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Sisters from East & Central USA Help Rebuild New Orleans

 

Nunbuild - USA

14-18 November 2011
Sisters from the Eastern and Central Provinces joined about 45 other workers in the ongoing post-Katrina rebuilding of New Orleans: Sisters Teresa Byrne, Terry Eppridge, Regina Marie Fronmüller, Carole Marie Keaney and Marie-Celine Miranda

 

 

We are back safely from New Orleans. Thank you to each one for prayers and support. The pictures below may give you a glimpse of our week. Miss Yolanda, the owner, and her three sons were on the roof for two days awaiting rescue after Katrina. Within about 5 days after evacuation she made contact with her children. They were reunited after five or six weeks. For us, it was an excellent week and we made great progress with this home. Miss Yolanda came each day to see the progress and to express her thanks.
And we thank each of you.

 

First day on the job with the whole house crew. Miss Yolanda, the home owner, is in the middle of the first standing row. The site supervisor is Lisle, the smiling young woman on the left in the second standing row.

Preparation for siding.

Interior studs and workers Sisters Teresa Byrne and Regina Marie Fronmuller

Miss Yolanda Julien.

The guys putting up the ceiling sheet rock. Having 4 men on the job made these hard tasks so much easier

This is how the house looked at the end of the week.

Railing partially painted, some siding in place.

This is Larry Carriere and his two granddaughters. Larry was not able to qualify for Road Home funds to rebuild because he did not have the title to his home, (his daughter does and she has her own home and could only get rebuilding funds for one house) He took on the task himself with his savings but these ran out. All the money that was contributed to Nuns Build this year ($6,000) has been given to Larry to continue the work. He seems to be the sole custodian of his granddaughters. The little girl was just one at the time of Katrina. I have his story on video and it is both touching and funny. He and his father were left in the house for two days after the storm hit. The electricity on the top floor was working and they had food in the freezer. He told of grilling a rump roast on the top floor grill while waiting for rescue. When rescue did not come, the men snagged a floating section of two by fours, made a raft, and rowed themselves about 10 blocks to dry land.

Ursulines of the Roman Union / Ursulines de l'Union Romaine
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