Hi folks. The Bucknell volunteers had a "non-work" day today which was great since the weather was so beautiful - blue skies and in the 70s. We began with a 9 am trip to the Louisiana State Museum where we viewed an exhibit on Katrina called "After the Storm." The main display was by a photographer for National Geographic, but there were also photos by high school students taken after they had been displaced. There were some video clips as well and a piano that had been in the home of musician Fats Domino, who lived in the lower Ninth Ward and had to be rescued following the flooding. It was a very sobering exhibit that showed some of the human impact of this tragic storm.
We were treated by some Bucknell graduates to delicious and plentiful lunch at Tujaques, the second oldest restaraunt in the city. Adam Faschan '87 and Dan Gerrity, '91, are civil engineers whose firm does consulting work. Their employees have been working on some public work projects that include helping St. Bernard Parish, Waveland, and Bay St. Louis with a number of recovery tasks including damage assessment, consolodating water infrastructure, waste water management, debris removal, and designs for new public housing. Dr. Faschan discussed a number of challenges faced by local residents and governments and both alums gave some perspective on what the media has and hasn't covered and some of the myths associated with the impact of the storm.
The rest of the afternoon, volunteers explored more of the French Quarter, bought gifts and souvenirs, and took in the sights. A number of people saw the special IMAX film "Hurricane on the Bayou" about the importance of restoring and protecting wetlands to preserve an important ecosystem that can buffer the Gulf Coast from future storms. One special highlight was that this evening most of our group joined an annual public event by caroling in Jackson Square in front of the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral. It was a real phenomenon, and Mayor Ray Nagin and a number of Catholic dignitaries and local leaders spoke briefly. Standing by palm trees in the warm evening holding candles and singing songs with thousands of residents, some of whom would be having their first Christmas back home after being displaced, was something really special.
Tomorrow, it's back to work bright and early with more home gutting ahead. The good news is that close to 200 new volunteers arrived at Camp Hope over the weekend. Most are young people on break from college or high school and it's great to have their enthusiasm for the difficult tasks of clearing away debris from the devastating impact of Katrina.
I'll try to write more tomorrow.
Janice Butler
Director of Service-Learning
