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Reply To: | Yes, we set off an A-bomb but we are really sorry about it. |
Date: | Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:37:42 -0200 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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Brian,
I had a brief amount of time to talk w/ Travis at the IPTW. Assuming
that is who you reference.
I was too tired this morning to put together a report for BP... and my
first e-mail of the day informed me that a friend has terminal prostate
cancer.
I would say the event was an outstanding success and dysfunctional all
at the same time on many levels. I will leave off reports on the
dysfunctional.
The residents that we interfaced with were incredible folks.
After spending this morning working on recovery of my senses I did have
an opportunity to start in the late afternoon working through the
digital vids we collected.
Want to get to the task while it is still fresh.
I will say now that it is certainly difficult to stage an event
involving neighborhood in a neighborhood where a majority of the
residents have not as yet been able to return.
The site of the main tent was on Army Corp of Engineers land up next to
the levee w/ the Mississippi & Industrial Canal behind us. They were
present and provided levee tours.
We had 4 neighborhood houses that we did work on... out of hundreds
possible and out of 25 that had been initially reviewed on-the-ground.
It was all asses & elbows.
Magnitude is not a large enough word. My brother came over frm Houston,
where there is a lot of resentment for the NO folks that do not go home.
We drove north of Holy Cross to the area of Lower 9 where the industrial
canal breached. I had been there in December. Though the place is
cleaned up it seems not much changed for 14 months since Katrina. Jim
got to see firsthand why they do not go home so quickly.
I feel that there has to be a comparison to the Oakies for the displaced
and that in the flush of the event the politicians made their cut and in
quick time the event and the victims w/out clout or resources are pretty
much forgot as we move onto the next newsworthy crisis.
Talking w/ the lawyers, I was the token contractor on a panel of 3
lawyers (one w/the Board of Contractors, the guys that license the
contractors in LA), we only had one resident attend our session...
nevertheless I caught on that a significant amount of non-documented day
labor w/ fly-by-night unlicensed contractors are running rampant. They
take on as much work as they can get, take deposits etc. then as they
get more profitable contracts from the next desperate homeowner they
abandon the ealier less-profitable work. I also heard that folks are
getting hit w/ theives coming in and walking off w/ architectural
details. Very very few houses are resided in... though there do seem to
be a small number... the impression is that they are hiding in their own
houses lest at night they get preyed upon. National Guard was present...
and I was told that they bring everything out at night. We walked
around, moved around freely and there were no reported muggings. Rumor
was that the crime had dropped once the govt/ had cleared out the crack
heads. That may sound harsh... but it is no more harsh than what I wld
have to say for my own neighborhood on LI if we were similarly hit by
unpleasant weather. Lots of no people around but you can hear the birds
singing in the trees.
][<en
Brian Robinson wrote:
>Anybody got a report from IPTW? I had a former student tell me he had a great
>time but was discouraged by the magnitude of the task of recovery in NOLA.
>
>I will be leaving for Pittsburgh in the AM.
>
>Brian
>
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