Post-Katrina New Orleans; The rubble that is two years new

In a city where the disaster of Hurricane Katrina has devastated the lives of nearly half a million, there is a ray of hope and happiness shining through. The Ninth Ward of New Orleans is slowly, but surely, being revived thanks to the efforts of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and ACORN. The CAW is the largest private sector union in Canada, dealing with several workplace, economic, and social justice issues, but thanks to bargaining with the “Big 3” (Ford, Chrysler, and GM auto companies), CAW became involved in Canada’s international relief effort.

At the one-year anniversary for Katrina, about 250,000 people were displaced from their homes, and just a few months away from the two-year anniversary almost 50,000 people have moved back. Since August 2006, the CAW, working with ACORN, has helped some of these people return by building six houses in the 9^th Ward. One of those people was Mrs. Jacqueline Buggage, a resident of New Orleans her entire life. She was able to move back into her home in March, following the work of the CAW volunteers. Now she is able to host Sunday dinners for her family, a simple tradition that was impossible before she had her house back because they were spread out throughout the greater New Orleans area, and continue with her life. During their return visit on June 19^th to see the work of their volunteers, Colin Heslop and Jim Mitchell of CAW were happy to see that the homes of people like Ms. Buggage were fully functional and felt like home.

In another visit to the home of Ms. Josephine Butler, Heslop and Mitchell were happy to learn that some of the homes built were designed to be energy efficient. Ms. Butler is 85 years old and has lived in the 9^th Ward since 1949. Her home was built with a steep-slanted roof with a system that allows the hot air to escape, keeping the house cool. The house next to hers has three solar panels, saving the homeowners $100 a month on electricity. After Katrina, Ms. Butler returned to see that her house had been moved across the street and completely destroyed. Surprisingly, she was able to find two vases that her late husband gave her for a present before he passed. The vases were whole and barely touched, leaving Ms. Butler with something happy to remember. Thanks to the efforts of the volunteers, Ms. Butler was able to move back into her brand new home in March.

Unfortunately, there are still 200,000 or more people that have not come home. There are still endless houses to gut; a number of them are on ACORN’s list to fix. The biggest problem right now is money. Mississippi has gotten almost twice as much federal money per family as Louisiana, and that is not how it should be. This lack of money has contributed to a much higher death rate and a higher crime rate. The government’s numbers on the death rate are based solely on the number of deaths in the city, not the surrounding areas. These deaths are also from murder, considering that New Orleans has become the number 1 murder capital of the country. The work of the CAW volunteers has contributed to a rise in concern for the condition of New Orleans. The United Auto Workers have also begun to provide their services for help. With the help of these unions, and the support of community groups like ACORN, New Orleans can once again become the Crescent City.