Day 2 - Arrival in Louisiana

We crossed over at least one levee, and drove into St. Bernard Parish. There were buildings with the "X" symbol on the side. One of the teens from the other church explained what that meant. The date went on top of the "X" and the Company name (of the National Guard or the Army) went on the side of it. The number of bodies found in the building went under the "X." We started to spot buildings all around us, but there were zeros under most of the "X" signs. Then somebody pointed to a building with a "3." It was sad to see that.

In Chalmette, we stayed with Hilltop Rescue and Relief, a Church of Christ relief organization that helps home owners in New Orleans rebuild. Hilltop Rescue operated from C.F. Rowley Elementary School, which doesn't have enough students to stay open as a school. So St. Bernard Parish lets them use the building for free. We arrived just in time to unload, unpack, and get our identification cards printed. Then we went down to have Jambalaya for dinner.

After dinner, Brendan got the two groups from Ohio together for "Orientation." He told us about mucking houses--our goal for the mission. We would go in, take away all the furniture inside, take away the carpeting, tiling, and baseboards, and then take away drywall and insulation. Brendan, who manages Hilltop Rescue, explained how to split up the garbage into piles for "electronics," "general junk," and "hazardous materials." We were also instructed in how to handle firearms, knives, and other weapons. This involved calling the police, calling Hilltop Rescue, and then setting the items aside in a fourth pile. After Brendan took questions and gave answers, he sent us to prepare lunch, snacks, and plenty of bottled water for the next day.

After that, we divided our group so that we could be two teams. People from both churches mixed to make each team. I don't know how Xenia divided. Since we were two teams, we were able to take on two house assignments each day instead of just one. We went to bed wondering what was in store for us.