New Orleans, Getting There and Settling In

In June of 2006 I traveled to New Orleans with a small group from my church to help Samaritan's Purse with the post Katrina clean-up. Many houses in New Orleans were contaminated with mold and had become unsafe for workers to rehab. The mayor had declared that any house that was not decontaminated would be bull-dozed for public heath reasons.

De-molding is expensive, and was not affordable for many. Because of this Samaritan's Purse was on an urgent mission to de-mold as many houses as possible before the coming deadline to give owners more time to repair their homes.

Packed into a station wagon 5 of us traveled down to NYC where we flew non-stop to New Orleans. It was only my second time flying, the first when I was 8, and I was nervous. Several thoughts ran through my head; how can such a large plane not fall from the sky, will I get sick, and more importantly, who will be sitting next to me. Luckily the flight was uneventful and I was able to sleep most of the way.

When we arrived, the first thing that hit leaving the airport was the heat. A wave of oppressive heat smacked my face as if to say "welcome to the south". Between the 95 degree temperatures and the 100% humidity, I had to stop walking to breath. After a few moments I adjusted and was on my way. It amazing how humidity can affect the way we feel heat or cold. I have experienced the desert of the south-west, and it routinely gets above 85 in August in the north-east, but I have never felt so hot before in my life.

We rented a van to drive to the Samaritan's Purse shelter where work crews were being housed. It was a community center's gym, divided into a woman's side, men's side, and common area. Shower trailers were set-up outside along with bathrooms. After leaving my stuff on a cot, I played a quick game of basketball with friends, followed by a training session on safety and our mission.