University of Virginia, New Orleans Journals\r\n\r\nFriday, January 13, 2006\r\n\r\nRaleigh Anne Blank, College of Arts & Sciences\r\n\r\nOur last day in New Orleans began with threatening skies and \r\n\r\nthunderstorms. The clouds came through quickly, making it \r\n\r\npossible for us to embark on our journey to the Ninth Ward yet \r\n\r\nagain; however, the storm did not cease until we arrived at the \r\n\r\nsite and as we traveled we continued to pass devastated homes \r\n\r\nand businesses. As the wind howled and the rains pounded the \r\n\r\npavement beneath our car, the radio paused to issue a weather \r\n\r\nwarning for Jefferson Parish. The alert was almost eerie. What \r\n\r\nhad the alerts sounded like in late August?\r\n\r\nAfter driving to the site we fell out of our vans tired from the \r\n\r\nweek but excited to serve yet another citizen of the city we have \r\n\r\ncalled home for the past four days. We were able to complete \r\n\r\ntwo houses today; one planned, another unexpected. The first \r\n\r\nhome was one we had started with earlier in the week. We \r\n\r\nprimarily worked to clear out the drywall and bathrooms that \r\n\r\nremained in tact in the house. A word to the wise: you have no \r\n\r\nidea how hard it is to demolish tile. After clearing the floors of \r\n\r\nthe home, we headed to yet another.\r\n\r\nWe hadn’t planned to help Darrell and his cousins but when he \r\n\r\nasked to borrow tools we told him he could borrow us. We \r\n\r\nentered the home to do what we’ve done day in and day out \r\n\r\nhere in the city, demolish homes.\r\n\r\nDemolish. It seems like such a strong and harsh word but \r\n\r\nKatrina did just that, it demolished lives. This week, we as a \r\n\r\ngroup worked hard in hopes of piecing together these lives.\r\n\r\nThe future of the people we helped this week, the future of the \r\n\r\nremaining New Orleans citizens and the future of the city itself \r\n\r\nis uncertain and the work here is no where near completion.\r\n\r\nHowever, the storm today ironically captured the essence of the \r\n\r\nfuture of New Orleans because as the clouds cleared and winds \r\n\r\ndied down we saw a rainbow shining in the sky. That rainbow \r\n\r\nsymbolized the hope and history rooted deep in this city. The \r\n\r\nbeauty that followed the storm today will follow Katrina in the \r\n\r\ndays, weeks and years to come but without the help of others \r\n\r\nthere will be no rainbow, no beauty and perhaps no New \r\n\r\nOrleans.\r\n\r\nOriginal URL: \r\nhttp://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2006/NewOrleansJourn\r\n\r\nal15.html