Archive for April, 2008
crawfish land
It’s pretty hot in Louisiana!
New Orleans was a great time. From crawfish and gumbo to the French Quarter and Uptown, NO has a lot of food, culture, and jazz to offer. It also has a lot of volunteer work to offer as well. Some parts of NO have been completely restored while others resemble ghost towns.
A map of the flood levels
Some stats from UMSLDR:
- Unemployment is around 50%
- Slidell, a town on the north of New Orleans have been 85% restored
- New Orleans proper is around 10% restored.
- Suicide rate has tripled.
- Takes UMSLDR $25,000 on average to restore a home.
- UMSLDR has a 90 day goal to restore a home but it usually takes longer (depends on amount of volunteers)
- Habitat rebuilds homes around $95,000
- In some areas, the flood levels reached as high as 12 feet.
The Lower Ninth Ward was hit the hardest. The houses that had some hope of being restored were left, the others were demolished and cleared away. Most of the foundations of the homes were left.
[piclens-lite-link]
Google Map of the location of the pictures above:
View Larger Map
We worked on two houses. The first house needed side paneling finished on the remaining two sides. In addition, the 2nd floor of the house needed to be gutted (removing sheet rock, insulation, debris, nails, etc). This house belonged to a woman named Pam. The trailer you see outside the house belongs to her and she’s been living in it since 2005. She lives alone and spends most of her day working and taking care of her 90 year old mother. The next steps to restore her home is rewiring, plumbing, and sheet rock. Parts of the roof need work as well.
[piclens-lite-link]
We never met the owner of the second home. They are relocated elsewhere and are waiting to return. This house was at the beginning stages of restoration (needed to be gutted and sprayed and washed of mold). It got pretty hot in those marshmallow suits. We found a dead bird in one of the rooms.
The spray painted X shape on the house was a common sight. Each of the quadrants indicated various information such as: date inspected, team inspected by, and body count. Another common sight were FEMA trailers in front of destroyed houses.
[piclens-lite-link]
We also saw a lot of New Orleans. Here are some pictures from our excursions.
[piclens-lite-link]
New Orleans needs more help! I can help you out if you are interested in going.
gumbo
We’re going south! Reg and I will be in New Orleans to do some relief work. There’s a ton of work still needed to be done. See you in a week!
Footage of the Ninth Ward, three years later …
Palm Meeting
Regina and I went to P.a.l.m. (Pastoral and Laity Ministries) this morning. Palm serves as a ministry catalyst, coordinator, and resource for Asian American pastors and their churches and congregations.
[piclens-lite-link]
Linguine w/ prosciutto, peas, and sage
Big Frank and Linda Update
[piclens-lite-link]
spotted pig
Regina and I went back to the scene of the crime … er … where we got engaged. (11th and the westside hwy) We didn’t have much time to celebrate her birthday with just the two of us because it was a busy weekend. And so we went to the spotted pig with just the two of us. Happy 28th wife!
[piclens-lite-link]
Pigeon Update:
Regina’s been keeping tabs on Big Frank and Linda
[piclens-lite-link]
birthday!
Regina, cousin mike, my 93 year old grandma, and the family dog all had birthday’s recently. Today was Regina’s actual birthday. Happy birthday wife! Love you!
[piclens-lite-link]
[piclens-lite-link]
People, Big Frank, and Linda
Regina loves to entertain … and these people look entertained!
[piclens-lite-link]
btw the cheese that jason bought is super cheap! Buy it here
Rita and Big Frank are expecting!! Regina and I discovered that they’re building a nest. Regina started a daily blog about this :: Click Here :: Let’s see what hatches!! (Side note:: the pigeons were shot with a 135mm telephoto lens that belonged to Regina’s grandfather. It’s a little difficult to use since it lacks the auto settings of today’s lenses.)
goodfeathers
Remember the goodfeathers from Animaniacs?! Good times watching cartoons after a long hard day at school. Squit, Bobby, and Pesto – wikipedia helped me look up random trivial information once again.
Regina and me live across the way from two pigeons who live under an air-conditioner. Regina named them, “Linda” and “Big Frank”. They take pretty good care of each other. Here are some shots of them taken by both Regina and I. Enjoy!
[piclens-lite-link]
Linda and Big Frank
Regina also made her own doritos. Very Tasty!
[piclens-lite-link]