New Orleans.

[Guess who]

A young colleague of mine is taking a crew of his high school students to New Orleans to help rebuild. I can't go due to health reasons, but have given him several hundred dollars worth of tools, both electric and hand tools, all in excellent/new condition. They will be left there when they have to leave.

If anyone is aware of what might be needed in particular, please let me know ASAP. No need to go overboard with suggestions, but there must be real documented needs in this area. So please avoid an entire hardware-store catalogue.

Thanks.

[BobS]

Here's some ideas from what I've heard from some that have been there and helped with clean-up and some rebuilding (rough construction)

Work gloves Small First Aid kits with tweezers, scissors, aspirin, cold/hot pack, magnifier Safety glasses / goggles Water bottles (full of course) Energy bars (ones that don't melt) Extension cords (100' heavy duty)

Bob S.

[Teamcasa]

Cash. Spend it there and help the local economy as well. Dave

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[DanB]

Last year I served with the American Red Cross in N.O. I was right in the middle of many trashed neihborhoods. I'm sure much has changed by now, but any tools to remove & rehang drywall, tools to fix or replace doors, garbage cans, paint brushes & rollers. Many houses I seen had everything from 4 foot above the floor removed. The basic process is to remove flooring, molding, drywall & insulation. Scrub and wash studs, & rebuild. So, basic hand tools, utility knifes, and finishing tools would be great for many,many families. Others need a bull dozer....

-DanB

[Petrified Woodworker]

Beyond the obvious items to bring to aid in repair . . . be sure to bring whatever you consider appropriate for self-protection . . . A lot of the less than desirable residents have returned . . . these people do not view you as a "helping hand" . . . Although it depends greatly on the area you are working in . . . . Just a thought . . . I live less than 50 miles north of New Orleans & have worked the area for months as a claims adjuster . . . . some of our people have had problems . . .

Steve

[Frank Boettcher]

I"ve spent several weeks down there (Biloxi, Pass Christian). Dry wall lifts to help amateurs hang dry wall on ceilings. Dry wall drivers. Drywall T-squares. Anything to do with drywall. Insulation staplers. A voltage meter to test outlets and tools to replace them.

The charity organization I worked through had some of everything but not enough of anything to cover all the houses they were assigning volunteers to.

In my case, the sponsor had a couple of superintendents running the volunteer crews. If you can get them on a cell phone a few days ahead of time they will be able to tell you what the assignments will be and what they are short.

Frank