PA 2014: Pipes & Plastic

Roger Beer has been volunteering in New Orleans with various organizations since early 2006, no more than 6 mos after Hurricane Katrina swept through the south.  He and his guys have seen this city at its worst, and assisted with its journey back to being habitable and functioning for its residents.  Having worked through each stage of recovery, from removing debris from homes to gutting and reconstruction, these men have stepped into the realm of finishing work and progressing projects that will make our neighborhoods better than they were before the hurricane.
This year, accompanied by Smoke, Dave, and Gary, Roger spent the first few days hanging the front and back doors at Mr. Earl Millaud’s home, finishing a significant task in the process of returning to his home.  With doors on and locks in place, the house will be safe for him to live in.  He just has a few remaining touches to finish up now…

Next in line was the hooking up of the new 2500 gallon water tank at Garden on Marais- the second to be put in place to catch rain water to be used in watering the plants.  Roger’s team installed the first tank 2 years ago, including digging the trenches and installing the piping system to give access to the water on various spots at the garden.  Now, thanks to these guys, the second tank is ready and just waiting to be used during the hot summer months that are just around the corner!

Also at the garden site is the hoophouse which, since the last major storm that moved through New Orleans, is without its plastic covering.  Because it is not a climate controlled structure, it cannot be used to grow year-round unless a venting system is put in place.  It just so happens that some wonderful people from Illinois designed and made vents the week prior to Roger’s team!  The task for Roger’s team was putting the vents up and covering the structure with the plastic.  Not an easy task!  They succeeded though, and we are getting plans lined up to begin using the newly vented and covered hoophouse in the coming weeks.

Roger’s team ended the week working with Pastor Jose at Phillipi Evangelical COGIC hanging siding on their children’s building… on one of the coldest days New Orleans has experienced in a very, very long time!