Back in New Orleans

We are all so happy to be back in New Orleans. Yes.
Just a recap on the last days in Biloxi. Dancing at the only gay bar in Biloxi-JUST US. Saturday a large group of us went to a house to demold it-the goal was to get the whole house done in a day-we almost made it and the rest was finished the following day. I enjoyed scrapping the black mold off of the wood. We worked mainly on the ceiling and it was hard with my glasses and goggles getting wet from sweat and resisting taking them off. The respirator is hard to breath in when you are working hard and needing more oxygen.
The highlight of the day for me was talking with the home owner who shared his photos of Katrina taken over the entire coarse of the storm. After Camille hit and they had a foot of flooding in his mom's home they decided to build the building on steel beams as stilts and build out that area into a living space. He wanted to be prepared if their was another Camille, even if it was twice as bad. He couldn't believe how the water continued to rise and rise.
He showed us a picture of the house across his street that floated away and hours later another house floated in and landed in the same expect place. He and family members swam out to rescue 30 people and they all waited to be rescued in their attic with no food or water. Many more stories....one that really got to me was the story of a fire fighting team who showed up for duty about a block away and got caught in the water rise. By the end the water covered the entire truck and the firefighters standing on top of the firetruck had water up to their knees. They had to wait to be rescued too. Insane.
He was so nonchalant about the whole thing but had tears in his eyes when he told us about a couple who climbed a tree and ended up drowning. So sad.

I wish there was a place to go here where I could be alone. I've fixed up my bunk with sheets covering all sides, x-mas lights, hooks to hang up stuff-trying to create my own space that feels like me. I'm wearing headphones and listening to music as the girl on the bunk next to me is talking loudly on her cell phone and the kitchen crew has their music blasting. I may force myself into the group room and try to start up a board game...or just stay in my bunk. It's too loud to read. If anyone reading this has some DVDs to send me I would love that.
I'm working with a crew to gut a house tomorrow and I hope to see much more of New Orleans.