Locals discover much work remains after Katrina

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Nearly 11 months after Hurricane Katrina barreled through New Orleans and its surrounding parishes, pictures of destruction have disappeared from the airwaves.

But two local volunteers discovered that the final chapter to the Katrina story is far from completion.

Gail Buehler and Leslee Austin were planning a get-away, just the two longtime girlfriends, as they do every two years or so. A city trip to New York was at the top of their list.

Then Buehler saw a segment on TV about the conditions in Katrina-hit areas months after the storm had flooded whole neighborhoods. She couldn’t believe the report that some neighborhoods were still completely destroyed.

The New York vacation had to wait. Instead, the two South Whidbey women volunteered their vacation time to help in St. Bernard Parish, one of the hardest hit neighborhoods.

“We had friends say: ‘What are you doing there? It’s all over,’” Buehler said. “But it’s not.”

The destruction that became familiar to people across the country via TV news is still the picture of reality.

“Ten months later — it looks like Katrina hit three weeks ago,” Austin said.

“Seeing miles and miles of devastation — it’s a sight that can bring you to your knees,” she added.

Many St. Bernard residents feel their plight is little known and generally ignored by the nation as a whole, having been overshadowed by the proportionately less severe but more visible damage in New Orleans, the women said.

While most of New Orleans’ tourism sights are open for business, the condition of destroyed neighborhoods like St. Bernard are unknown by most, as they were to Austin and Buehler.

The working class parish is struggling to rebuild.

“It wasn’t a rich parish. It was a very working class parish,” Buehler said.

When they arrived at St. Bernard Parish, they were not prepared for the devastation that awaited them.

Even today, an entire community lays destroyed in the aftermath of the floods that came after the levees burst and displaced many thousands of families last August.

With little government organization, slow relief, and abundant confusion, residents still need help to recover.

Months after hurricane Katrina drove them from their homes and destroyed their possessions, some survivors still live in shelters, others in hotels and FEMA trailers. Just a few have begun to rebuild.

By the time Austin and Buehler arrived in St. Bernard, volunteers had gutted about 1,500 homes in the area.

It takes about three days and a crew of 10-15 to do one house. Crews return day after day to do the same work they had began once the water had receded.

Families put their names on a waiting list for volunteers to gut their house. Everything has to be removed; all the sheetrock, floors, anything and everything that potentially could harbor mold.

Buehler and Austin chose to cook for the countless volunteers in the parish. They knew they were not cut out for the hard physical labor of moving debris and gutting homes.

“We knew our limitations,” Austin said.

Still, they wanted to help and knew they were needed.

They volunteered for the early-morning-breakfast-to-lunch shift and helped feed 350 people every day.

Volunteers from all over the country still come, but far less than at the beginning, locals told the women.

Buehler and Austin slept and worked in a gutted elementary school. There was not much privacy, and the heat was sometimes unbearable.

Meals were prepared mostly outside. Everything ran on propane. Huge refrigerator trucks and tents served as the community pantry.

The volunteers had to be creative because they had to prepare meals from items they had in hand.

For Mexican dishes, marinara sauce had to replace diced tomatoes and taco beef was sometimes made from hamburger patties.

“Nobody ever complained,” Austin laughed.

Despite the dirt and destruction all around, the camp was very clean and volunteers made sure everything was in top shape when preparing meals.

The camp was watched by paid security staff.

“We always felt safe. Nobody ever told us not to go somewhere,” Austin said.

Several incidents in New Orleans, however, prompted organizers to be careful. Lawbreakers were the first to return after the hurricane hit, one law enforcement official had told the women.

Much of the area remains empty. Most big retailers, like Wal-Mart and Target, have not returned, Austin said. Strip mall after strip mall remains vacant.

People usually travel a minimum of 30 minutes to buy groceries. Many doctors and dentists are gone, having set up their practices elsewhere.

But slowly, small mom-and-pop restaurants and stores are opening again.

“They are locals,” Buehler said. “This is their livelihood.”

Many residents of St. Bernard are grateful for the help that they receive, but say they are disillusioned about government aid.

“Locals are really angry that help is not there.” Austin said. “They are angry at FEMA.”

Locals say FEMA has lost touch with how to help people effectively.

While the women were in Louisiana, FEMA announced that they would cut aid even further and also stop picking up garbage.

That meant huge problems for volunteer groups because they wouldn’t know what to do with the debris and everyday trash, the women said.

Locals feel left alone.

“The average person in St. Bernard has no idea if there is a plan,” Buehler said.

Another challenge for a community having to rebuild with just a fraction of its former population is the missing tax base. Few have returned – no matter their desire.

And in the area’s hardest-hit places, such St. Bernard, power or running water is still a luxury.

In St. Bernard Parish, some utilities make it possible to return, but just over 10 percent of its residents have done so.

“There is nobody there to pay,” Austin said.

After a week of hard work, the women returned to Whidbey Island with a new perspective. Tired but motivated, the experience has affected them profoundly.

“It’s such a cool feeling when you’ve done something like that. You feel so good. You push your boundaries,” Buehler added.

“Surprises happen when you try new things. Go volunteer, find out more about yourself,” Austin said.

“I am very glad we went,” Buehler said.

“New York will always be there,” Austin added.

Michaela Marx Wheatley can be reached at 221-5300 or mmarxwheatley@southwhidbeyrecord.com.