This morning we entered the wrecked, former home of an elderly Jewish couple. It was obvious from the parve, meat and dairy signs on the dish cabinets, the tzedakah boxes, and Kiddush cups, among other things. (Trust me, this could have been Bubbie's house). Unbelievably, there was still food in the pantry. The couple has since moved to New Jersey – the husband has Alzheimers. Their son is affiliated with Tulane. I assume the house will eventually be put on the market.
There had been eight feet of water in this neighborhood. The water settled at five feet and stood there for a long while. The house was a mess. Mold, cockroaches, maggots, mice, and mostly ruined stuff.
This work we’re doing is important, I suppose, and it makes us all feel really good to be pitching in. But one has to wonder if the recovery of these outlying areas of New Orleans is really an attainable goal. The devastation is so huge; it’s impossible to truly wrap your mind around it. Even if three or four families from each block do restore their homes and do return to these neighborhoods that are in the flood plane, how will the sparsely populated communities ever really function on a full scale again? And, of course, what if another category four or five hurricane rips through this part of the world again? Sam, who was born and raised here, and who clearly loves New Orleans, has caused me to begin thinking about this on a different and perhaps more realistic level, and with each ounce of physical effort I now invest in this monumental task (and oh, we are such a miniscule part of what is being done and what remains to be done), I consider more and more the alternative possibilities and solutions.
On the other hand, how can you possibly deny someone their neighborhood… their home?
More photos.
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