Woman helps ruined New Orleans rebuild

Paige Fowler New Orleans looks much worse in reality than on TV and still needs extensive cleanup more than six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Calabasas resident Paige Fowler said in an interview with The Acorn recently.

Fowler recently spent two weeks at a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) camp in St. Bernard's Parish in Louisiana where she helped strip ruined houses down to their shells.

The 24-year-old Calabasas High School alumna said she had intended to stay in New Orleans indefinitely, but had to leave after two weeks to make way for more young people arriving to help the hurricane victims.

Fowler studied intensive psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz and plans to attend graduate school this fall at Columbia University.

She taught English in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam between December 2004 and February 2005 after the tsunami hit the area.

The Acorn spoke with Fowler about her recent trip to New Orleans and how it's affected her life.

Q: How bad is it over there in New Orleans?

A: New Orleans looks far worse than what you see on TV. Outside the French Quarter, there are over 27,000 houses that have been sitting and molding since the hurricane. There are no working traffic lights, no gas stations and no grocery stores-nothing.

It looks like a war zone. It looks like nothing has been done since the hurricane, besides draining the 20 feet of water.

Makes you wonder what happened to the billions of dollars promised by politicians and donated by generous Samaritans everywhere.

After my first week, I knew I wanted-and needed-to extend my departure date. I was so moved by the depth of destruction and need for volunteers that I decided to stay indefinitely.

Q: Why were you only able to stay in New Orleans for two weeks?

A: I went to New Orleans with no departure date. I wanted to stay as long as I could. However, when I arrived to Camp Premier (a FEMA-run site with tents, showers, bathrooms, dining hall, etc.), I was asked what my day of departure would be-just to have a specific date written down. I was told I could change this date at anytime and extend my stay.

Well, I randomly said March 6. So, when that day came, I went to extend my stay, yet was told it was too late and that I would have to leave, as they had a large influx of new volunteers coming. My bed was to be given to someone else.

Over the next few days-and through many bureaucratic hoops-I was able to stay an extra week. Yet I was then told again I would have to leave for the same reason. Many students were coming in from all over the country for an alternative spring break. After many tiring efforts, I decided it was time for me to leave with the hope of possibly returning soon.

Q: So you'll definitely be going back?

A: I still have a desire to go back. There's just too much work to be done, and they need the manpower. However, I will not be able to return at least for the next few weeks as I'm preparing for graduate school this fall.

Q: Can you describe a memorable moment from your trip?

A: One most memorable moment of my trip involves feelings of disorientation, confusion and disbelief. I awoke one morning- still half asleep-and stepped out of my tent onto the grass to look across the river at mounds of debris, mud and dilapidated homes surrounding me.

I immediately had a flashback and became very confused. I felt as if I was back in Cambodia, in a Third World country so poor and unable to develop beyond meager means. But I was nowhere near Southeast Asia, but in my own homeland, and looking at the neighborhood of my fellow Americans. I became suddenly angry and eventually very sad.

Q: You worked with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. How and why did you get involved with that group of all the groups there were to choose from?

A: I got involved with Habitat for Humanity during my second week staying in the New Orleans area. I was attracted to the organization for the specific work they were doing in the area, and the size of the project. They were gutting-literally stripping down to the shell-hundreds of homes with thousands of volunteers. The project was organized and moved quickly.

Q: How life changing was the work for you? How has it changed your perspective on life?

A: It was definitely life changing. To see such destruction in your own country, and your fellow citizens and relative neighbors grieving and suffering in such an indescribable way is heartbreaking.

The absolute most frustrating thing is the media representation of the situation; not enough is shown. There aren't enough stories. People assume that seven months later, things are looking up and that the destruction and rubble has been cleaned (up).

The reality of the situation is that things are just getting started. Sure, money will help and donations are wonderful, of course. But we need to plan for the future, for the reconstruction of the Gulf.

Yet, when looking at such an immense disaster, and overwhelmed with the idea of where to start, plans get delayed and arguments ensue.

What we need right now is manpower. We need to help each other, to clean up the area. Regardless of whether reconstruction of deconstruction will occur, it's a war zone that needs to be cleared.

Q: How can people help?

A: They can volunteer their time, get on board and contact organizations (such as Habitat for Humanity, Reliefspark.org, Red Cross, Campus Crusaders and others) that are working in the area that will set them up with food and housing while volunteering.

Of course, monetary donations are always appreciated and accepted as well, if time is not an option for donation.

I'm really hoping to bring more attention to the desperation of New Orleans and show my California hometown how they can help, and how badly they're needed. This problem is not going away. It's just getting started. What can we do as fellow citizens to really help?"

Q: Why is it important that they help?

A: It's important as a sign of solidarity, support and strength as a nation. Look around us. These problems are occurring everywhere now. Look at the storms of the Midwest and those currently in California. Levees just broke in Sacramento County.

We must not become immune to these situations simply because we're not affected directly. That's unacceptable. This is not a new concept.

What is new is the frequency of national, natural disasters.