Volunteer-grad to return to help rebuild New Orleans

(Catholic Online) From the moment he set eyes on the workers repairing the roof at the New Orleans Superdome in January, Patrick Semansky was touched by the immense damage that had been caused by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed.

Now, at the one year anniversary of Katrina, Semansky, prepares to return to the city and work for Habitat for Humanity. He will begin work as a coordinator of construction volunteers on September 25 at a site called Camp Hope located in Violet, LA in St. Bernard Parish. Semansky, of San Mateo, Calif, had traveled for one week to New Orleans with some classmates to volunteer for a school program to help clean out damaged houses. The desire and inclination to volunteer came from his educational roots at his college, Santa Clara University, from which he graduated in June. He said in an August interview with Catholic Online that he was influenced by Jesuit teachings of volunteerism, a strong connection to community and an emphasis on social justice. During his one week stay in New Orleans, he saw and photographed images of destruction that affected him on a deep level. There were constant reminders in the streets, on storefronts and on buildings of that damage that had been done by the hurricane and then by the flooding that followed the break in the levee. The sight of ninth ward, the area most affected by flooding, told the story of the vast extent of damage that had been done to homes and properties. Many people had not yet returned to their homes because the conditions were unlivable. Some may never be able to return at all due to their lack of insurance coverage or lack of money for reconstruction or renovation. There were even boats left sitting in the middle of streets by the receding waters caused by the flooding. The barge that supposedly caused the break in the levee still stood aground, anchored into the earth, evidence of the unfortunate turn of events that caused the break in the structure of the levee. The mission of the trip was to assist in cleaning out houses damaged by water. He and his classmates worked in teams wearing the required long sleeves, boots, masks, hard hats and goggles. Since the level of flooding reached six to eight feet in the houses, there was dampness everywhere and there was an offensive odor. The smell was so bad that at first he felt sick. Then after a while, he and his team members got used to it. One of the homes they worked in had a water line at the roof level. The house felt like a swamp and had mold growing all the way up to the ceilings. The work was heavy-duty manual labor. The goal was to gut the insides of the houses that had been affected by the flood waters. This included removing water-soaked sheetrock, rugs and personal belongings. The debris was then piled outside the house to then be carted away by trucks. He spoke of a poignant moment when he saw a woman watch her water-damaged worldly belongings being lifted by a crane and dumped into a truck. She shed no tears. The woman said she had done enough crying, she couldn't do it any more. These images that he saw and photographed while in New Orleans influenced his decision to return. "These people need help," he said. He will also bring his camera. Semansky, majored in English in college, but his favorite pastime was working on the school paper and doing photography. Recently completing a photojournalism workshop taught by award winning photographer, Stan Grossfeld, Semansky hopes to be in a better position to document the aftermath of Katrina and to then be able to share the story of the rebuilding of this beloved city from a personal, on site perspective. - - - Mary Carty is the Home and Family editor of Catholic Online www.catholic.org.

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