Working with Power Tools

On this Raider Service Break, participants visited New Orleans, Louisiana, also known as the “Big Easy.” While there, we partnered with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO), a group that rebuilds houses affected by natural disasters primarily for educators. This issue remained close to my heart because people’s livelihoods were affected greatly, and sufficient assistance was not immediately available to help with recovery efforts.

The most impactful experience during this project involved learning to work with power tools and alongside community locals in their efforts. Having never touched power tools or done construction and building type projects before, this experience taught me that building in general is doable and can truly give a community a facelift. Ray and Jeremy, two workers from YRNO, taught us how to use power tools to build headers and walls. Of the tools shown, my favorite was the use of the drill and nail gun. My most surprising build was the installation of brand-new windows on a house being erected. By doing such activities, a community can benefit from not appearing as battered and beaten as a result of natural disasters.

The water irrigation systems and barrels that fed into the garden areas filled with swampy natural features used the rainwater to maintain the water supply to the plant life in the gardens. The organization supplying these accepted donations and collaborated with local artists to offer a more aesthetic feel on the exterior of the barrels. These types of garden accessories could benefit other communities like our own here in Lubbock.

Another organization from Marquette University partnered with YRNO and the Texas Tech Raider Service Break participants. This group split with us into two assigned projects - one of which included a visit to Ms. Gloria’s Garden. This project required switching of lots which meant all her property needed to be relocated from a larger sized lot to a smaller one. Some participants removed and replaced posts, others painted furniture and cinder blocks for the compost area, and refinished buckets and containers that held the plants for the lot. This vibrant project resulted in the addition of color and ambience to the lot.

A New York group also joined in at one point. Working with people from places far and wide, such as Wisconsin, New York, and New Orleans really shined the spotlight on how global community efforts can unite people with a sense of purpose. Being exposed to so many different groups culturally turned out to be a neat experience because interaction with others outside the Lubbock community expanded my thinking about rebuilding efforts.

One person that really got me thinking about the issues affecting New Orleans was John, a Tulane graduate. He showed us his home and also took us on a tour displaying the integration of the Green Movement, including one of the first projects in New Orleans to offer more of a scenic park setting to contrast with the current big city feel. His home had been redesigned from scratch and seeing other finished products of the previously tackled home builds really help create a vision of where some of the assignments we faced were heading over the long haul. I found myself inspired to work harder to see the finished products we would create in the timeframe we had there.

One heart-wrenching tour that served as an eye-opener and necessary experience to have involved a visit to the Whitney Plantation. This made me realize that the devastating history of slavery extends far beyond the textbook to a very real human experience. Though it seems far removed, I found myself acknowledging the fact that it is still very recent and relevant especially given that people can share stories today of their own family members that suffered because of slavery on this very plantation. The most awakening moment was witnessing the small cramped quarters and the cages the slaves were placed in before their sale. The moment that made me feel an overwhelming sense of sadness was seeing the faces of people and the value placed on them for their sale as property to others in transfer of ownership. I was also interested in seeing that the blacksmiths made collars for runaway slaves to entrap them. No matter how hard I tried, I could not grasp how any human being could suffer through such treatment.

In between the volunteering and work hours, we had the opportunity to explore the culture that is New Orleans. In the French Quarter there lies a 24-hour beignet shop called Cafe Du Monde. As a group, we placed our orders using the menus on the napkin containers to select our options. I ordered a hot chocolate and a set of 3 beignets. It tasted like a fluffy cloud covered in powdered sugar. Having this be my first time eating a beignet, I had no idea they came covered in powdered sugar and made the mistake of wearing black. Despite it all, it was super worth it and highly recommended since beignets are a New Orleans specialty. Another tasty adventure involved our visit to the Oceana Grill. I had my very first ever Po’ Boy made of blackened gator bites. When in New Orleans, definitely feast on some gator. Another highlight of the French Quarter involved visiting a museum dedicated toward memorializing Hurricane Katrina. I was reminded of my family’s survival of hurricanes in the South Padre Island region and was able to compare it to the experiences of those in New Orleans where minimal assistance was provided. I found myself wondering how decisions get made regarding how help is dispersed and what constitutes a national emergency.

Saying goodbye to New Orleans was difficult because on our drive we encountered a severe thunderstorm with hurricane force winds and tornado watches. This served as a real reminder of the hard truth the people of New Orleans face in that all their rebuilding efforts can come up against any natural disaster at a moment’s notice and need to be restarted yet again. I realized that this experience can be devastating, but it truly takes a commitment on the part of the rebuilders to continue pushing forward and maintain that vision of progress for their community. Without these ongoing efforts, the city of New Orleans may have a very different outcome.

- Krysta Gonzalez