[StBernard] Gulf conditions grim

[Westley Annis]

Gulf conditions grim
Thursday, June 29, 2006
By Tarryl Jackson
tjackson at citpat.com --768-4941 
Rats, roaches and 10-month-old garbage. 

Not even these could stop Brittany Praay from working her hardest to rebuild
people's homes and lives. 

"Wanting to help someone was enough motivation for me," said the Grass Lake
High School junior. 

Praay was one of 75 volunteers from eight Jackson County schools who
returned last week from the Gulf Coast where they participated in the
Hurricane Katrina relief effort. 

They rebuilt homes in Bayou La Batre, Ala., and broke down ruined dwellings
in Chalmette, La. 

Trip organizer Marnie Hade, an English teacher at Northwest High School,
said some volunteers saw Bayou La Batre homes they had worked on in December
during their first relief trip. 

"We had the opportunity to see some of the progress that's been made," she
said. 

The hurricane flooded Chalmette with 30 feet of water. Many residents have
left the area or are living in trailers because their homes are
uninhabitable. 

"I was shocked at what I saw and what really hasn't happened yet," junior
chaperone Jason Pennewill said. "It's slowly getting better but not at the
speed that it should be." 

In one house, volunteers found freezers and refrigerators filled with
10-month-old meat, an odor made stronger by the 90-degree heat. 

Pennewill said they had to wear respirator masks with Vicks VapoRub in them
to help get through the smell. 

Northwest graduate Betsi Brown said it will take two years to rebuild the
city. 

"People need to know that it's not done with," she said. 

Praay said the local residents were grateful for the help. 

"They were just so happy to see that someone cared," she said. 

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