It is good to see our community coming together. It is nice to see the Fiero is more than a car. Fiero is said to mean proud and I am proud to be among this close knit group.
Among other things I am doing to help, I would like to be able to organize some work details. More realistically, let them organize themselves. I would like for this thread to be used for work needed to be done and work skills, services, equipment, and tools available. Also for volunteers that can help as the needs arise.

Right now, we do not know what needs to be done. I am seeing structural damage east of New Orleans, flooding in New Orleans, and am unsure west and how far west of New Orleans and what kind of damage. How far inland also. Structures in New Orleans may be razed.
Having been through some similar devestation, I have some insight. The debri will need to be hauled to the street where Red Cross will come by with picker type trash removal equipment. This is labor intensive. In the flooded areas, this will be nasty with mud and other sediments. Carpets will need to be ripped out, cut in sections likely as they will be heavy with wetness and sediment. And then replaced. Flooded houses will need power washing to clean the sediment. Sheetrock will need to be ripped out and replaced. Painting will need to be done. Heck, I am missing a bunch but want to get ahead of the curve. EDIT...some hauling most likely will need to be done.

I live in Kerrville, about a twelve hour drive from New Orleans. I work a week and then am off for a week so I can make some time to effectivly help. New Orleans is about as far as I can realistically go, but help will be needed east of there. Labor is in my work description and I work when I am off work. I can haul debri. I can do sheetrock work including texturing and have the tools to do so. I am also good at light construction and have the tools to do so. Painting, yep. I also have a trailer mounted steam cleaner which should handle two wands and believe I have everything needed to set it up as such. I also have a portable power washer such as you see at Home Depot. I can leave that up there on loan. EDIT...I also have automotive experience and tools.

Gear one might need, should include work clothes that will get nasty from the clean up. Work boots/rubber boots, gloves. A rain coat/work slicker can come in handy. You can work in the rain. Lodging is a consideration. I can sleep in the back of my truck or in the cab if necessary. Just like camping, so all your camp gear will come in handy. Most of this is common sense as the task will dictate.

EDIT...Of course, any and all thoughts and ideas are welcome.

[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 09-05-2005).]

It's my belief, in New Orleans anyway, that for a lot of these homes and businesses, they will be condemned and torn down en masse.
Many will have been underwater for weeks if not months before any cleanup can begin, and the pollution factor is going to be serious.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: It's my belief, in New Orleans anyway, that for a lot of these homes and businesses, they will be condemned and torn down en masse. Many will have been underwater for weeks if not months before any cleanup can begin, and the pollution factor is going to be serious.

Thats what I've been thinking, is that wouldn't that city have to be totally demolitioned and everything rebuilt? Are they actually going to rebuild it? Who knows..

I can easily see that. I just want the offer on the table. If that is the case, salvage work it will be. Many may rent and not have to deal with clean/rebuild.

By the way, this thread has a linky in Cliff's main Katrina thread.

I was was speaking only of N.O. proper, but the same or worse, holds true for regions east of the city. Most structures aren't even there anymore. Now, the further north you go along the 250 mile swath on the coast, as well as a little to the east, is where you are going to see a big need for help. There, you will find structures still in reasonably good shape that folks can move back in to. These are areas where there is little flood damage, and the wind effects of the storm had weakened to a cat 1 or 2 storm, which is survivable for most buildings built anywhere close to code.

I know you are talking about volunteer work Cliff, but there is going to be a lot of oportunists pop up over there too-trying to make a quick dollar off people's misery and misfortune. They will be weeded out in short order, if what I saw from Andrew's attack on Morgan City area is any indication.

There will also be a huge # of legitimate jobs opened up but from what I've seen in the past, the 1st offerings will be to those in the immediate area, whose usual jobs have been swept away by wind and water.

Construction jobs will also be plentiful, tho somewhat temporary, as is always the case in disaster areas.

For those looking for oilfield jobs, the oportunity is going to be there in spades. Mostly repair on current equipment, but also full time work in the oil patch, because, unfortunately, a lot of those employees are now probably deceased or injured. Many are now spread out all over the lower 1/2 of the country as evacuees. They should be 1st in line to go back to work as the situation allows.

A word of caution Cliff. Even in normal times, the mosquitoes of south La are ledgendary. With all the standing water, it's going to be much worse. Think twice about sleeping in your truck. Mosquito borne diseases are going to be a real concern down there.

There are also already serious discussions going on about the water inside the levee system in N.O. It is going to be highly polutted with both bacteria and industrial waste. The big question is whether to just pump it out or to treat it 1st, then pump it. If it's to be treated 1st, then it could be months and months before N.O. is once again dry.

I don't mean to sound negative, but this is a never before seen event, and we are just now in the preliminary stages of assessing the situation.

Yep, I agree, I think a lot of the places (99%) will need to be torn down and scrapped. Sure, they can get the wetness out, but by then its mold growing and dont forget all the framing, nails getting saturated and slowly rusting inside their holes, next little breeze the nails wont hold.. Only way to fix them is to put on new hurricane clips and braces all through the buildings with fresh galvanized nails... I can imagine what a mess it would be working on them... drywall, insulation, wiring would all need to be redone or rechecked..

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I don't mean to sound negative, but this is a never before seen event, and we are just now in the preliminary stages of assessing the situation.

You do not seem negative. A realistic view is needed in a recovery effort. I appreciate your insight. There may be little or nothing that I can do in this endeavor yet I believe the idea is of merit. If one good thing comes from it................ The offers of help in my time of need were very comforting even though I could not use most.

Mesquito born diseases notwithstanding, I had meant to include OFF in my list of gear one might need. I always carry a can with me anyways. They are pretty thick where I am working, one town (Clute) having a yearly Mesquito Feastival.

One thing that I can't understand, why are so many requests being made for "volunteers" when thousands of people were left homeless- are these people totally incapable of "volunteering" themseves? What can I or anyone else do that many of these people are so incapable of doing themselves? Seems to me that there are at least thousands of people already there that aren't doing anything that could volunteer themselves. How hard can it be to teach someone to pass out food? To unload a truck? To do many of the things that a volunteer would be asked to do? I understand that this is a very stressful and unfortunate situation for them, but for volunteers to have to go into that area to help thousands of people that can't volunteer themselves, sorry but in my opinion, I have little sympathy for people that are too lazy or unwilling to volunteer to help themselves and require others to come in and help them. I can understand a need for people with technical knowledge, but if you need someone to help out with general labor type work, then maybe they need a kick in the ass to get them to start helping themselves out a little more.

OK, here's what I've learned. The best way to help in person is thru your local or regional Red Cross. What you will need to do:
1. Take the Red Cross Disaster course. They will fix you up with that and no one can go without it. They want everyone on the same page as to what to expect. They are pretty much out of their usual volunteers and are needing new ones to relieve some of those who went in early on.
2. You must be ready to travel within 24 hrs notice.
3.You need to have a current tetanus shot and hepatitus A vaccine.
4. Be willing to go where they send you-you don't get to pick and choose.
5. You should have a sleeping bag, and be able to sleep on a cot.
6. You must be able to lift 50 lbs, as cases of water alone weigh that much.
7. Usual deployment is 2 weeks

The problem is, most of us, and I'm guilty as well, don't even think about joining the Red Cross, United Way or other organizations till AFTER a disaster strikes. By now, most of us have seen the local tv coverage of our units rolling out in caravans for the Gulf Coast. These are the volunteers who are already certified, trained and ready to go where ever they are needed. We all need to be part of that "army" and ready to go. Many employers allow their people to be off without any problem--some even pay all or part of their salarys while they are deployed.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: As of this morning , there were estimated to be over 1/4 million displaced Katrina victims in Texas alone. The other non-affected southern states are equally being utilized. The ones left down there are just worn out from the storm and mental exertion. Asking those left to do the volunteer work is NOT the American way of doing things. They've been thru enough already.

Yes, volunteers are people who can generally afford to take time off from work, people who either don't have kids, or can leave kids with spouses and/or childcare services. I would bet that there will be many volunteers out of the ranks of the refugees, but I don't think it's possible to put all the refugees to work simply because we can't afford to pay them and they can't afford to work for free.

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by F-I-E-R-O:

The best volunteers are people without stress on their minds, who have a home they can rest in and a shower they can use, have changes of clothes, and have free time. I doubt that a Katrina victim has much spare time in that they need to be doing all they can for themselves and thier families. There are job needs, permanent housing needs, transportation needs, needs which we can never imagine. I have been through something similar and I saw alot of neighbor helping neighbor. That counts as volunteer work.

Jazzman- I sent you a PM.

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: I don't think it's possible to put all the refugees to work simply because we can't afford to pay them and they can't afford to work for free. JazzMan

Actually, I saw on the news, an interview. I did not catch who it was but I think it was the Secretary of Labor. Speaking about how money was freed up for emergency unemployment benifits and grants, and to create jobs. Jobs for the victims that have lost theirs, mostly cleaning and rebuilding the devestation. I added the link for help in the Gulf State help thread. It was a Department Of Labor web site.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: As of this morning , there were estimated to be over 1/4 million displaced Katrina victims in Texas alone. The other non-affected southern states are equally being utilized. The ones left down there are just worn out from the storm and mental exertion. Asking those left to do the volunteer work is NOT the American way of doing things. They've been thru enough already.

And that may be one of the problems with America today. How long should someone need to sit and feel sorry about themselves and their situation before they could be considered as someone who could help out? Two weeks. a month, six months? There has to be a point where a person has got to pull themselves up and start to get involved. When we tell these people that it's OK to expect others to take care of them (please keep in mind that I am only refering to those who are able bodied and capable) we are perpetuating the same mentallity that created a segment of society that expects others to take care of them- because that's the American way. Ever walk into a slum or poor neighborhood? Look around and see trash and junk just laying around- how hard is it for someone who is able bodied to pick up a vacant lot, to pull a few weeds, maybe save a few dollars and paint a rusty railing... PRIDE- in my opinion, that should be the American way.