While vacationing in New Orleans, Mr. A and I took a city tour which included the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Seeing for myself the devastation was very sobering indeed.
We were very surprised the amount of homes that have yet to be repaired or rebuilt.
It appears that there is so much work to do still.
Here, people are working on their home, but it looks so overwhelming.
It's hard to believe the water rose to 13 feet in this neighborhood, flooding the attics.
Notice the hole cut in the roof....
So many residents opted to leave New Orleans instead of rebuilding, leaving behind deserted homes.
 |
| Wikipedia |
Many vowed to someday return...
So I was happy to learn that in the Lower 9th Ward, rebuilding has begun in a very positive way.
In 2007, Brad Pitt visited New Orleans and was just as surprised to see little rebuilding, so he took action and formed the Make It Right foundation, which builds green homes for people in need.
He committed to build 150 homes in the Ninth Ward.
These aren't like the homes that were here before at all. Instead, they are LEED Platinum Certified using Cradle to Cradle technology.
This is an example of a Make It Right home with its solar panels and the only home I was able to personally photograph.
 |
| Make It Right |
The website though has many photos, depicting the varying and unique architecture of Make It Right Homes, designed by architects that have donated their services.
These homes are available to the residents of the 9th Ward before Katrina, as well as teachers and first responders.
 |
| Make It Right |
This home has a living roof planted with sedums which will help keep the interior cool.
All of the homes are at least five feet off the ground and come with escape hatches should another hurricane hit.
Designed by Shigero Ban Architects of Tokyo, Japan
 |
| Make It Right |
Some, even more which provides parking underneath, as well as safety from floods.
Pervious concrete is used allowing for storm water to infiltrate.
Designed by Concordia Architects of New Orleans.
 |
| Make It Right |
I think this home is attractive. It was built offsite as three modular units and assembled onsite.
Designed by Waggoner and Ball Architects of New Orleans.
 |
| Make It Right |
The interiors look to be very attractive.
The paint used is by Benjamin Moore and has no VOC's.
 |
| Make It Right |
All appliances are ENERGY STAR.
The cabinets are from Legacy Cabinets and contain no formaldehyde.
 |
| Make It Right |
The countertops are by Eco by Cosentino and are made with 76% recycled content.
 |
| Make It Right |
The floor coverings used are from Shaw using recycled and post-consumer materials, utilizing the Cradle to Cradle philosophy.
It's nice to know that the average price of a home is $150,000 making them very affordable.
 |
| Make It Right |
The Lower 9th Ward at sunset.
Kudos to Brad Pitt and the Make It Right foundation for making it right again.
Make It Right's mission is to build healthy, affordable homes for communities in need, not just in New Orleans but also in Kansas City and Newark.
They rely on donations from people, corporations and foundations to get the job done.
For more information and how to contribute, visit their website here.
6 comments:
It is sad to see so many years after Katrina there are people still have not returned to their homes. It wonderful to see that Make It Right Foundation stepped in and is helping to rebuild New Orleans and other damaged areas.
I understand the devastation these super storms can do, we are now living through the damages caused by Hurricane Sandy here in Rockaway, New York and along the coastline. I also have not yet returned to my home, amongst many other people. There were over a 150 home that went on fire in our community and hundreds of homes crushed to rubble from the water and wind. Every single home was flooded with water and damaged. It would be wonderful for an organization like Make It right Foundation to help us to rebuild our beautiful community. Thank you for sharing this information. Sherry:)
Delores, thank you for sharing this message. I recently listened to a radio interview on the topic of rebuilding the 9th ward. Another concern mentioned was that many have not returned and New Orleans is at risk of loosing the Creole culture in this area. Sad to think that many lives are still faced with the aftermath of this storm.
With my daughter living in New Orleans we have indeed seen many areas that are still in the process of rebuilding. I am so glad that Brad Pitt has done such a good job at helping and spreading the word! However, it is still a very dangerous area to go to so we have never seen it personally!
Thanks for sharing this post and the information it contains. After all the time since Katrina, it is still hard to believe there is so much work to be done. I'm not one to question where and how moneys were spent, that's left up to the Fathers there. We can only hope more will be done to bring this city from her knees! Thanks again, Loretta...XO
I too thank you for sharing this. The photos are so powerful ... broken homes and families that cannot afford to rebuild it could be some found it a forceful way to finally move to a different place in hopes of a better life. Thank goodness for those like Brad Pitt that are sticking to his project to help those who want to continue to live and rebuild the disaster areas of New Orleans.
Post a Comment