kaufman

The following is an excerpt from The Criminalization of New Orleanians in Katrina's Wake
To read the entire article click on the title above, Understanding Katrina" which is an active link.

"While most of the country was confused by the numbers of people who were unable to leave New Orleans, and the ways in which they were forced to survive in Katrina’s aftermath, the public was gazing upon what social scientists and advocates for the poor have known for a long time: black and white citizens are treated differently in the urban south; the criminalization of poverty does have life and death consequences; and most people do not know how many people live under these dangerous circumstances everyday. The aftermath of this hurricane lays bare the fact that urban poverty has consequences that we do not face as a country, and that this kills, slowly or quickly, thousands of people every day."

SEVEN MONTHS AFTER KATRINA

2006-03-31T06:58:00.000-05:00

Published on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 by CommonDreams.org

Seven Months After Katrina
Sleeping in Your Car in Front of Your Trailer in Front of Your Devastated Home, Tales of Lunacy and Hope from New Orleans

by Bill Quigley

In New Orleans, seven months after Katrina, senior citizens are living in their cars. WWL-TV introduced us to Korean War veteran Paul Morris, 74, and his wife Yvonne, 66. They have been sleeping in their 2-door sedan since January. They have been waiting that long for FEMA contractors to unlock the 240 square foot trailer in their yard and connect the power so they can sleep inside it in front of their devastated home.

This tale of lunacy does not begin to stop there. Their 240 square foot trailer may well cost more than their house. While FEMA flat out refuses to say how much the government is paying for trailers, reliable estimates by the New York Times and others place the cost at over $60,000 each. How could these tiny FEMA trailers cost so much? Follow the money. Circle B Enterprises of Georgia was awarded $287 million in contracts by FEMA for temporary housing. At the time, that was the seventh highest award of Katrina money in the country. According to the Washington Post, Circle B was not even being licensed to build homes in its own state of Georgia and filed for bankruptcy in 2003. The company does not even have a website. Here's how it works: the original contractor takes their cut and subcontracts the work of constructing the trailer out to other companies. Once it is built, they subcontract out the transporting of the trailers to yet other companies which pay drivers, gas, insurance, and mileage. They then subcontract out the hookups of the trailers to other companies and keep taking cuts for their services. Usually none of the people who make the money are local workers. With $60,000 many people could adequately repair their homes.

Why not just give the $60,000 directly to the elderly couple and let them fix up their home? Ask Congress. FEMA is not allowed to give grants of that much. Money for fixing up homes comes from somewhere else and people are still waiting for that to arrive.

While many corporations are making big money off of Katrina, Mr. and Mrs. Morris wait in their car.

Craziness continues in the area of the right to vote.

You would think that the nation that put on elections with satellite voting boxes for Iraqis and Afghanis and Haitians and many others would do the same for Katrina evacuees. Wrong. There is no satellite voting for the 230,000 citizens of New Orleans who are out of state. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Advancement Project, ACORN and the Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund have all fought for satellite voting but Louisiana and the courts and the U.S. Justice Department have said no.

The rule of thumb around here is that the poorer you are, the further you have been displaced. African Americans are also much more likely to be poor and renters - the people who cannot yet come back to a city where rents have doubled. They are the ones bearing the burdens of no satellite voting.

The people already back are much more affluent than the pre-Katrina New Orleans. The city is also much whiter. Many of those already back in New Orleans are not so sure that all of New Orleans should be rebuilt. The consequence of that is not everyone will be allowed to return. Planners and politicians openly suggest turning poor neighborhoods into green spaces. No one yet has said they want to turn their own neighborhood into green space - only other people's neighborhoods - usually poor people's neighborhoods. Those who disagree are by and large not there.

New Orleans has not been majority-white for decades, but it is quite possible that a majority of those who are able to vote in the upcoming election will be white. Thus the decisions about the future of New Orleans are poised to be made by those who have been able to get back and will exclude many of those still evacuated. Guess what type of plans they will have for New Orleans?

There are many, many more tales of lunacy all over town as all systems have melted down: criminal justice, healthcare, public education, churches, electricity, water, garbage, our environment - you name it, it melted down and is not yet fully back up.

But, there are also clear signs of hope.

Across New Orleans neighborhood groups are meeting every weekend planning their own comebacks. People catch rides back into town and visit ruined neighborhoods and greet neighbors and together make plans to recover. Because governmental action and contractors are so slow, groups are looking to their own resources and partnering with churches and community groups and universities and businesses to fill in the gaps where the politicos have not yet been able to respond. The citizens themselves are our greatest hope.

We also have allies that give us hope.

We have been amazed and refreshed by the thousands of college students who took their spring break in New Orleans helping our elderly and uninsured families gut houses, clean up streets and advocate for justice with Common Ground Relief, the Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund, Catholic Charities, ACORN and many other church and civic groups. Even law students! Over 1000 law students helped provide legal aid and are providing the first comprehensive documentation of abuses of local and out of town workers by businesses.

Over 100 clergy from across the US visited New Orleans with the PICO Network, as did hundreds of other people of faith with the Jeremiah community. The Protestant Women are here now and the Interfaith Worker Justice group meets here soon. Together, these groups raise the voices of their faith communities and call for justice in the rebuilding of our communities.

On the national level, we see rising support from numerous social justice groups. Several created the Katrina Information Network, an internet advocacy group that enables people across the country to take action with us to influence all levels of government in the rebuilding effort. We are inspired by the veterans and allies who marched from Florida to New Orleans to highlight the diversion of money from our cities to war efforts.

Yes, we have lunacy in New Orleans. But there are also signs of hope.

Whether lunacy or hope will triumph in New Orleans is yet to be determined. But we appreciate those of you who are working in solidarity with us to try to keep our hope alive.

Bill Quigley is a law professor at Loyola University, New Orleans. Email to: Quigley@loyno.edu.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT COULD TAKE 25 YEARS FOR NEW ORLEANS TO FULLY RECOVER

2006-03-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

Don Powell, Gulf Coast reconstruction coordinator, said a full N.O. recovery could take up to 25 years. See Story

AP Interview: New Orleans could take 25 years to recover, Bush administration says

3/30/2006, 1:40 p.m. CT

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A full recovery in New Orleans could take 25 years as homeowners, businesses and tourists are coaxed back to the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration's Gulf Coast recovery coordinator said Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Don Powell said that much of the city's rebirth will hinge on factors he said were "out of our control," including restoring housing, ensuring safety and encouraging robust investment by the private sector.

"We kind of want it to happen overnight, or I do, but it's going to take some time," Powell said. "This could be five to 25 years for it all to fit into place."

Powell also said the Army Corps of Engineers now estimates it will cost an additional $5.9 billion to repair levees enough to fully protect nearly 1.1 million residents of the greater New Orleans area.

That is in addition to the $3.5 billion the Bush administration has so far sought to bring the levees back to at least their pre-Katrina levels by June 1, the start of the 2006 hurricane season.

Powell said the Corps recently told him the additional $5.9 billion in construction would be needed before it could certify the levee systems in order to issue new flood maps, which will set safety standards for rebuilding.

Over the next 60 days, Powell said, the Corps will be armoring levees and building storm-proof pumping stations and flood gates to close certain parts of New Orleans' canals in the event of a major storm.

"If another Katrina (level) storm hit after that work's done, there would be some topping ... but the flooding would be all manageable," Powell said. "I think New Orleans is always subject to some kind of flooding, but it would not be catastrophic-type flooding."

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco called the nearly tripling of the estimated cost of levee repairs "an outrage." She demanded that Congress come up with the money. She said the $3.5 billion investment so far has focused primarily on rebuilding the flood protection on the east bank of New Orleans.

Without the additional cash, Blanco said, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes likely wouldn't receive the levee repairs needed to give them the protection they had before Katrina.

"Obviously all sections will not be secure," she said.

The White House so far has asked for $108 billion in Gulf Coast relief and recovery aid, all but $19 billion of which has been approved by Congress. The remainder is under consideration by lawmakers.

The new levee costs are not included in that spending pot, Powell said, adding that he does not know how many more federal dollars the government will commit to the region.

What the storm-ravaged region will look like in upcoming years is largely up to state and local officials, Powell said, though the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will have authority to "tweak" some of the housing plans.

The four parishes that make up New Orleans and its immediate suburbs have been waiting for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue the flood maps for months.

Powell said he expects FEMA to release the maps soon, but that the data largely is tied to the new levee cost estimates.

FROM NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE 3/30/2006

BAYOU LIBERTY RELIEF NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

2006-03-29T19:25:00.000-05:00

Bayou Liberty Relief serves as an operational base for gulf coast hurricane recovery volunteers by providing secure housing and nutritional meals, coordinating with other hurricane recovery and relief organizations that utilize volunteer services and engaging in direct community service in the Slidell, LA area. Volunteers in the greater New Orleans/Slidell area rely on Bayou Liberty Relief for daily accommodations and meals without charge during their recovery and relief work, as well as for occasional, temporary respite from long-term service.

We would also like to thank all those who supported us in kind and in spirit through the last few months. Without all of you we would not be here today accomplishing the work needed to help folks get back into their homes. We have had over 200 Volunteers pass through the Camp staying for a weekend or a month. Approximately 300 folks have been referred on to other Organizations. With the strength and passion of these Vollies we have assisted numerous families in Slidell, New Orleans, Lake View, LaComb and the Lower Ninth Ward. We have also sent Vollies to assist other Organizations such as Emergency Communities, Common Ground, Joy Fellowship, Acorn, Mama D's, Phoenix and Starlight Baptist Church. Kudos to all of you for coming down or for supporting the relief efforts from home.

http://bayoulibertyrelief.org/

I am assuming that people fly into New Orleans and rent a car, but do you have pickup service available for those who can't rent a car? Do we need to bring sleeping bags, tents, food, water? If we do not have a project lined up before we come, can you steer us in the right direction to help, or should we have a project lined up first? What would you like us to bring, other than our bodies, minds, spirits and willingness to be flexible and help out?

I am advising recent tetanus vaccinations, any other recommendations?

Thank you for continuing to do this, and hope to see you soon.

» login or register to post comments | next forum topic

Volunteer Information

Submitted by Ken on Sun, 2006-02-26 13:41.

Hi Jean,

1. Volunteers fly into New Orleans and also into Baton Rouge. Some do rent cars, but we can arrange airport pickup service if they require it. This can be arranged via email or by telephone.

2. We suggest you bring your sleeping bag, and if you prefer you may bring your own tent. We have varying sizes of tents, air matresses, sleeping bags and blankets available. We also have cots for the bunkhouse and the large army tent. Food and water is plentiful and can satisfy most volunteers requirements.

3. If volunteers have no project lined up before they arrive, we have ongoing local projects they can assist with, or we can arrange for volunteers to assist one of numerous other relief agencies.

4. The only other things at the moment I would suggest volunteers bring with them, are warm clothes, and shower shoes (Flip-Flops). It is warming up slowly, but evenings and nights can still be cool at times. And since there are community showers, you want to protect your feet.

This info will be placed into a "Volunteer Information" page once fine tuned. In the meantime this should give you an idea. I agree with you about the tetanus vaccinations. We are trying to arrange to have these shots available for those requiring them, through one of the existing medical clinics already in operation. I will let you know if we get something arranged. Thanks for your input and keep up the good work!

Ken, ken@bayoulibertyrelief.org

KATRINA JOB RELIEF

2006-03-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

A Free Resource connecting victims of the
Katrina Hurricane Tragedy to new job opportunities

Welcome to KatrinaJobRelief.org

Many people have had their lives disrupted by the terrible tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina. We hope this service can connect those people to new employment opportunities, whether they be full-time, part-time, or temporary; whether they be in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, or elsewhere. This is a FREE service to both job seekers and employers, which is supported by many associations, publishers, and chambers of commerce throughout the country.

LINK TO: http://www.katrinajobrelief.org

ANIMAL RESCUE VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED

2006-03-28T23:41:00.000-05:00

The following are excerpts from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. To read the entire article go to:http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/29/DDGSUFU2A074.DTL

Kay, 50, is the kind of animal lover who feels the pain of a suffering animal on her own nerve endings -- someone who can't attend a movie or read a novel in which a dog dies. In the first days after Katrina, she had offered herself as a volunteer with numerous animal rights groups, but the word came back from the Louisiana SPCA and others that, except for highly trained rescue workers and vets, volunteers were not needed.

Like many people living in places far from the reach of the hurricane, Kay, an art dealer, had studied the images of the disaster on television and in the papers, and felt helpless and frustrated and then depressed by her inability to make a meaningful contribution. She'd written checks to Katrina relief organizations, but none of that was the same as being there.

It wasn't that she saw the situation of people stranded or homeless as less worthy, but the helplessness of animals, the authorities' refusal to allow their owners to take them away when the floods were coming and the picture of their struggle to survive -- in some cases, actually swimming alongside the boats carrying their owners away -- had given Kay nightmares since the evacuation began.

"I keep imagining my dogs without me," Kay said. "I had to do something, so when I got the word I was needed, I got right on the plane."

When she arrived at her hotel in mid-November, there was no phone service or maid service, and she carried her bags up to her room herself. But downtown on Bourbon Street, lights were on. Shops sold Mardi Gras beads and T-shirts that said "Katrina Blew Me." Life wasn't normal, but it was possible to imagine a day when tourists would stroll these streets again. Even now, a band on the street was playing "Down by the Riverside."

Less than a mile away, at the makeshift headquarters of Animal Rescue New Orleans, on Magazine Street, volunteers were gathering supplies: water jugs, foil lasagna pans to hold food, bottles of electrolyte fluids, gloves, blankets and 50-pound sacks of chow. Traps were loaded in the backs of vehicles, along with catchpoles, leashes, collars, animal crates and heavy gloves.

The all-volunteer team of dog and cat lovers, animal rights activists and trappers were from all over the country. A dozen or more had been in New Orleans for weeks, living in tents at the FEMA workers' center, or in the vacant lot behind the rescue center.

They were a motley group: Garrison ran a chiropractic business in Charlotte, S.C., with her husband. Evelyn Black and her friend Bonnie -- who'd bought an RV specifically for animal rescue -- were well-dressed women in their late 50s from Cincinnati. Al Tendrick wandered in with a full beard and a worn-looking overcoat, a backpack and a big old dog rope, appearing as if he might have walked all the way from his home in Kentucky. "I know how to trap animals," he said by way of introduction.

Heidi Poor was a wedding photographer from Boston. On her last trip to New Orleans, she'd discovered a shelter in Alexandria, La., where the stray dogs were being euthanized, and spent the next three weeks finding homes for and transporting 500 dogs, until the shelter was empty. Poor had recently lost one of her dogs back home. "I loved that dog so much," she said, "if a person could marry a dog, I would have married him."

Susan Kay carries a frightened mixed-breed beagle back to "Hound Zero," a New Orleans animal rescue center, over broken glass and away from nearby barking dogs. Photo by Sean Gardner, special to the Chronicle

In the late afternoon, riding through a particularly hard-hit neighborhood, Kay was approached by a construction worker who led her to a place in the road where two large manhole covers lay on the ground. From somewhere -- horrifyingly close, but unreachable -- they heard a cat wailing.

Kay had to rescue the cat, but the manhole covers were way too heavy. They couldn't be budged. She searched for some kind of tool. She tried poking a piece of wood down the opening, to make a ramp for the cat to walk up, but it wouldn't fit. She drove around looking for the group of men she'd befriended from the National Guard Bravo Division in North Carolina, but couldn't locate them. Finally, she called Rob Stone, back at the shelter. A half hour later, he pulled up in his truck.

The manhole cover had to weigh a couple of hundred pounds. Stone told Kay to stand beside him with a pole and stick it under the manhole cover, once he got it lifted up a few inches. Then, with the pole as a lever, he lifted up the cover and flipped it onto the ground.

The sound of the wailing animal was more desperate now. You couldn't see anything below, but Stone jumped into the sewer hole. He lowered his arm down into the muck. There was no way of knowing what was down there, New Orleans being the home to thousands of feral cats even before Katrina.

Stone felt around in the black muck. Then the animal made the most plaintive and terrified cry yet, and from out of the sludge he lifted up a kitten. Kay had never smelled anything so bad.

Kay didn't waste time bringing the kitten to the rescue center. She brought her straight to the animal hospital. "No animal should die in the sewer," Kay said.

Back at the center later, she met up with one of the trappers, Isabel Musial. Musial had brought in the little black dog who'd eaten out of Kay's hand the day before. He had a blue collar. Someone's pet, all right.

"He looks relieved we got him," Kay observed. "He looks exhausted."

The excerpts above are from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Jayne Maynard from 11/2005

HOWEVER THE CRISIS IS HARDLY OVER. THE NEED STILL EXISTS FOR VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPLIES.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Some owners have been reunited with their pets. Some are still looking and hoping they will see their pets again.

The need for volunteers continues as of March 28, 2006. A close friend of mine keeps me updated. We talk at least twice a week. She described the current situation to me.
Lost, frightened, and hungry, these dogs and cats wander the streets of New Orleans looking for food.
There are feeding stations across the city ( that have become commonplace since Katrina) serviced by animal rescue volunteers. Volunteers continue to rescue animals from the streets. The need for help continues even 7 months after Katrina.
If you wish to help please contact:
Animal Recue of New Orleans
http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com/

Thank you.

UNITED PEACE RELIEF NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

2006-03-28T13:46:00.000-05:00

United Peace Relief continues to focus on helping victims of the Katrina and Rita Hurricanes that hit the gulf region last fall. We have been continuously sending volunteers and connecting them to projects. Most medical volunteers have gone to the Common Ground Clinic near New Orleans. This week we are sending a team to work in a new clinic at the Americorps camp in a very hard hit impoverished town, Pass Christian, in Mississippi.

Some of our volunteers have been staying at the new volunteer camp we set up in Slidell, Louisiana. The work there is gutting and reconstruction. We have been able to pass the management of the camp to a new non profit, Bayou Liberty Relief.
www.bayoulibertyrelief.org

Our volunteers continue to discover new projects and communities that need help. We are determined to help the people who feel abandoned and have the least resources. This week we plan to help the 4 directions project get building supplies and construct shelter for the locals. We are working with the organization Plenty and taking in a construction crew.

We are also starting a new tool lending library in Mississippi. Last week we put an appeal out on our local radio station and the tools have come pouring in.

Thanks to our incredibly supportive community in Ukiah, California we had a successful benefit in Ukiah on Jan. 27. With the money we raised we bought Home Depot cards and have cash to take down to distribute to people and projects in need in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Always ongoing is our recruitment of volunteers, organizing work parties, securing housing, raising funds, and educating the public. We are making arrangements for large
groups of volunteers who are coming from schools and churches. We have a need for cooks, carpenters, laborers, medical professionals, organizers, and all around hard workers with loving hearts.

Please visit our page about Meg Perry.

Please contact us if you are interested and want to help!

Thank you,
Lynn Meadows

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION LIST

Volunteer

UNITED PEACE RELIEF and AIDSAIL have an immediate need for medical volunteers to go to the gulf region and staff the Village Free Clinic in Pass Christian, Mississippi. This is a new clinic in a devastated medically undeserved area. It is a small facility in the Americorps Tent city. We need Nurses, Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and EMTs. When the doors are open the clinic is busy. When we do not have volunteers the doors are closed. Please consider going down to volunteer as soon as you can. It is easy to get an emergency license in Mississippi. If you cannot come please find a medical friend who can. Contact: lynn@unitedpeacerelief.org

The clinic is located at the Americorps tent Village, Pass Christian, Mississippi. A small town that was 90% destroyed. Jobs available in free clinic/first aid station, reconstruction, childcare, kitchen, organizational work and more. Army tents with air conditioning and heat, showers and food. Fly into Gulfport and Seth will arrange your pick up. United Peace Relief has a tool stash there and is running the free clinic with AIDSail. No charge to stay there. We are making a national plea for medical workers, please come and help us keep the doors to the clinic open. United Peace Relief and AIDsail are making a long term commitment to this community.

Thank you,

Lynn Meadows PA
For AIDSail and United Peace Relief

United Peace Relief/AIDSailVolunteer Placement Opportunities

1. Americorps Tent Village, Pass Christian, Mississippi
A small town that was 90% destroyed. Work available in reconstruction, childcare, free clinic, kitchen and more. Army tents with air conditioning and heating, showers and food. Fly into Gulfport and Seth will arrange your pick up. United Peace Relief has a tool library there and is running the free clinic with AIDSail. This is our number one location for volunteers. No charge to stay there. We are making a national plea for medical workers, please come and help us keep the doors to the clinic open. We are making a long term commitment to this community.

2. First Street United Methodist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana
120 year old church. Bunks in Church Hall for housing, they feed you. Reconstruction and community support projects. The Reverend Brotha Lance Eden, Pastor. No charge to stay there. Fly into New Orleans and they will pick you up. If you rent a car you can help them transport volunteers.

3. Bayou Liberty Relief Camp, Slidell, Louisiana
Rural camp on the bayou. Rustic camping in tents and bunk house. Meals provided. Volunteer work crews for reconstruction, clean up, community service in Slidell area. Fly into New Orleans, they will pick you up at the airport. No charge to stay. See web site www.bayoulibertyrelief.org

4. Common Ground Clinic, Algiers, Louisiana
Free Clinic on the edge of New Orleans. Busy with need for many medical volunteers of all types. PA�s cannot get emergency license to practice in Louisiana at this time. FEMA housing and food provided. Fly into New Orleans and they will pick you up. They also serve mobile clinics to outlying areas.

5. Phoenix, Louisiana
Small town south of New Orleans. The town is flattened. You must be self sufficient, bring your own tent and food. This is a beautiful community that could use our support. Good place if you have organizational skills, an organizer who can assist us in the assessment of the area.

If you are interested in volunteering with AIDSail/United Peace Relief please contact us at volunteer@aidsail.org. Include your name, professional title, state of current license, contact information (email, address, cell and home phones), specialty, and available dates.

United Peace Relief
P.O. Box 933, Ukiah, CA 95482
707-462-2439, 707-463-1952 FAX
info@unitedpeacerelief.org | www.unitedpeacerelief.org

Site created by:
Animal Farm

NEW ORLEANS AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

2006-03-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.habitat-nola.org/

Started in 1983, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity has built over a hundred homes and anticipates to build hundreds more in the coming months and years.

There's a lot going on at New Orleans Habitat, so we've created a blog for all of our ongoing projects. Click here to go to the New Orleans Habitat Blog.

OR SCROLL DOWN FOR VOLUNTEER INFO AND CALENDAR

Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and Jim Pate at the Musicians' Village site. Volunteers learn new construction skills on the work site.

Volunteer
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer-driven organization. Working side-by-side with the family who will live in the house, volunteers experience the joy created as a family realizes their dream of home ownership. Post Hurricane Katrina, NOAHH anticipates massive builds requiring thousands of volunteers in the coming months and years. Check our Calendar often for volunteer opportunities.

Acceptance of your application is not guaranteed but conditional on availability of slots/opportunities in our ongoing projects.

Volunteers needed for:
• Office Support
• On-site Construction
• Habitat Restore, and
• St. Bernard Recovery Project

Those interested in St. Bernard Recovery Project, please click on the St Bernard project link on the main page or under the current projects link. Please sign up and help New Orleans get back on its feet!.All volunteers must be age 16 years and over. If you have questions regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact Sarah Schindhelm the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@Habitat-NOLA.org or at 504-861-2077
Individuals:
To volunteer as an individual with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, click here.
Groups:
To create a volunteer group with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, click here.

Volunteers working at a Habitat Home

Hurricane Katrina Recovery EffortNew Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is mobilizing for an unprecedented rebuilding effort. In 2006, NOAHH plans on building hundreds of new homes in Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes.
Get Involved! Volunteer! Donate!

•The Baptist Crossroads Projects
The Project was planned pre-Katrina to provide funding and volunteer labor for the construction of 40 homes. Post-Katrina commitment has increased tenfold! Start date: June 6, 2006
•Hoops for Homes
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and The NBA Hornets have partnered to build 20 homes in the next one to two years. The first home was dedicated to the Winston family on March 7th!
•Musicians' Village
Conceived by New Orleans musicians Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis to build 81 homes for displaced New Orleans musicians. The project will be located in Upper Ninth Ward.
•St Bernard Recovery project
A massive ongoing project with St. Bernard Parish to clean up the parish and boost recovery efforts in St Bernard.

Habitat Calendar
[click on underlined titles for details]

Wed Mar 29 —	1624 Mandeville
Wed Mar 29 —	Musicians Village
Thu Mar 30 —	1624 Mandeville
Thu Mar 30 —	Musicians Village
Fri Mar 31 —	1624 Mandeville
Fri Mar 31 —	Musicians Village
Sun Apr 2 —	Daylight Saving
There are additional events in the next 30 days. Click Here to go to the calendar...

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED WAVELAND MISSISSIPPI

2006-03-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

Camp Second Helpin'
by Meta Sond Monday, Mar. 27, 2006 at 12:52 PM
metatecque@gmail.com 228-342-8834 208 Coleman Waveland Ms. 39576

Camp Second Helpin' needs Volunteers

11:21am CST 3-27-2006

For Immidiate release:

Call for help, from Waveland Mississippi, if you have the drive and passion to help people in need read on...

We have our kitchen tent 30' X 30'. First aid tent, and thousands of dollars of food and supplies. These are stored in various tents. We are setting up two 30' X 50' Government contract military tents today, these will be our main dining tents. Later this week we will be recieving a large circus tent which will be used for a family room/entertainment center (arts, crafts, games, benefits, concerts, magic shows, talent shows, picnics, dances, potlucks, and much more for families here in waveland. Soon we will be cooking for several hundred and a decent sized staff will be needed on site.

Our main needs are
We need volunteers - many people will be needed to operate an endeavor of this size. We need people who can work and work hard, and create a bright positive environment, there will be time for fun, however right now we need committed responsible people who can pull their weight. Please no small children or large dogs, this is a disaster area and we need to provide a friendly and safe environment; so that we may continue to help. Tents and cots are available, Bring your own bed-roll. Be prepared to work all day.

Electricity - specifically cable --- we need appx 250' of 6/3 + 8/1 guage SO 60amp rubber jacketed cable - this will allow us to hook up all the living spaces and the kitchen as well as all of the refrigeration and various appliences we will be hooking up throughout camp. Basically any electrical supplies are appriciated... We will need 2 electrical panels / sub-panels which will tie in to the existing grid, ( which is semi-reliable) everything must be GFCI'd at the main panel so we'll need 2 60amp GFCI Breakers, as well as a good stack of 20amp breakers for the sub-panels, and Lots and lots of extension cords.

We have 501c3 non-profit status so we can offer any tax-breaks for charitable giving you can claim 100% since Katrina on your taxes-
$$$ can be sent to webmaster at web-publishing.org via paypal. ATTN: Camp Second Helpin'

We are a block from the beach and the water is warm. Beach parties are bound to happen, so get ready for some real expierences, that will help people change their attitude and brighten their face.

Our crew is currently is small, and over-worked, we will need at least 30 as soon as possible. We are working on solar hot-water for showers and dishes, should be running in a few days.

Our web addresses are as follows
Ron's site - http://www.web-publishing.org/Bloomingtontribe
Mamma Kaboom's site - http://remareinforcements.blogspot.com
Street Addy: 208 Coleman ave. Waveland Ms. 39576

Phone#: 228-342-8834

Please contact us for more info...

web-publishing.org/Bloomingtontribe

NEGLECT IN NEW ORLEANS

2006-03-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

THE NATION

Click here to return to the browser-optimized version of this page.

This article can be found on the web at
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060410/lede

Neglect in New Orleans

[from the April 10, 2006 issue]

More than six months after one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States, a perfect storm of malign neglect on the federal, state and local levels continues to batter the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The overwhelming scale of destruction wrought by the hurricane required a comprehensive, federally directed plan of reconstruction, including the rebuilding of levees and the restoration of coastal wetlands, yet the record of the past six months is one of promises unkept, funding delayed and denied, and machinations of politicians and their corporate cronies to profit from the catastrophe. The net effect has been the disenfranchisement and continued displacement of the poor and minority population of New Orleans, which suffered disproportionately from the hurricane.

After months of delay, in late March the House approved a $19.1 billion Gulf Coast aid package, including $4.2 billion in block grants for housing needs. Yet as Chris Kromm of Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch (http://www.reconstructionwatch.org) points out, the bill--passed less than three months before June 1, the official start of hurricane season--comes way too late and is far short of what's needed. The House rejected an amendment that would have provided $465 million to strengthen levees. And although the bill includes $1 billion to rebuild rental housing--crucial, since most displaced residents were renters--Congress turned back an amendment that would have prevented FEMA from evicting residents from temporary housing until alternatives were found (even as the bill was passed, families were being evicted from hotels in New Orleans).

The House bill does little or nothing to fix other structural problems, including the city's devastated healthcare system (fifteen out of the city's twenty-two hospitals are now closed, including Charity Hospital, which cared for most of the city's uninsured population), its public school system (only twenty of 117 pre-storm schools are functioning, sixteen of them now as charter schools) and its toxin-laden environment. And the Senate doesn't plan to discuss its version of the bill until May.

At the same time, the city's black and overwhelmingly Democratic electorate has been effectively disenfranchised. The House rejected an amendment that would have provided $50 million to help storm-ravaged communities organize elections, and the Justice Department approved the first New Orleans municipal elections since the storm, even though the city has no plans to provide out-of-state balloting. Up to two-thirds of the displaced are living out of state, a large majority African-American.

The neglect at the federal level is matched by the hijacking of democratic structures at the local level. As Mike Davis demonstrates in an article that begins on page 11, the city's reconstruction effort has been taken over by a coterie of business elites and real estate developers, who have used mayor-appointed commissions to bypass elected officials in an effort to turn New Orleans into a smaller, whiter, more conservative city.

But the people of New Orleans are fighting back. The community-organizing group ACORN and other grassroots organizations, including the People's Hurricane Relief Fund, the Common Ground collective, the Justice Center and the New Orleans Green Party, are working to repair homes, rebuild communities and fight for the rights of displaced citizens. They've been joined recently by military veterans who make the connection between the destruction of Iraq and the devastation of New Orleans. One Iraq War vet is quoted on The Nation's website as saying, "What my country has become sickens me." The people of New Orleans need his solidarity--and ours--if the city's second Reconstruction is to avoid going the way of the first.

SIX MONTHS AFTER KATRINA WHAT BAY ST. LOUIS MS NEEDS

2006-03-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

Six Months After Katrina:What Bay St. Louis Needs

Mark Proulx Filed 3/7/06 - Special to GCN Gulf Coast News

I spoke with Mike Cuevas with the City of Bay St. Louis Tuesday to find out what the city currently needs six months after Katrina. She was kind enough to provide a detailed letter, which follows:

Mike Cuevas - Office of the Mayor -Bay St. Louis

It is officially six months after Katrina and all of you want to know where we are in recovery. It depends on to whom you speak. So, since I have been your main contact with the city and its citizens I will speak to you from my vantage point developed from my position and my own visuals.

I am dividing our needs into two categories with commentary. Please indulge me in the commentary, it helps me stay focused and it relieves some of the tension that builds up trying to make sure that I meet everyone's needs.

Recovery is very steady. Parks are being rebuilt, lots are being cleared, construction goes on every day repairing homes. New home construction is taking place. Our small business community is starting over, maybe not in their original location, but they are re-opening. A new manufacturing business is starting up to produce modular homes, having purchased a large parcel of land, off the beaten path, where Alcan Cable had their operation. New jobs, new business, faster recovery.

Signs of spring are here, the sky is clear, blue and the weather is warming up. The gnats are back, the grass is growing, churches are overflowing, and all the signs of rebirth surround us everyday.

While so much is good, there are some things that are still in the critical stages of rebuilding. The emotional aftermath of Katrina is showing up in the schools and the FEMA trailers.

Children are exhibiting the "acting out" stages, many still stare with blank eyes. Close quarters for families brings on new stress that many do not know how to cope with.

I'm 56, widowed, employed, see the end of the tunnel in having my home repaired, don't have all the problems of "family" life, and I wake up still dazed and confused, have difficulty focusing on the tasks at hand, have a mind and body exhausted from trying to do way too much in any one day. I can't imagine how families are coping.

What is most evident in Bay Saint Louis is the determination to rebuild. People are putting aside the emotional stress, relying on their bodies to get them through the day. We've been told that three years after is the mark when we can no longer deny the devastation, the losses, the weariness of rebuilding. There are definitely days when I wish the professionals would just go away and don't tell us what we can expect in the way of collapse.

CITY NEEDS

For the first time I will put the needs of the city first. We have concentrated so much of our efforts to the recovery of our citizens that we have relied mostly on your good judgment and generosity to support our administration, and you have been more than wonderful and once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, because that is the special place you hold for us.

Our city's resources are quickly drying up. There are no purchases being made that are not absolutely essential. This has been our business effort since Katrina, not just a newly instituted policy.

We have been hoarding our money to keep our employees on full time with benefits. The few employees that have been added to help with the enormous workload are being paid through grant funds for six months only.

We have received only a small portion of our insurance settlements and are faced with mounting damage to our historic city hall because the funds to truly secure the building have not been received. Recent bad weather has blown the Corps-installed blue roof off the building and we do not have the equipment, manpower or financial resources to replace the roof. Because of its historic nature we are limited in what and type of repairs can be made to the building.

Unresolved insurance issues has forced our utility department to "go back to the old days" of reading water and gas meters and recording with paper and pencil, and entering each reading individually. This is labor intensive and a very slow process with such a small staff.

We have received little from FEMA in reimbursements for our expenses, but I've been told it's "on the way". These unreimbursed expenses have stretched our meager resources to the max. Some vendors that we have done business with for many, many years can no longer extend us credit. Some vendors continue to service the city with partial payments and are helping every way they can.

What we most feared will shortly become a reality if we don't have some help soon - employee layoffs. All along the coast, and especially New Orleans, municipal and county employees have been layed off because of the storm. We have managed to survive layoffs much longer because of our frugality. However, many employees have volunteered to take reduced pay during the crisis, but desperately need their health and retirement benefits. Avoiding layoffs has kept our recovery on track. You can well understand that reducing city employees hampers recovery in a huge way, not just for the city in general, but for our citizens who are working so hard to recover.

Public pleas for assistance through the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain were ignored. Only one Pennsylvania newspaper printed our letter to the editor asking for communities to adopt an employee's salary for one year. For most of these cities, less than $1 donated by each citizen would pay a salary for a year or more.

FEMA has refused to extend paying for the tents and forklift that we use to maintain a local distribution center. After March 15 we will no longer be able to accept most goods that donors wish to send unless they are very specific and have a specific delivery point.

My litany can go on, but by now you have the picture. All of you have helped tremendously. The recent CNN special also helped, but it helped citizens and not the administration and we are truly desperate.

There are needs we have for supplies, that if furnished can help us divert our general fund monies to payroll and other city expenses that are not attractive to pay for, like the $75,000 per month we pay for wastewater treatment or the $25,000 a month we pay for street lights.

We also understand that donors want to be specific in their giving, and we certainly understand and have made every effort to be transparent in how monies donated will and have been spent. We have tried to develop a plan of giving that will help both the donor and the receiver feel good in the end.

Employee Relief Fund - donations can be made through the Bay Saint Louis Disaster Relief Fund, with checks earmarked specifically for this use. Our basic employee salary average is $22,500 per year, not including benefits. We currently have 105 employees.

Donations to this effort can be made as follows: Checks made payable to Bay Saint Louis Disaster Relief Fund, check subject line: Employee Salary Fund and mailed to City of Bay Saint Louis, Attention: David Kolf, Comptroller, P.O. Box 2550, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520.

Gift Cards to Office Max, Office Depot or any other type of office supply house that will issue a credit to Bay Saint Louis for the purchase of office supplies will be most appreciated. We normally do business with Quill and have included the account information below.

In combination or in lieu of gift cards or credits the following supplies are needed by the following departments. Any one wishing to donate printed items (*) can reply to this email and I will mail copies of what we need to have in the way of printed supplies. Items in bold type are those that are the most needed. I have divided the department needs in hopes that you will consider adopting the needs of a particular department.

MAYOR'S OFFICE

telephone message pads; white legal size writing pads; ink cartridges to fit HP 5160V and HP 7130 copiers, printers, scanners.

CITY COUNCIL OFFICE

Legal and letter size copy paper, ink cartridges HPC 5011d and HPC 5010d; standard staple; heavy duty stapler and staples (needed to staple large packets of documents); ink pens, fine point, blue or black ink; scotch tape for desk dispenser; plain white business envelopes; legal size pressboard file folders; dictating cassette tapes (90-120 minutes); Canon imageClass 2300 Copier or similar copier.

ADMINISTRATION

Finance/Utility - ink cartridges for printers HP#57/56 or 58 - #94/95 - #49A - #42A

copy machine toner #417-0; receipt books*; utility application cards*; work order books*; meter deposit books*; all size post-it notes; standard staples; scotch tape for dispensers; employment application*; copy paper (letter size); white letter and legal size pads; file folder lables; letter size manila folders; legal size Mead 2503 pressboard folders and the computer program, Quick Books 2006 for five licensed users.

Community Affairs - ink cartridges, HPC 5011d, 5010d, 5165a, 6578d, letter size copy paper; letter and legal size manila folders, phone message books, standard staples, post-it notes; standard calculator tape, fine point pens, black, blue and red ink; scotch tape, 81/2 x 10 mailing envelopes, Canon imageClass 2300 copier or similar copier.

Building - two HP laset jet printers; two printing calculators with tapes and ribbons; printer cartridges for Brother PC-201 fax machine, HP Laser Jet 1320 printer, Canon GP200S copier; Paper - 2 pkgs. 11"x17", 10 cases letter and 2 cases legal; blue, black and red ink pens; scotch tape; 1 box sheet protectors; 12 boxes letter size folders; 2 boxes orange and 2 boxes blue legal size folders; 12 correction pens, 1 box yellow highlighters; 2 boxes Sharpie black fine point pens; 1 box Sharpie red, bold point pens. 4 Motorola hand held radios, with chargers, HT750 for inspectors; photo id camera and printer to produce contractor and employee identification cards; Canon imageClass 2300 copier, or similar copier. Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, Buiding Permit Cards*; Inspection Log cards* and privilege license applications*.

PUBLIC WORKS -

18"-24" aluminum offset pipe wrenches; shovels, weedeaters, mush mowers, blowers, chain saws; safety glasses, safety work gloves; hand cleaner, paper towels, toilet paper, bleach, toilet tissue; universal hydraulic fluid; motor oil; offices supplies to include: basic letter size manilla folders, colored folders, call out forms*, door hangers*; vinyl binders, 1", 2", 3"; printer cartridges, HP96, 97, 78, 45; Brother ink cartridges, LC41M, LC41C, LC41Y, LC41BK; CD-RW.

FIRE -

Blue and black fine point pens; 2 boxes Sharpie fine point black markers; letter size file folders; 4 rolls tape for Dymo Label Manager 150; scotch tape; legal pads, post-it notes; standard staples; 2 boxes letter size copy paper; 1/2 box legal size copy paper, HP 56 and HP 57 print cartridges; ink cartridges for CannonBC20 copy machine, Department letterhead* and envelopes, burn permit books* and incident report books*.

POLICE

File lables; correction tape; phone message pads; letter size manila file folders, file folder fasteners, storage boxes, letter and legal size copy paper, white business envelopes; 91/2"x12" and 6"x9" manila envelopes with clasps; sheet protectors, liquid paper; legal pads, yellow, 5"x8" and 81/2" x 11"; Bic mechanical pencils; yellow highlighter pens; black dry erase markers, dry erase cleaner, black sharpie, fine point; 3"x3" post-it notes; packing tape lithium batters for small torches; laser printer cartridge, ML 1710D3; HP 51645A, 51641A; 4127X; C8728A; 1823T; C8727 AN; C1823D; C1816A; fax/copier/scanner cartridges HP C4920A, C4921A, C4922A, C4923A, HP C5011DN, C5010DN.

One of our biggest expenses for the city is fuel. This is critical to our police and fire departments for obvious reasons.

Fuel Cards that can be accepted at Shell or Chevron or Fuelman cards that can be accepted for diesel and gasoline, in any amount. For example, our Fire Department uses approximately 250 gallons of diesel per month and 250 gallons of gasoline. Any reduction in these costs would be of an enormous help to our finances.

Gift/Fuel cards should be mailed to City of Bay Saint Louis, Attention: David Kolf, Comptroller, P. O. Box 2550, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39521-2550. Please send the package "Return Receipt Requested" to verify our receipt of the cards.

The following is a list of supplies that we need that gift cards can't be used to purchase, but a credit in the name of the City of Bay Saint Louis, MS would be accepted. If you have another vendor from which the purchase can be made, with and assigned credit, just let me know.

McDonald's Hardware

P.O. Box 459

Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520

This is local hardware store where we purchase small items in small numbers that help us finish a project. Bay Saint Louis has an open account with McDonald's and has had one for more than 100 years. We do not need more than $1000 in this account at this time or during the next six months.

The Sea Coast Echo

P.O. Box 2009

Bay Saint Louis, MS 39521-2009

This is the local newspaper where we are required to publish all of our legal notices. We do not need more than $500 in this account at this time or during the next six months.

Fuelman

Fleetcorp Technologies

P.O. Box 105080

Atlanta, GA 30348-5080

Billing Group Number: 153858

This is the fuel charge account we use for our Police and Fire Department. Any payments made directly to them will help reduce our outstanding bill and help with future fuel costs.

Quill

P.O. Box 94081

Palatine, Il 60094

1-800-789-1331

Account Number C2797779

Quill is the primary source for our office supplies, except printed items.

CITIZEN NEEDS

Citizens continue to need building supplies, especially sheetrock, R-13 insulation, Romex wire, and electrical outlets. Because shipping costs are so high we suggest gift cards to Home Depot, Lowe's or 84 Lumber be sent, or money may be sent to the city's relief fund designated for local supply stores, McDonald's Hardware and Bailey's Lumber (these donations are distributed through a local lottery). In addition, money can also be sent designated for the following volunteer groups: Port Townsend Sister City Project; Disastercorps, CityTeam Ministries.

Shipping Addresses

Mayor Edward A. Favre - City Council - Community Affairs - Finance/Utility - Building and Public Works Administraton - 1928 Depot Way, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520

Public Works Warehouse - Fire - Police - 310 Old Spanish Trail, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520

Mailing Address - (All Departments), City of Bay Saint Louis, P.O. Box 2550, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39521-2550

Contact: Mike Cuevas, City of Bay Saint Louis, P.O. Box 2550, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39521-2550, 228-463-7120 or by email at bsldepot@yahoo.com.

Let me end this very long missive by saying thank you to each of you and the citizens of your communities who have prayed for us, helped us, and are committed to helping us find our way home. Your support sustains us through all of the bad days and makes the good days brighter. Your rewards will be many because of generous and kind spirits.

Mike

OPERATION HELPING HANDS

2006-03-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

www.catholiccharitiesinfo.org

New Orleans, LA -- Volunteers organized by Catholic Charities of New Orleans’ community outreach program, Operation Helping Hands, are about to gut their 125th home in flood-ravaged New Orleans with the Ash Wednesday clean-up of the New Orleans home of 85 year-old Hurricane Katrina victim, Clothilde Mack.

The work is being done in the unusual coincidence of the six-month anniversary of the hurricane and celebration of Mardi Gras. But these workers are celebrating the spirit of helping others who are in need.

More than 1,000 volunteers from across the nation have come to New Orleans as part of Operation Helping Hands to assist in the recovery work for the residents and the community, taking time from their daily schedules to provide help and create hope for hurricane victims. Another 2,400 volunteers are scheduled to participate in the program in the next couple of months.

“Operation Helping Hands is helping hurricane victims take the first step toward returning to their homes,” said Denise Chetta, the volunteer coordinator for the program. “Our focus is on the seniors and the disabled, who without our help might not have the financial, physical, or emotional ability to take that step.”

Surviving the Storm and Preparing for the Future

Located in the Upper Ninth Ward, Clothilde Mack’s home suffered significant damage from Hurricane Katrina as the water level crept to the attic, where she was forced to stay for 10 days without any food or water. Rescue teams from New York City sent a helicopter for Mack, but she was too weak to climb out of her house to get on board -- instead, Mack was picked up by boat. Mack, who had no flood insurance, is currently living in a FEMA trailer and hopes to move into her home as soon as possible.

“Someone in their 80s, like Mrs. Mack, could not possibly take on the physical, much less the emotional task of clearing out and gutting their own home, that's why we are helping her and hundreds like her through out the city,” said Chetta.

Gutting a home typically involves removing any items that can be salvaged; removing appliances, furniture and other household goods; removing damaged walls, ceiling, floors and wiring; and spraying the home with a sanitizing solution to kill bacteria. The volunteers working on Mack’s home are a group of approximately 16 students from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. The group work on Mack’s home is expected to take two days.

“Our volunteers really work hard while they are here. But, some of the most important work will be done when they go home and tell their stories, share their pictures of what they have seen and done here, and relay just how devastated our community is and how much more work is needed,” said Chetta.

Operation Helping Hands: Rebuilding Lives, One House at Time

Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said that the steady flow of volunteers from across the country to New Orleans is a sign of the generous nature of Americans -- and essential to the rebuilding effort.

“Hurricane Katrina was the worst disaster in the nation’s history,” Snyder said. “Never before has a natural event caused so much destruction in a densely populated area. The outcome of this effort will add to the future health of New Orleans and confirms the commitment of Catholic Charities to serving those in need, for as long as that need remains.”

Operation Helping Hands is a volunteer program of the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, established to mobilize volunteers from across the country to help seniors, the disabled, and those with little or no flood insurance gut homes devastated from the hurricane so the rebuilding process can begin.

The volunteer corps is organized of groups ranging from 10 to 15 people who come with their own designated leaders to volunteer for long weekends or a week in the Greater New Orleans area. To support this effort, Catholic Charities’ staff works in close cooperation with community, business, church, college, and other teams who will also recruit volunteers, provide accommodations, and supervise the work.

The 3,000 volunteers that have been recruited fro Operation Helping Hands come from across the nation and Canada, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and British Columbia, Canada.

Catholic Charities USA’s members -- more than 1,400 local agencies and institutions nationwide -- provide help and create hope for over 6.5 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For more than 275 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing. For more information, visit www.catholiccharitiesinfo.org.

With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source.

EMERGENCY COMMUNITIES IN LOUISIANA

2006-03-26T00:10:00.000-05:00

EMERGENCY COMMUNITIES
http://www.emergencycommunities.org/mission.html

Our Mission: Emergency Communities provides rapid, effective, and community-based relief that not only saves lives, but helps rebuild them. We create safe spaces for victims by providing kitchens with hot meals, medical care, legal advice, and education. Born from the horrific Hurricane Katrina disaster, Emergency Communities supplements traditional disaster relief models by involving people from within the stricken community and outside it together as an "emergency community." Victims and volunteers recover jointly from the disaster. We involve the affected community every step of the way, allowing them to determine their own needs and shape the nature of the relief we provide.

We are also non-political and non-religious. We are young and old, men and women, of every race, religion, and ethnicity. We welcome anyone and everyone to help in joining the Emergency Communities effort. There is compassion in everyone, and everyone has their own talents, experiences, and skills that they can bring to the community to help in the recovery.

Emergency Communities maintains an office in NY:

Emergency Communities
139 Emerson Place
Suite 001
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Emergency Communities is currently working at the following addess:

Emergency Communities
7718 W. Judge Perez Drive
Arabi, La 70032

Emergency Communities can be reached by phone:
917.442.8900

Email:
info@emergencycommunities.org

This map shows our location in St Bernard Parish relative to a major levee breech and the New Orleans French Quarter

« return to page top

ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS and OPERATION SAVE A PET KATRINA

2006-03-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rebie and Kenny Levingston

http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com/

AND

http://www.operation-save-a-pet-katrina.com/

click on the link above for more info and a short video on rescue efforts

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS WEBSITE

http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com

ARNO LOCATION
271 Plauche St., Jefferson, Louisiana 70123
Cross street: Edwards (off of Jefferson Highway)
ARNO main line: 504-571-1900

Take I-10 East to Clearview. Go south on Clearview.
Travel awhile and then make a right onto Jefferson Highway (west).
(This turn is past Airline Highway 61. You’ll see a McDonalds with a blown-out sign at the corner).
From Jefferson, turn right on to Edwards.
Then turn left on to Plauche St. Follow Plauche around and then make a hard right on to Plauche Ct.
Warehouse is on right. There is an orange sign on front door: “Animal Rescue New Orleans”

HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR ARNO
Out-Of-Town Volunteers, along with residents, STILL NEEDED!

1. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US UNTIL YOU KNOW YOUR ARRIVE/DEPART DATES.

2. OUT OF TOWN VOLUNTEERS, SEND INFO AS REQUESTED BELOW TO:
Robin Beaulieu, ARNewOrleans@cox.net

RESIDENT FOOD/WATER VOLUNTEERS, SEND INFO AS REQUESTED BELOW TO:
Susan Blackwell, sblackw8@yahoo.com

3. HUMANE TRAPPER VOLUNTEERS, SEND INFO AS REQUESTED BELOW TO:
Robin Beaulieu, ARNewOrleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

* Full name / Name of organization (if applicable):
* Street, city, state, zip:
* Cell phone, land phone:
* Email address:
* Brief description of experience working with animals:
* ARRIVE/DEPART dates in New Orleans:
** Are you bringing your own equipment, or will you use ARNO’s?
** Specify which geographic areas you would LIKE / NOT LIKE to trap in:
** Have you trapped for ARNO before?

4. Type “ARNO VOLUNTEER” in the subject line of your email, or we may miss it.

5. TO SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE HURRICANE RESCUE ALERTS:
email info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@brick.net
IN YOUR EMAIL, STATE:
--SUBSCRIBE TO KC HURRICANE ALERTS
--IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF LOUISIANA

ARNO PROCEDURE

1. LA RESIDENTS: Contact Susan Blackwell for a food/water assignment.
sblackw8@yahoo.com, 504-218-5090
After Susan confirms your assignment, attend one orientation meeting.
*Orientation meetings are held every Saturday at Plauche St. warehouse
between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. To schedule an orientation during the
week, contact Kelly Jenkins, kjenkinsarno@yahoo.com
Please work within your assigned section, so we know animals are fed
reliably. If you change sections, notify Susan. If you don’t, the animals
suffer because we no longer have an accurate record of coverage.

2. ALL VOLUNTEERS: Attend one orientation meeting.
271 Plauche St., Jefferson, Louisiana 70123
Cross street: Edwards (off of Jefferson Highway)
ALL volunteers MUST attend one orientation meeting.

3. HUMANE TRAPPER VOLUNTEERS: Attend one training session prior to working in the field.
Training will be arranged to coincide with your arrival at ARNO.

4. If you cannot make a meeting, contact ARNO coordinators to schedule
your orientation:
Kelly Jenkins, Ground Food/Water Co-Director
kjenkinsarno@yahoo.com, cell: 504-858-6886, 504-894-8590

Robin Beaulieu, Out-Of-Town Volunteer Coordinator
ARNewOrleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

Teresa Baker, Ground Food/Water Co-Director
tbakerarno@yahoo.com, cell: 504-914-6512

Susan Blackwell, Food/Water Program Assignments Director
sblackw8@yahoo.com, 504-218-5090

ARNO CONTACTS
ARNO voicemail: 504-571-1900

Charlotte Bass Lilly, Executive Director: arnocharlotte@cox.net

1. (RESIDENT) FOOD/WATER PROGRAM ASSIGNMENTS DIRECTOR
Susan Blackwell: sblackw8@yahoo.com, 504-218-5090

2. (OUT-OF-TOWN) VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Robin Beaulieu: ARNewOrleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

3. GROUND FOOD/WATER PROGRAM CO-DIRECTORS
Teresa Baker: tbakerarno@yahoo.com, 504-914-6512
Kelly Jenkins: kjenkinsarno@yahoo.com, cell: 504-858-6886, 504-894-8590

4. PLAQUEMINES PARISH COORDINATOR
Ramona Billot: ramonabillot@yahoo.com, cell: 504-606-3116

5. SUPPLIES & FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR
Melissa Cruse: mcruse2@cox.net, 504-908-6068, 504-831-7594

6. CAT TRAPPING ADMINISTRATOR / RESCUE-TRAP REQUESTS
Leigh Schmitt: leighschmitt@bellsouth.net, 504-571-1900 Provide location, description of animal to be trapped, contact name, phone number.

EMERGENCY TRAPPING REQUESTS (pregnant, sick, injured)*
Leigh Schmitt: leighschmitt@bellsouth.net, Emergency number: 504-485-3671
Provide location, description of animal to be trapped, contact name, phone number. Please describe emergency in detail. For example: Limping, bleeding, possibly or definitely pregnant, kittens present, etc. We have many requests and need to prioritize.

7. CAT TRAPPING/TNR COORDINATORS and DISPATCHERS
Celeste Gilbert, DVM: artloverlibra@gmail.com, 504-202-7503
Beth Rota: bethrota@yahoo.com

8. DOG TRAPPING COORDINATOR – INTERIM
Robin Beaulieu: Arneworleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

9. REUNIONS COORDINATOR
Robin Beaulieu: Arneworleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

REUNIONS CONSULTANTS
Liz Dubuis: emds@comcast.net, 214-632-3943
Donna Schwender (STEALTH): schwender@aol.com, hm: 607-589-7231 607-589-7231

10. GUARDIANS SEARCHING FOR LOST COMPANION ANIMALS
No Animal Left Behind, Anita Wollison, noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com, cell: 302-668-8614
http://www.noanimalleftbehind.blogspot.com

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

OUT-OF-TOWN VOLUNTEERS MAY STAY AT NEW ARNO LOCATION
271 Plauche St., Jefferson, Louisiana 70123
Cross street: Edwards (off of Jefferson Highway)
--Site open for volunteer lodging on Tuesday afternoon, January 31, 2006.
--Bring portable bedding (cot, sleeping bag, air mattress, tent) to sleep on floor.
--Electricity and bathrooms available. No showers.
--Small kitchenette, but no meals served. Travel self-sustaining.

RESIDENT “FOSTER HOMES” FOR VOLUNTEERS
ARNO set up "foster homes" for out-of-town volunteers. For more info,
contact: Robin Beaulieu: ARNewOrleans@cox.net, 504-913-2328

HOTELS (Volunteers have told us about...)
Days Inn, in Harvey ($99; sharing makes it reasonable) 504-366-8531

Quality Inn, in Gretna ($112; Two beds) 504-366-8531

The Whitney, 800-WYH-DHAM, 504-581-4222, 504-207-0100
610 Poydras Street, Corner of Camp and Poydras

Wyndham New Orleans, 504-566-7006
http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYCP/main.wnt

Chateau Hotel, 504-524-9636; 1001 Chartres Street, New Orleans

Joe & Flo's Candlelight Hostel, in French Quarter ($25.00 per night, 1 person)
1129 N. Robertson Street, New Orleans
Book room online:
http://www.hostelz.com/display.php/29284+Joe+&+Flo's+Candlelight+Hostel+-+New+Orleans
http://www.realadventures.com/listings/1033981.htm?&mNewSummaryStyle=2&mOption=ChangeSummaryStyle

OTHER NEW ORLEANS HOSTELS & BUDGET HOTELS:
http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php/ChosenCity.New%20Orleans/ChosenCountry.USA

VACATION RENTAL BY OWNER
http://www.vrbo.com – Listing of N.O. vacation rentals still in operation.
Some as low as $75 per night. Inexpensive if shared. Individual owners post
places, so worth asking if they’ll offer discount to volunteers.

F/W PROGRAM SUPPLY NEEDS

CONTACT: Melissa Cruse: mcruse2@cox.net, 504-908-6068, 504-831-7594

SUPPLY SHIPMENTS TO:
Animal Rescue New Orleans
1219 Coliseum Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

Dry Cat Food (always urgent)
Dry Dog Food
Wet Cat Food
Wet Dog Food
Pop-Top Canned Cat Food and/or Canned Mackerel
Deep Dish Aluminum Trays (disposable lasagna trays),

Cots, Air Mattresses for Volunteers
Bottled Water, Gatorade, Energy Bars, Snacks for Volunteers, Food Gift Cards for Volunteers

GIFT CARDS: Wal-Mart - Office Depot – Office Max - Home Depot - Petco - PetsMart - Sam’s Club
Gas Station Gift Cards: BP - Shell
IDENTITY T-SHIRTS FOR VOLUNTEERS - $23 to $25 - Order: http://tinyurl.com/dnpae

Vet Care & Spay/Neuter - MONETARY DONATION
Make payable to/send to: Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street; New Orleans, LA 70130

MONETARY DONATIONS

Make out check and send to:
Animal Rescue New Orleans
1219 Coliseum Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

Make tax-deductible check to Southern Animal Foundation
Write in memo: Animal Rescue New Orleans
Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street; New Orleans, LA 70130

GIFT CARDS: Go to any Walmart, purchase a gift card, and mail to:
ATTN: Animal Rescue New Orleans
1219 Coliseum Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

HURRICANE ANIMAL RESCUE SHIRTS!
http://acustomtshirt4u.com/1800SaveAPet
FRONT: “If I leave, they leave... In Memory of Hurricane Katrina Animals”
BACK: “Animal Rescue New Orleans. 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com”
proceeds benefit ARNO

2006 ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS CALENDAR
http://www.lulu.com/animalrescue
Order by phone: Cafepress, 1-877-80-1659 / product number 43860967
proceeds benefit ARNO

*********************************************************
TO SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE HURRICANE RESCUE ALERTS:
email info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@brick.net
IN YOUR EMAIL, STATE:
--SUBSCRIBE TO KC HURRICANE ALERTS
--IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF LOUISIANA
*********************************************************

HURRICANE ALERTS COMPILED BY:
KINSHIP CIRCLE
info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@brick.net
Brenda Shoss * http://www.kinshipcircle.org

*DISCLAIMER:
Information in all alerts is verified with original sources, to the best of
our ability. We cannot assume responsibility for the consequences of its
use. Kinship Circle

###

Jane Garrison with Blake, rescued dog.

PBS Nature: Katrina's Animal Rescue, first shown on November 20th. Check local listings for more info.

Photo: HSUS.

ARNO SECTION MAPS, CLICK HERE!

1/16/06: Update on Max, the kitty shot with an arrow.

1/15/06: Adopt any pet from any local shelter to make space for more Katrina pets still being pulled from the destruction. Send this link www.Operation-Save-A-Pet-Katrina.com to anyone you know who loves animals.

1/15/06: Cat Feeding Station Slideshow and Owens Street Cats

1/8/06: A Neverending Storm for Katrina's Lost Animals: Random acts of cruelty on the rise in New Orleans. Read the press release and find out how you can help.

12/19/05: Support ARNO by purchasing the 2006 Animal Rescue New Orleans Calendar. Proceeds benefit ARNO.

FELINE KATRINA SURVIVORS
& THEIR MOM

by smalk50

by smalk50

by smalk50

by smalk50

by smalk50

by smalk50

BASIC VOLUNTEER INFO FOR COMMON GROUND IN NEW ORLEANS

2006-03-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

commongroundvolunteers@gmail.com

Volunteer Information

Submitted by kerul on Thu, 2006-01-12 13:46. Volunteer | Announcements

Thanks you for your interest in volunteering with the Common Ground Collective. The information below will help you to prepare for your time in the New Orleans area.

You can find more background about Common Ground on this website along with our new volunteer handbook.

If you have further questions, contact the Volunteer Coordination Team at 504-218-6613, or send an email to commongroundvolunteers@gmail.com.

The mailing address for the Common Ground in New Orleans is 1415 Franklin Street, New Orleans, LA, 70117. NOTE: This is not the address of the community center.

If you decide to come and volunteer it is really important that you fill out a registration form online.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Volunteer Orientation-

There is a new volunteer orientation everyday at 5:30 PM at the community center, located at 1614 Pauline Street (at the corner of Pauline and North Claiborne). This short meeting will give you an overview of the history of the Common Ground Collective, general health and safety information, and other information you will need while working with CG.

Housing -

Common Ground provides BASIC communal housing for all volunteers. We offer space in the Community Center, either a bunk bed, a cot, or space for your sleeping pad/mat. It’s first come, first serve. Bring your own bedding, e.g. sleeping bag and pad. There are often smaller houses available, but most all our spaces are basic - gutted out buildings that we have cleaned up. Camping is also an option, so if you want, bring a tent.

There are showers on-site but you may not be able to have one every day. And, the shared bathrooms are part of the revolution.

Food-

Common Ground will provide three meals per day. Our volunteer kitchen staff does include vegan and vegetarian choices. Strict vegans and vegetarians may want to bring dietary supplements such as vitamins, power bars, peanut butter etc. Food allergies can be accommodated. Notify the kitchen when you arrive. It is also great when people can bring snacks or fresh produce to share.

Weather-
Check www.weather.com for the latest weather information. The zip code to use is 70117.

Getting to Common Ground

The Community Center is located at 1614 Pauline Street, at the corner of Pauline and North Claiborne.Click here for a map!

If you are driving, you can visit Craig's List or our online forum to search for travel buddies to share costs.

If you are flying, the New Orleans airport is open and convenient. There is a shuttle bus that will take you to the community center for $13. The website for the shuttle is http://www.airportshuttleneworleans.com. The shuttle only runs until around 8PM. Contact the volunteer coordination team at commongroundvolunteers@gmail.com or 504-218-6613 if you are arriving later than that.

If you are arriving by bus or train, you should catch a taxi directly to the community center. If you cannot afford a taxi, contact the volunteer coordination team at commongroundvolunteers@gmail.com or 504-218-6613.

The Work (If you have a particular skill, please identify yourself to the Volunteer Coordinator during the Volunteer Orientation)

Some of the things you might do in New Orleans:

House Gutting/ Mold Abatement
Distribute food and supplies to community members
Support work at the Free Medical Clinic
Emergency home repair to damaged homes, including roof tarping, debris removal, tree trimming, etc.
Legal support for residents affected by police brutality and violations of renters' rights
Environmental monitoring/bio-remediation, gardening
Childcare Cooperative support
Other miscellaneous jobs such as staffing the women’s center, repairing computer, cars and bikes, running errands, washing dishes, general upkeep and providing security for the Common Ground housing locations

WHAT TO PACK:

Sleeping bag and pad or inflatable mattress
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Work clothes
Sweater, rain jacket, possibly a hat and gloves
Closed-toe shoes and extra pair of comfortable shoes
Hand sanitizer
Toiletries and towel
Camera or video camera to record damage
Cell phone
Specialty needs
Insect repellent
Tent if you are camping
Instruments, books, arts supplies
If you can, bring a full or half-face respirator, with N100, P100, or R100 cartridges, tyvek suits (1 per day), work gloves, and sturdy or rubber boots. If you do not have or cannot afford protective gear, it will be provided for you.

If you or your group can bring other things to donate that is also appreciated. There is a downloadable donation letter on our website that you can bring to local stores. Please check our online wish list but,

3mil Contractor Bags
Small Tools – hammers, crow bars etc are always needed
Work Gloves

Check the website for updates.

Remember, the circumstances you are entering are part of a DISASTER ZONE. It is important to take good care of your mental and physical health prior to arrival and during your stay.

We are excited to work with you in a mass effort of 'solidarity, not charity.'

Thanks on behalf of the Common Ground Collective

www.commongroundrelief.org

The International Rescue Committee and Hurricane Katrina

2006-03-24T15:23:00.000-05:00

www.irc.org
They have an office in Boston.
This story is from their Atlanta office.

Photo: Louisa Assibi/International Rescue Committee

When Temika, Michael and their four little girls were evacuated from their devastated Orleans Parish, Louisana, community, relatives in Baton Rouge who were also hosting another family could provide nothing more than a roof for their guests. Temika asked for help in finding a more permanent solution and when the IRC offered relocation assistance to Atlanta, she readily accepted.

Posted By: Kathleen Sands
www.irc.org

CHLOE AND ZOE are CANINE KATRINA SURVIVORS

2006-03-24T14:46:00.000-05:00

These littermates ended up at Northeastern Boxer Rescue and are looking for a permanent home. Scroll to the right to see all of their pics. Here is their story:

Available for adoption through Northeastern Boxer Rescue

mail to a friend

Chloe & Zoe (CT)

fostered in CT
16 weeks
Females
natural ears
natural tails
Approx Weight: ? lbs.

Back

12/21/05 - Meet Chloe and Zoe, two of
the sweetest puppies you could ever hope to meet.
They are approximately 16 weeks old and are typical
well adjusted puppies. Chloe and Zoe were
two of the lucky ones to survive the ravishes
of hurricane Katrina.

Their mother and siblings were drowned in
the flood waters in New Orleans.
Luckily they were rescued by a national guardsman
who put them in his pockets and took them to safety.
They were transported to a shelter and they spent the
next several weeks in a foster home in Arkansas
before coming into our rescue program.

Chloe and Zoe enjoy the company of children
as you can see by the photos. Both of them are
great with other dogs as well as cats, and will be
a welcome addition to a loving family.
They like to chew as do all puppies,
but they will direct their chewing to appropriate
toys and chewies as long as they are available.

They love to run and play hard with each other,
and then play with the 5 and 2 year old children
in the foster home. When they finish with their playing
they find the nearest empty lap to curl up on to sleep
and recover. They also love to play with the resident cats.
However the cats are not at a stage in their lives where
they enjoy the idea of being pounced on by a playful puppy,
so the girls are learning that slow and easy is the way to make
new friends.

Chloe and Zoe are both very smart girls and are
doing well with house breaking, although being
puppies they have not mastered the art of asking
to go outside. We have had them spayed and they
are ready to be adopted into a loving home.
We would like them to be adopted together.
Please consider welcoming these two little cuties into your home.

If you are interested in
adopting this dog, please
fill out an online application
first.
Then e-mail ALL contacts
listed below. Be sure to
include your full name,
city, state, and area code

in the subject line of your
message.

mail to a friend

Chloe & Zoe (CT)

fostered in CT
16 weeks
Females
natural ears
natural tails
Approx Weight: ? lbs.

Back

(click pictures to enlarge)

Boxer Rescue Contact Area:

Northeastern Boxer Rescue

Jane Scott - JaneScott@BoxerRescue.com
AND
Pam Fosco - pfosco@snet.net

Home | Adoption Application |Available Dogs | Contact | Sitemap
Northeastern Boxer Rescue is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization

(click pictures to enlarge)

Boxer Rescue Contact Area:

Northeastern Boxer Rescue

Jane Scott - JaneScott@BoxerRescue.com
AND
Pam Fosco - pfosco@snet.net

Home | Adoption Application |Available Dogs | Contact | Sitemap
Northeastern Boxer Rescue is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization

A Volunteer from Maine Remembered from CGR website

2006-03-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

Meg Perry 1979 - 2005

Submitted by jenka on Mon, 2005-12-12 00:48. Announcements

click here for HAWC - the hurricane action worker's collective - a group created by meg's friends in her memory to continue her work in the gulf

On December 10th, 2005, Common Ground volunteer, Meg Perry, 26, was fatally injured in a tragic accident in New Orleans. She is survived by parents Rosalie and Robin Perry, one sister, Jennifer and hundreds of friends. Meg was a dedicated organizer who drove the Frida bus from Maine to support residents of the Gulf Coast region after Hurricanes Katrina. Eight others survived the accident without serious injury.

Common Ground Collective's hearts and minds are with Meg's parents and family during this time of grief. We too are grieving the loss of a great friend and a committed activist. Meg poured her heart and soul into her work; at Common Ground Collective, at Save Our Selves and with the People's Free Space in her home town of Portland, Maine. Here in the Gulf Coast, she was working to improve the lives and living conditions of New Orleans's residents.

Meg Perry was an energetic, passionate, kind and dedicated person. She filled her days working for justice, building community and bringing love and joy into people's lives. She was always ready with a warm smile or to lend a hand. She came down to the Gulf Coast soon after Hurricane Katrina, and only left in October to recruit more volunteers to come down. A Maine newspaper quoted her in September saying, "Get enough people and you can move a mountain."

Meg lived every day her philosophy of progressive change and mutual aid. While
working with CGC, Meg did roof repairs, youth mentoring and coordinated a community garden. The Frida Bus, a vegetable powered mobile community space, has been used for the last two and a half years to bring people together, share resources, and
provide information about alternatives to fossil fuels. Meg logged many hours designing, renovating and decorating the bus in an effort to create a beautiful, safe, educational space for her community. For her it was truly a labor of love.

In Portland, Maine, Meg was a coordinator with the People's Free Space, a community group fighting social, ecological and political injustices. After Meg's initial trip to the Gulf Coast to work with both SOS and CGC, she returned to Maine, recruited volunteers, and came back to support the same projects. Meg believed we must change the ways we interact with each other and the world around us to address fundamental injustices. Small actions can have a big impact. Meg demonstrated that statement through her daily actions. She dramatically affected many lives while in the Gulf Coast while doing relief work.

Meg and other volunteers that traveled to the Gulf Coast were deeply moved by the tragedy that people in the region suffered this hurricane season. They came in the spirit of volunteerism and mutual aid. The survivors have vowed to return to continue her legacy, by building Common Ground's Meg Perry Community Garden Project, at St. Denis St. and Havana Place. This community encourages people from across
the US to come to the Gulf Coast to continue this crucial work.

The "Meg Perry Memorial Fund" has been established to provide an alternative to sending flowers in rememberance of Meg. This fund will be used to support educational programs for hurricane survivors and to sustain the humanitarian efforts to which Megan dedicated her life. Contributions may be mailed to the Meg Perry Memorial Fund, c/o Key Bank, 172 Maine St., Brunswick, ME 04011

Collective Conscience- Jamaica Plain Volunteers for Katrina Relief

Houma Nation's Appeal for Donations and Assistance

New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative

New Orleans Biodiesel Initiative (NOBI)

"Trouble the Water"

A JP Report Back from Post-Katrina Louisiana

Make It Right Nine

Protests In New Orleans 12/20/2007

Protests In New Orleans

Bostonian Volunteers in the Gulf-from Bay Windows 8/2/07

VOLUNTEER WORK CONTINUES--MORE HELP NEEDED

HANDS ON NETWORK NEW ORLEANS & GULF COAST

Minors and Young Adults:

Safety Precautions:

Items to Remember:

The Work We Do

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES in LA and MS

United Peace Relief

VETERANS FOR PEACE -BUILDING SHELTER FROM THE STORM

A BOSTONIAN' S TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS

UPDATE ON ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS

ARNO's New Buddy

BRING THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

BRING THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

UPDATE ON NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS

AS SHE GUTS HER HOME 69 YEAR OLD ORA BELL

KATRINA:ONE YEAR LATER with The Times Picayune

HOW TO GUT A HOME FROM ACORN WEBSITE

ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS

"I was here nine months ago. I'm shocked to see it hasn't changed much". AS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY APPROACHES THE NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS IS URGENT

NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS CONTINUES

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Volunteers Urgently Needed! Help please, foward to anyone who might be able to help.

SUMMER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH COMMON GROUND

Summer Projects and Volunteer Opportunities

SHELTERING THE CATS OF KATRINA

Common Ground Continues Work

VOLUNTEER WITH COMMON GROUND THIS SUMMER

Summer Projects and Volunteer Opportunities

KATRINA ACTION

UNDERSTANDING KATRINA

SEVEN MONTHS AFTER KATRINA

BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT COULD TAKE 25 YEARS FOR NEW ORLEANS TO FULLY RECOVER

AP Interview: New Orleans could take 25 years to recover, Bush administration says

BAYOU LIBERTY RELIEF NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer Information

KATRINA JOB RELIEF

ANIMAL RESCUE VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED

UNITED PEACE RELIEF NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

NEW ORLEANS AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED WAVELAND MISSISSIPPI

NEGLECT IN NEW ORLEANS

Neglect in New Orleans

SIX MONTHS AFTER KATRINA WHAT BAY ST. LOUIS MS NEEDS

OPERATION HELPING HANDS

EMERGENCY COMMUNITIES IN LOUISIANA

ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS and OPERATION SAVE A PET KATRINA

HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR ARNOOut-Of-Town Volunteers, along with residents, STILL NEEDED!

ARNO PROCEDURE

ARNO CONTACTSARNO voicemail: 504-571-1900

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

F/W PROGRAM SUPPLY NEEDS

MONETARY DONATIONS

ARNO SECTION MAPS, CLICK HERE!

1/16/06: Update on Max, the kitty shot with an arrow.

1/15/06: Adopt any pet from any local shelter to make space for more Katrina pets still being pulled from the destruction. Send this link www.Operation-Save-A-Pet-Katrina.com to anyone you know who loves animals.

1/15/06: Cat Feeding Station Slideshow and Owens Street Cats

1/8/06: A Neverending Storm for Katrina's Lost Animals: Random acts of cruelty on the rise in New Orleans. Read the press release and find out how you can help.

12/19/05: Support ARNO by purchasing the 2006 Animal Rescue New Orleans Calendar. Proceeds benefit ARNO.

BASIC VOLUNTEER INFO FOR COMMON GROUND IN NEW ORLEANS

Volunteer Information

The International Rescue Committee and Hurricane Katrina

CHLOE AND ZOE are CANINE KATRINA SURVIVORS

Available for adoption through Northeastern Boxer Rescue

A Volunteer from Maine Remembered from CGR website

Meg Perry 1979 - 2005

HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR ARNO
Out-Of-Town Volunteers, along with residents, STILL NEEDED!

ARNO CONTACTS
ARNO voicemail: 504-571-1900