SBP in on the Ground

SBP is OPEN!!!

The Clarks, Chris Evans, Joycalyn, Les and Liz and I are all back in SBP and working. We have cleaned the office and are starting to unpack tools from the 30+ houses that we were working on. Les is calling SBP clients and Joycalyn and the Muellers are preparing a community meal for residents who return tonight.

Zack

We Are Back!

SBP is back!!! The Clark Brothers (Paul and Mike) and the Muellers are back in St. Bernard Parish. The office is safe, the tools are safe and the Parish looks - all things considered - quite good!!!!!

First-phase St. Bernard Project staff will be in the Parish tonight, we'll hold community meals every evening starting tomorrow, we'll assess current jobsites through the weekend and we'll begin our rebuilding work on Monday.

Also, kudos to St. Bernard Parish officials who safely evacuated the Parish and ensured that residents and property were safe. Despite a large task, the Parish government effectively operated in spite of clear environmental burdens. I urge people who will be in St. Bernard to thank the local government for its hard and effective work.

I apologize for being redundant, but while we have escaped Gustav, all too many residents have not escaped Katrina. Now is the time to re-double our rebuilding efforts and to get the Community Wellness and Mental Health Clinic off the ground. We can only do so with your support.

Here's to moving forward!!!!!

Z

The State of St. Bernard Parish

All, as I see it, St. Bernard Parish was nearly untouched. A few windows were broken, signs were torn down,. roofs may have leaked. But, the result we have is truly a best case scenario.

Which leads us to next steps:

St. Bernard Parish has escaped Gustav. 3 years later, we have not escaped Katrina. There is an incredible amount of work left to be done. Folks from around the world had the people of New Orleans and St. Bernard in their thoughts and, at the end of the day, we made it. Now, it is time to translate the energy from the thoughts, worries and prayers into action.

We can't all come to St. Bernard, but some of us can. We can't all donate, but some can. And there is one thing that we can all do - spread the truth about both the problems (1,800 families still living in FEMA trailers in SBP alone) and the solutions (SBP's rebuilding and Mental Health Model). We have learned that people want to be part of the solution, but they can only help if they know the truth. So pls spread the word.

We can breathe easy because we made it. I just ask that we don't lose sight of the fact that we have not escaped Katrina yet.

-Zack

Words of Assurance

A tidbit of good news: From the Times Picayune - "A 90 minute drive through St. Bernard Parish revealed only 1 broken window." Tough for me to describe how great this feels. That being said, it must be so much more significant for residents.

To me, I think that Gustav represents a watershed: we've made it and shown that, when levies are appropriate, we can withstand a significant storm. Residents can return and know that they will be safe. Roots can be re-established. Families can return and know that they will be safe.

To all volunteers - while we have achieved great successes in the past. Now is the time to re-energize and double our work. New Orleans and St. Bernard are safe. Let's bring the residents home!!!

-Zack

Thoughts from SBP Staff

This is a time of convergence. Not only did we just see the three year anniversary of Katrina pass, but we also just commemorated the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. On August 28th, 1963 Dr. King proclaimed: "We have come to this hollowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy" (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm) King's words still ring true. With little progress since Katrina in terms of safety and security for residents of the gulf, Now is most definitely the time. Now is the time to advocate for our brothers and sisters living in the gulf, who deserve to be protected by their own government, with levees that are functional and that can with stand the hurricane waters. Now is the time to spread awareness for the realities that many of our gulf's residents have to face, that being unless we make it known that functional levees are a necessity, these residents may face another Katrina. There are many things that we as individuals can do to help save our people living in the gulf, little things that will make a big difference. We can donate our time or money to groups such as the St. Bernard Project, Catholic Charities or Habitat for Humanity, groups that are providing direct relief to gulf residents. We can talk to our friends and family about the issues that continue to face gulf residents. Most importantly, we can educate ourselves about the situation, a task that may mean traveling to the gulf for a first hand view.

This is a time of convergence. We are witnessing history in the 2008 election with an African-American man running for president, and a woman running for Vice-President. It is funny, because Obama's campaign is built on this platform of hope. I think he couldn't have picked a better word, but I think we also need not forget that hope is not just for those seeking political reform or relief from economic recession. Hope is something innate within humanity and it is the driving fire of our existence. It is hope that brought back Katrina survivors to the homes of their birth, ravaged as they may have been. In my travels to the gulf, I have learned that most remarkably, as dark as the storms may get, residents of the gulf still remain hopeful, always. I have seen it in the eyes of many Katrina survivors in St. Bernard Parish. We must remember the hope of the residents of the gulf, the hope that they may one day live and be protected in their homes. We must remember the hope that resides in the power of Now. We have the power to make residents of our gulf safe and secure. Let's tap into that power so that we may make King's dream, and the dream of gulf residents, a reality.

-Nick Starkman, St. Bernard Project Site Supervisor

In Response to Concerned Vol. Comment

Joanne: thanks for the the comment. I think that the client you are thinking about is Mr. Burkhardt. He is safe. His sister spent Friday at his house and they evacuated on Saturday.

SBP staff and volunteers spoke with almost all of our 180+ clients.

Each and every client has evacuated and is, to our knowledge, safe. Thanks for the thoughts. Pls stay in touch.

We Still Need You

While watching the Gustav TV coverage, I just had an inappropriate thought or feeling. I was temporarily overwhelmed by a sense of giddiness. I though, "we've made it," "St. Bernard is safe." I was elated. And then I remembered reality - in St. Bernard Parish, there are still 1,800 families living in FEMA trailers. There are thousands of other families, seniors and people with disabilities who are living in apartments or hotel rooms that are being temporarily paid for by FEMA - but only until mid-March. Even without Gustav, even three years after Katrina, there is an incredible amount of work left to do. When we left on Friday we were working on more than 30 houses. The waiting had more than 60 names. We still were accepting 10-20 applications a week.

So the goal of this Blog entry is to remind you: there is work left to be done. And to meet our clients' needs, we need your help.

Think of the following: We have plans to open a Community Wellness and Mental Health Clinic in mid-September, but we still have not raised enough funds. And while there was a significant need for mental health services before Gustav, the need when we return will be even greater. We will start building affordable rental housing for seniors and people with disabilities in September, but to do so, we will need even more volunteers.

And, to be sure St. Bernard Parish is not the only Katrina-devastated area that has not been rebuilt. Gentilly, New Orleans East and several other areas still have neighborhoods where there are more gutted homes than rebuilt homes. Despite the fact that these communities are in different parts of the Greater New Orleans area, one thing unites them - residents of all of the areas want to return, but will not be able to do so without help.

Liz and I have received hundreds of emails and thousands of prayers. We are very thankful for the support. It is clear from the calls that Americans care about the residents of the Gulf. We ask that you translate your thoughts and energy into direct support through one of three ways:

1. Spread the word - the St. Bernard Project has grown from a 2 person operation to a 32 staff-member led group that utilizes up to 275 volunteers each day. These volunteers come because people like you spread the word and ask them to come. Please continue to do so.

2. Donate: We needed your help before Gustav and we'll need it even more after. Pls visit our website and donate on-line!!!

3. Volunteer: Please make plans to join us. Without volunteers, we are nothing. With volunteers we can't be stopped!!!

-Zack

This Problem is Solvable

As I sit in front of the TV and watch the water crashing into the foot-thick levy in the Lower 9^th, one thought comes to mind: there is a man-made solution to this problem. As I understand it, the levy is 4 feet lower than it should be. If the water is cresting the Levy by a foot, it seems to me that a 4-foot higher Levy would do the trick.

Without a doubt, you will hear people start saying, "Why would people move back? Why does the government keep spending my tax dollars on an indefensible city? Shouldn't we just require that people live 100 miles inland?

In this rare circumstance, it is ok to answer a question with a question: Why aren't the levy's built the right way? What kind of government knows of solutions (affordable solutions, at that) and fails to provide them? Why is there such a disconnect between the will of the American people (as evidenced by the 8,000 citizens who have volunteered with us and the 1 million or more volunteers who have worked in the Gulf) and the actions of our government?

When we finally get down to an answer, I think that it goes something like this: New Orleans is an American City (1/3 of our oil comes through New Orleans). It is a city that has been inhabited for hundreds of years. It is a protectable city. And protecting the city with appropriate levies would cost less and provide a more certain and beneficial result for American citizens than fighting what seems like an unwinnable and never-ending war in the other Gulf (and one thing is sure, no single American soldier would be killed by building appropriate levies in New Orleans).

That is it for now. The next post will focus on the people of St. Bernard and my thoughts about why it is so very important to protect their community and way of life.

Pls share thoughts and responses.

-Zack

We Will Return

To start - let's establish a fact: THE ST. BERNARD PROJECT WILL RETURN.

Over these two years, if I have learned anything, I have learned that - when they know the truth, and when they know that they can make a difference - the American people want to be part of the solution. How else can you explain the fact that more than 8,000 volunteers, from every American state, have worked with the St. Bernard Project to rebuild 145 houses?

I am writing this blog (to my mom's chagrin) because Americans care, because our volunteers and donors have kept the people of St. Bernard in their heart, and because the truth needs to be represented.

So, I start at the beginning: Truth 1 - The St. Bernard Project will return. We will return to St. Bernard, and we will likely spread to other Gustav-related areas as well.

What will we do? That depends on the damage wrought by Gustav? We'll likely do some gutting work. We'll certainly continue our rebuilding work, even if we have to take a step or two back - because our clients deserve no less. And, most importantly, we'll do lots of client work, because Louisiana residents deserve to know that the American people care about them and will not forget them.

Over the next few days, I'll use this blog to provide updates about our clients, our staff and our plans for the future. If people would be interested, I'll share some of my thoughts and experiences during our Gustav-required temporary exodus.

I have to go now, but please reflect on ways that you can be part of the solution in the Gulf. Pls post ideas, pls ask questions and please know that problems are not mandatory, but solutions are.

-Zack