Miss Deborah rebuild
Donation protected
Deborah DeJean, a New Orleans native, bought her home in the 7th Ward 35 years ago by supplementing her school teacher’s salary with a variety of second jobs. She and her late husband raised their family in this house. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded it but they were able to raise the house and rebuild one side. That’s where she has been living ever since. On August 5th, 2017, it flooded again.
Miss Deborah actually spent her weekends in the spring of 2016 as a volunteer in Baton Rouge gutting flooded houses, so she and her son got to work, just the two of them. She soon discovered, however, that her frequent exposure to mold has left her with chronic respiratory problems, so she couldn’t continue. Finally, someone gave her our phone number.
Since then, the New Orleans Chapter of the Sisters of Charity has fixed the long-outstanding roof damage that was the source of the mold. We have mobilized volunteers from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, and Texas to complete the gutting and mold treat the house. We are ready to rebuild. The next phase is some minor electrical and plumbing repair and then we can be insulating and putting up walls, but we have nothing to rebuild with. We need the materials.
To add to the urgency, she now faces another challenge. New neighborhood property owners, many of them converting to short term rentals, see the condition of her home as harming their investments. As has happened to many of our home owners, she may soon face the adjudication process beginning with blighted property citations, codes enforcement fines, liens, and ultimately expropriation. They can’t do this, however, as long as there is work in progress.
Miss Deborah actually spent her weekends in the spring of 2016 as a volunteer in Baton Rouge gutting flooded houses, so she and her son got to work, just the two of them. She soon discovered, however, that her frequent exposure to mold has left her with chronic respiratory problems, so she couldn’t continue. Finally, someone gave her our phone number.
Since then, the New Orleans Chapter of the Sisters of Charity has fixed the long-outstanding roof damage that was the source of the mold. We have mobilized volunteers from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, and Texas to complete the gutting and mold treat the house. We are ready to rebuild. The next phase is some minor electrical and plumbing repair and then we can be insulating and putting up walls, but we have nothing to rebuild with. We need the materials.
To add to the urgency, she now faces another challenge. New neighborhood property owners, many of them converting to short term rentals, see the condition of her home as harming their investments. As has happened to many of our home owners, she may soon face the adjudication process beginning with blighted property citations, codes enforcement fines, liens, and ultimately expropriation. They can’t do this, however, as long as there is work in progress.
Organizer
Chris Schottland
Organizer
New Orleans, LA
