Volunteers in New Orleans Get Drenched, Remain Undaunted
by Guest Writer on September 23rd, 2009Written by Kevin Daniels
My concern for Day Two of the New Orleans volunteer project was whether the team could retain the energy from Day One and push past the sore muscles. That turned out to be the least of the issues we faced.
The day started out great with lots of sun and the normal humidity. The team was able to match the same level of intensity from the first day and by noon we had accomplished a lot of our objectives. But right after the lunch break the thunderstorms rolled in and there were torrential downpours occurring about every 45 minutes throughout the rest of the work day. By the time we stopped work, everyone was drenched to the bone but had continued to work on their assignments and meet the objectives we had hoped to accomplish for Day Two.
On 603 Tricou, the GLY team was able to dig the foundation for the new addition, pour the new concrete footings, deconstruct the areas of the house that required it, shore up the areas in need and replace the roof structure with salvaged wood, before the downpour. But rain complicates any construction site, and the volume of water that dropped on the site was difficult to work around. At times the 603 team had to take shelter in the only room that had any roof on it at all. And with the lightening in the area, all roof work had to be postponed until better weather.
At 611, the team removed some of the siding and deconstructed a storage room that had been jury-rigged to the back of the house. This house is in the best condition of the three houses, so most of our efforts went to the other houses.
The third house at 623 Tricou required full structural repair of the floor members, so much of the day was spent removing the rotted lumber and then sistering new wood on to what remained. In addition, the structural engineers on the team worked on a damaged sill that needs to be replaced and strengthened the structural supports throughout the house where needed.
At the end of the day the team had accomplished more than I had hoped for especially considering the torrential rain fronts that had moved through the area. Everyone was thrilled to be going back to their hotels to take a hot shower and get ready for dinner together to share stories from the day. That remains my favorite part of the day and makes all of the obstacles and frustrations from the day just disappear.
We all look forward to Day Three because we switch from the deconstruction and prep phase to actually repairing the houses. But we all agree, please no more rain!
Learn more about our ongoing Gulf Coast Recovery efforts here.
Kevin Daniels is a preservationist and developer in Seattle, Washington. He currently serves on the National Trust’s Board of Trustees as vice chair of the Preservation Committee.
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September 23rd, 2009 at 7:35 pm
[...] National Trust for Historic Preservation and is blogging about the effort. To read the blog, click here. To learn more about the effort in general, click here. We also wrote about the trip [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 4:50 am
Hey y’all,
sorry you had to pack up your office and leave town.
We’re still trying to figure out that one.
But thanks anyway.
September 24th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
[...] Three of our New Orleans volunteer project just flew by. Started out with lots of sun and humidity, and we only had one thunderstorm that [...]
September 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
The closing of the New Orleans field office was a difficult decision for the Trust, but I hope we continue to make clear that the Trust’s efforts in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast aren’t going to disappear. Kevin Daniel’s example is note-worthy. He was inspired to get involved in New Orleans after visiting along with fellow members of the board of trustees, and he’s returned a number of times with larger and larger numbers of volunteers.
Through Trust advisors, past board members, our local and state partners, our National Trust Community Investment Corp, and the Southern Office, the National Trust will stay involved in New Orleans. We can’t afford to turn our back on this important city.