UJABlog.com

Hayley Fisher, York University student

When I told my mom that I wanted to go to New Orleans to build houses, she asked “haven’t all the houses been repaired already?” A friend said, in disbelief, “someone’s going to let YOU near a construction site?” and yet another was “but you’re only going to actually be repairing houses for two days…what good is that?” Coming to New Orleans has helped me to realize just how wrong these misconceptions are.

For starters, I’ve realized that two and a half years after the fact, the situation has improved only slightly. So many individuals are still without homes and FEMA slowly removing their trailers hasn’t helped. I’ve also (happily) realized that you don’t actually have to have ever picked up a hammer before in order to volunteer. Tasks like painting, gutting and installing insulation are not nearly as difficult as one might think and they can make a world of difference to a house. Lastly, I’ve realized that volunteering is not just about the amount of work one can get done on a house. I’ve found that seeing volunteers help repair homes can bring those who have experienced the devastation hope. Volunteers also bring home a very important message with them: Katrina is still an issue. The fact that two years have gone by and it is no longer sexy does not mean it is something we can just forget. So yes, in spite of lack of experience I was trained, then allowed near a construction site. Two days of volunteering can do more than one can imagine. And no mom, all the houses have not been repaired.