Operation Southern Comfort

Waterways and Life Clogged by Debris - News!

2009-07-27T11:41:00.003-04:00

Life in Bayou and St. Bernard's still affected considerably by debris in waterways!

Review Story and See Video at this link:

http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl072309cbsilt.6d4716ab.html

First Presbyterian Mission A Success!

2009-07-10T14:14:00.004-04:00

First Presbyterian Church Mission Team completes trip to NOLA June 30-July 8!

See their extensive write up about their travels and work at the following link!

http://www.watertownfirstpres.org/missionteam.html

FPC is located in Watertown, New York and Dr. Fred Garry is pastor.

Learn more about this Church at: http://www.watertownfirstpres.org/

Inner Harbor Fireworks - Syracuse June 26

2009-06-09T14:35:00.004-04:00

Operation Southern Comfort will be staffing a booth at the upcoming fireworks display at the Inner Harbor (Remember Crawfish Fest?) this June 26th.

You can adorn yourself with beads and shirts and items to celebrate the Summer Season and help us build another home for our neighbors to the South!

The free celebration kicks off the Independence Day Weekend.It begins at 5 p.m. June 26 at the Inner Harbor, Kirkpatrick and Solar streets. The event consists of music, family activities, food and the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Parking is free

http://blog.syracuse.com/entertainment/2009/05/food_fun_and_festivals_abound.html

Mission to Gulf Coast - Wins Awards

2009-06-08T10:38:00.004-04:00

News Channel 9 In Syracuse, New York and Photojournalist Kevin Torres both recently won mention for their onlines news and video presentations at the Associated Press Awards dinner in Saratoga Springs, NY. No small feat considering the competition.

Torres received notice for his video documentary "Mission to the Gulf" which is a moving piece about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina torn New Orleans and the work of Operation Southern Comfort volunteers to restore life to the area - one home at a time.

This catastrophe has so dramatically changed the lives of those in the path of destruction and those of us here in the CNY region that have become inextricably connected to these folks after the many "missions" since 2005.

We are truly lucky to have what we have.........especially our new friends!

Thank you Kevin and Channel 9!

Kevin's Blog
http://kevin-l-torres.blogspot.com/

News Article
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/NewsChannel-9-awards-ratings-winner/NC5mQdM87kqxt1OF04CIKA.cspx

Mission to the Gulf Video Here
http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=249312@wixt.dayport.com&navCatId=5

Sherburne BBQ for OSC - May 23rd

2009-05-19T20:55:00.002-04:00

The Sherburne United Church of Christ is having another fundaraiser, this time to support future OSC volunteers from our church.

The Spring Fling Lawn Sale and Pork BBQ is set for this Saturday, May 23rd on the church lawn on the corners of Rt 12 and 80 in Sherburne, NY. Easy to get to!

The lawn sale begins at 8:00 and then dinner is served between 11:00 and 1:00.

The Menu of Pork BBQ on Roll, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, and Peach Cobbler is $8 for adults and $6 for children.

Crawfish Fest 2009 Success!

2009-05-09T23:50:00.003-04:00

Second Annual Crawfish Festival A Success!

Thank you to everyone who participated and visited our fund raiser!

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/crawfish_festival_warms_syracu.html

http://news10now.com/Default.aspx?ArID=138627

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Crawfish-festivals-serves-thousands/_TugyM-F0U-BkiK_iZebkg.cspx

Watch Bill Hyland on ABC Bridge Street Channel 9.......Bill is an absolute wealth of knowledge about the NOLA area and its' storied culture and history.
http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=253715@video.wixt.com&navCatId=1127

We also would like to acknowledge family - christie, cisco, corey, caitlin and cisco gonzales; ericka, darrel and derek gonzales; paige and larry gonzales; jerry mcdonald; and bill hyland.
they cooked cleaned lectured partook shook hands and were and are great ambassadors - and super friends.
--
Norm Andrzejewski

Syracuse Newspaper Hails Crawfish Fest!!

2009-04-30T09:52:00.002-04:00

Best Bet, Saturday, May 2: Crawfish Festival in Syracuse's Inner Harbor

Posted by Peter Schaffer, Weekend editor April 30, 2009 6:20AM
Categories: Best Bets, Weekend

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Crawfish Festival.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Syracuse Inner Harbor, West Kirkpatrick Street, Syracuse.
COST: Free but there's a charge for the food.
INFORMATION: Visit http://www.operationsoutherncomfort.org

Crawfish Festival turns up heat Grab a taste of New Orleans and hear some great music all in the name of a good cause on Saturday.

The second annual Crawfish Festival bubbles up at the Syracuse Inner Harbor on Saturday.
The event features 3,000 pounds of crawfish shipped from St. Bernard's Parish, La., just for the event.

Other food comes from local restaurants such as the Empire Brewing Co., Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Bull and Bear Pub, The Last Stop Bakery and Bob Barkers Famous Hot Dogs.

The music comes from Los Blancos, The All Night Ramblers and the Liverpool and Chalmette high schools' jazz bands.

Money raised will help purchase materials to build a home in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The event is sponsored by Operation Southern Comfort.

OSC Helps Fire Fighter

2009-04-18T21:01:00.007-04:00

OSC was honored to be able to help out Fire Fighter Josh Punch recover from the effects of Katrina. Josh spent all of his time during the emergency helping others and suffered many of the same misfortunes as his friends and neighbors......

Our volunteers managed to gut his damaged home and rebuild in just three (3) months and here we see that the ribbon cutting was accomplished!

The lights are on and somebody IS home!!!

Update May 6-2009

It's Official!!!!

Yesterday morning (May 5th, 2009) St. Bernard Parish Inspectors signed off on the final inspection of Josh Punch's home!!! Now all he needs to do is transfer the electric meter to his home and turn it on (at first I wrote "fire it up" but thought a poor choice of words).

He still does not have his appliances and is not sure when he will be moving in, but for all intents and purposes, another home finished!!!

Thank you to all who helped make this process happen. It was about a five month process from when the permit was first issued. Could not have done it without you! On to the next home!!!!

Shelly

Art and OSC - Simple yet Awesome!

2009-04-18T06:41:00.002-04:00

Operation Southern Comfort has reached out to our friends and neighbors in the Katrina stricken Gulf Coast in many different ways....what you see above is an outpouring of love and talent by Alberta Lewis, a local resident, artist and OSC supporter. Alberta donated the slate tiles, her time and art supplies to teach our volunteers how to paint tiles lost during the storm!

It is so very hard to capture in words the many feelings that rise up when you see what is taking place between the people in the region and our volunteers....the cultural exchange, the bonding, the new and lifelong friendships being created, the life experiences gained...things we often overlook or take for granted in our daily lives....that have taken on so much more meaning and have such an overwhelming impact on all involved.....this is truly what life is all about....take part...join us in whatever way you can. Live.

Before and After

2009-04-12T15:36:00.015-04:00

Needless to say there was some disarray on this project home but on OSC 20's departure we made sure it was fixed properly along with the home! OSC gets the job done.

Crawfish Festival - May 2nd!

2009-04-07T00:10:00.008-04:00

Don't miss the Crawfish Festival for 2009! Saturday May 2nd 11-6PM

3000 Pounds of Crawfish this year.....twice what we had last year!

Jazz Bands from Louisiana's Chalmette HS coming up too.

The cajun cooks will be back in force this year so no more lines.....

A very cool Lamar Advertising Billboard and the Directional Signs will lead you to the Fest!

Crawfish Fest Menu!

Boiled Crawfish (try them!); Spicy Potatoes & Corn, Beignets (Café Du Monde Recipe)
Bull n Bear: Sausage or Steak Sandwiches, Mini Burgers, Sweet Fries
Bob Barkers : Hot Dogs, Chips & Soda
Dinosaur Bar-B-Q: Pulled Pork Sandwiches & Tomato Cucumber Salad
Empire Brewing: Jambalaya, Gumbo & Rice
Johns BBQ: BBQ Chicken
Last Stop Bakery: Pizza & Pastries
TJ Sheehan : Bud Light, Purple Haze, Magic Hat #9, Bud American Ale
Fetzers Wine: Chardonnay, Merlot, White Zinfandel
Soda & Water Available at various OSC tents

NOLA Brewery Articles - NY Times 3-09

2009-04-01T14:51:00.005-04:00

March 27, 2009
New Orleans Gets Its Brews Back
By NICK KAYE

I ROLLED into New Orleans on a cool afternoon, putting the windows of my car down to let a twangy version of the standard “James Alley Blues” out and up into the clear, cornflower sky.
“Times ain’t now nothing like they used to be,” went the song on the radio, and I thought to myself, “You can say that again.”

The difficult recent history of the Crescent City hangs like a specter over gutted houses and weedy, desolate lots. But despite the tough times, the spirit of New Orleans is as wily as ever. Arriving there still feels like showing up at a party in full swing.

Visitors come for a number of things that the city does like nowhere else: the music, the food, the architecture. I, however, was in town with just one thing in mind — beer.
The history of brewing in New Orleans is as cloudy as an unfiltered ale, little known outside its confines. Once a regional beer capital, it turned out a slew of popular brands like Falstaff, Jax, Regal and Dixie.

Now there are only a handful of breweries in the area, including Abita, Heiner Brau and a newcomer named NOLA Brewing Company. The good news is that over a well-hopped weekend you can sample all the local brews, tour their birthplaces and learn the story of the once — and possibly future — beer town of the South.

The local brewing scene is concentrated these days in suburban St. Tammany Parish, on the north shore of the vast Lake Pontchartrain opposite the Big Easy. So that’s where I headed one morning, with an old college buddy along as designated driver, flitting over the brown lake like a water spider on the seemingly endless causeway.

About an hour out of New Orleans we turned off the highway into downtown Covington, where, in a barnlike building that was once a hardware store, the Heiner Brau brewery stands.
The air around the building dripped with the thick and unmistakable malty sweet smell of brewers hard at work. Inside, under a latticework of cedar beams, a few guys in wool caps moved among rows of shiny copper kettles and tanks. We found Henryk Orlik, the brewmaster and owner known as Heiner, sitting in his brightly lit office.

Mr. Orlik, a native of Germany, has been brewing since the age of 16. He immigrated to America in 1994 with his wife, Angela, and their children to get in on the blossoming craft-beer movement. After stops in Cleveland, at the nearby Abita brewery and in North Carolina, he started Heiner Brau in late 2004.

“I did nothing else with my life” other than brewing, Mr. Orlik, who is 53, said in a thick German accent. He stays busy producing a light, floral Kölsch and a dark brown Maerzen year-round, as well as a rotation of five seasonal brews.

Hurricane Katrina hit just about one week after Heiner Brau’s first bottles shipped in 2005, but the building managed to ride out the storm with little damage. That set Mr. Orlik on a path to becoming a kind of brewing caretaker for the area. He currently makes beers for local restaurants, as well as for the Big Easy Brewing Company, a Marrero, La., brewery whose plant was shuttered after Katrina.

I tasted a few of the excellent brews, then followed Mr. Orlik as he showed off the equipment and a small collection of antique brewing gear. Before we left, Jack Shugg, who runs Heiner Brau’s distribution, offered a rare treat — a taste of a creamy Zea Category 5 American Pale Ale — made for the Zea Rotisserie & Grill restaurant chain — straight from a tank, or as he said, just “released from captivity.”

One of the biggest moments in Heiner Brau’s short life came in spring 2006 when it was asked to take on Dixie beer, the old local favorite.
Founded in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans in 1907, the Dixie Brewing Company was still sputtering along when Katrina upended the city. Its old brick building on Tulane Avenue was left stewing in 10 feet of water, and when the flood finally receded, looters moved in to haul off anything of value, including a copper kettle 16 feet in diameter. The brewery these days, with its imposing metal dome, is nothing but a spooky shell.

Heiner Brau brewed for Dixie for about six months, but was ultimately unable to keep up with demand. Its beers, including the popular Blackened Voodoo Lager, are currently shipped around the country from the Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wis. Dixie’s owners, Joe and Kendra Bruno, are eager for it to return to production in its original home. “We believe that it belongs there,” Ms. Bruno said recently by phone.

There is talk of filling the vintage building with a modern brewing operation, but for now, as plans for a sprawling hospital complex in the neighborhood take shape, it isn’t clear what will become of it.

For instance, the National Brewing Company building nearby on Gravier Street, which was long a Falstaff brewery and still bears a rooftop statue of beer’s patron saint, King Gambrinus, has recently been converted into apartments. And the Jax Brewery on Decatur Street, opened in 1890, became a mall in 1984.

Surveying these relics makes it clear how large a part brewing once played in the city. Municipal records from the late 19th century show that about a dozen breweries were operating simultaneously, according to the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum, research center and publisher based in the French Quarter.

One night during my visit I made my way to Cochon, the culinary hot spot in the Warehouse District. Opened in 2006, the restaurant offers a full slate of local beers and serves a blend of Southern and Cajun fare, with standout dishes like the namesake Louisiana cochon, a seared patty of shredded pork served with turnips, cabbage and fried pork cracklins ($22). I went with an Abita Restoration Pale Ale — a brew created after Katrina that Abita used to raise about $550,000 for the rebuilding effort — and drifted off into pork-induced bliss.

Abita is known as the Southeast’s oldest and largest craft brewery. A few miles east of Heiner Brau near tiny Abita Springs, it was started in 1986 by a couple of local home-brewers and now ships to nearly 40 states.

Abita’s large building rises abruptly out of the piney woods, its recently added tasting room sporting a wrought-iron-laced facade. Inside, a long line of college students and older beer geeks snaked up to a row of 14 taps loaded with everything from the widely available Turbodog dark ale and Purple Haze raspberry brew to the new Satsuma Harvest Wit, a blond ale made with a type of mandarin orange grown in Louisiana that had a nice bitter bite.

Visitors get time to pour themselves samples, and after a video presentation comes a walk through the brewery, led that day by Keith Cieslinski, who, in sneakers, track pants and tie-dyed Abita shirt, looked more like a gym teacher than a docent.
“Stay alert, stay alive,” Mr. Cieslinski said as we entered the cellar area, a shiny steel forest full of nearly three-story-tall tanks.

The tour was shorter than usual that day because of a late-night accident earlier in the week. A tank that was being cleaned had become overpressurized and ruptured, tearing a hole in the building. There were no injuries, but the incident had the tasting room talking.

After the tour we followed the crowd a few minutes down the road to the lively Abita Brew Pub, the original home of the brewery, where a few cats were lounging out front under a tree swaddled in Spanish moss. I had the tasty barbecue crab claws ($8.50), in a sauce made with Abita’s Amber lager, and washed them down with a bit more of the satsuma brew.

Abita may be the consensus local beer of choice, but a new brand that recently hit town is seeking to challenge that mantle. NOLA Brewing Company — New Orleans lager and ale rather than the usual New Orleans, La. — stands out from the other regional brewers because it is now the only one, aside from a few unremarkable brew pubs like the French Quarter’s touristy Crescent City Brewhouse, actually within the New Orleans city limits.

Occupying a warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street in the Irish Channel neighborhood, NOLA was started by Kirk Coco, a native New Orleanian who returned to the city in late 2006 after 11 years in the Navy, and Peter Caddoo, a fixture of the local home-brewing scene and a former brewer at Dixie.

I arrived around noon one day to find Mr. Coco, in a bright white sweater and slacks, and Dylan Lintern, a new NOLA employee, inside the dusty, hangarlike space. Bags of malt were stacked high, and clusters of steel tanks and other equipment sat idle. They had just finished meeting with a “political consultant,” Mr. Coco said, trying to speed the process of having the city connect their water line, a hurdle they cleared soon after.

“I can guarantee you we would have been brewing beer three months ago if we were on the north shore,” Mr. Coco said. “Or if we were in Kenner,” a nearby suburb, “which is where I was told we should open up when I went to get my permit.
“I stuck with New Orleans because I came back here to rebuild this city.”

Mr. Coco was based in Seattle during Katrina and afterward vowed to his wife that they would move to New Orleans when he finished his enlistment. He wanted to start a business in the city, and finally settled on a brewery.

“Unfortunately,” he said, laughing, “I can’t really brew beer.”
A home-brewer friend put him in touch with Mr. Caddoo, and before long NOLA was on its way.
They are starting with just two ales, a blond and a brown, available only in area bars. Plans are to move on eventually to some of Mr. Caddoo’s many other recipes, like an India Pale Ale made with sweet potatoes. Saturday tours are expected to start in May.

“I certainly hope in the next 10 years,” Mr. Coco said, “that I’m doing an interview one day and I can talk about the six or seven microbrews in the city.
“We should be the capital of Southern brewing again.”

IF YOU GO
You’ll need a car — and a designated driver — for a tour of breweries in and around New Orleans, because the north shore area is roughly 40 miles from the city center.

BREWERIES
Heiner Brau, 226 East Lockwood Street, Covington; (888) 910-2337; http://www.heinerbrau.com/. Tours on Saturday only, at 10, 10:45 and 11:30 a.m.
Abita Brewing Company, 166 Barbee Road, Covington; (800) 737-2311; http://www.abita.com/. Tours Wednesday though Friday at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.

NOLA Brewing Company, 3001 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans; (504) 896-9996; http://www.nolabrewing.com/. A list of bars and restaurants that currently serve NOLA brews, like the Bulldog at 3236 Magazine Street, is available online.

FOOD
Cochon, 930 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans; (504) 588-2123; http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/.

Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly Street, Abita Springs; (985) 892-5837; http://www.abita.com/.

LODGING
Maison Perrier (4117 Perrier Street, New Orleans; 888-610-1807; http://www.maisonperrier.com/) is a popular Uptown B & B in two Victorian mansions that were built in the late 19th century by Lawrence Fabacher, who was head of the Jax Brewery.

It has 14 rooms that range from $89 a night in summer to $340 a night during Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.

More Articles/Pictures: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/27/travel/escapes/20090327-neworleansbeer-map.html

Crawfish Fest 2009!

2009-04-01T12:24:00.006-04:00

Top 10 Signs You've Been on an OSC Trip

2009-03-01T23:20:00.006-05:00

Top 10 signs that you've just come back from a southern comfort trip:

10. at bedtime you grab a sleeping bag and lie down on the bedroom floor

9. you've developed an unnatural attachment to your tool belt, and refuse to take it off when you're in the house.

8. you burst into raucous applause when your spouse puts food on the table and yell "let's hear it for the cook!!"

7. when you come in the door from work, you sprint toward the bathroom and yell "first shower!"

6. you slow down when you pass run-down houses and try to estimate how many pieces of sheetrock and buckets of mud it would take to fix that baby up

5. when the hostess at a restaurant asks your name for seating, you say "van number 5"

4. you make everyone in your house turn the lights off at 10 p.m., no matter what they're doing

3. you've decided to re-paint the den in green, yellow, and purple

2. when your son trips over stuff left on the floor, you say "oh good, that can be my safety tip of the day!" before you help him up.

and the number one way you can tell you've just come back from a southern comfort trip...

1. you feel terribly lonely and insecure going to sleep at night without 80 other people in the room with you.

Maria's House Finishing Touches - Trip 17!!!

2008-10-17T10:13:00.007-04:00

Trip 17 Coming to a Close and Look How Maria's House if Finishing Up!!!!

Listen to B104.7 Interview about Maria's House and upcoming Mardi Gras event!!

Gulf Coast Still Hammered by Waves

2008-09-12T14:50:00.001-04:00

Marilyn Update - Sept 9

2008-09-09T11:59:00.001-04:00

Marilyn called today. She and Estelle got back from Mississippi Friday;
the house is ok, some tree limbs are scattered, but there's no other
damage. The electricity is on, the air conditioner is working - it
seems that it's always hotter after a hurricane.

South Plaquemines got hit pretty hard, a levee broke and there's a lot
of flooding in the Myrtle Grove area. Buddy's been working cutting up
and removing fallen tree limbs at the Church of Christ. Belle Chasse
came through the storm with 'minor' damage, mostly from the wind. It's
returning to normal, and watching Ike.

Marilyn says hello and thank you to all for your thoughts and prayers.

Baton Rouge Update - 9/5

2008-09-08T16:35:00.001-04:00

One week after Hurricane Gustav and my apartment is still without power. Traffic
signals are still down all over Baton Rouge and a curfew is in effect from 10pm
to 6am. Classes start up again tomorrow morning with the teachers being told to
"be sensitive" to the circumstances some students might be dealing with. Luckily
I'm able to stay at jason's parents vacation home with my roomates until power
is restored to our place. The basketball arena is still being used as a hospital
for evacuees and the game on Saturday is expected to move to New Orleans even
though the dome holds a lot less than Tiger Stadium. There are still many trees
down all over but the show must go on as they say.

Here's hoping Ike stays away!! And that my next update will say something about
having power again!

Love
Katie Kalota

St Bernard Update - 9/8

2008-09-08T16:33:00.001-04:00

Talked to Charles' daughter –Arianna last night. She said that Charles
and Pam went back to work today at Chalmette and LSU started classes up
today as well. She said they had power to some of the area. Praying for
Ike to miss them at the end of the week.

from Mark Miller

FEMA Assistance

2008-09-08T09:47:00.001-04:00

from Alberta Lewis:

FEMA is accepting applications for assistance with evacuation costs. To
apply, go to
http://www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm

She said that someone who applied has already heard from FEMA by phone,
so this might be a live one.
Please spread the word.

Sept 8

Pianos Make their way to St Bernards!

2008-09-07T14:22:00.005-04:00

OSC has expended considerable effort to get the pianos to the Louisiana area where schools and community buildings will be getting them. This is a part of our rebuilding efforts and are proud to show you these photos of the volunteers who helped make this possible.

Gustav Update - 9/6

2008-09-07T09:53:00.001-04:00

our sincerest thanks for your prayers...

we had few evidences of the hurricane...water got in one window and a
neighbor's roof was all over our yard...the hardest part was having no
electricity for 4 days....the kids and i slept at our house for 2 nights
with windows open and the sweat pouring...it was like the old days at my
grandmother's...they played in the driveway, painted, played ball and
read books...i loved having NO tv!

hope you all are well...stay in touch!

love you all,

polly, sophie & alex (Boudreaux)

Rusty Update

2008-09-06T10:04:00.001-04:00

Just a note to let you know that we sustained minimal damage to property from Gustav. I'm not aware of any local resident injuries or fatalities. Residents that evacuated are slowly returning to the area. Rhonda and I returned Wednesday night to total darkness. Power was out and was not restored until Friday afternoon. Over 244,000 residents throughout the state are still without power. Maria's house did not sustain any damage and we will begin work as soon as we can. Seenie's home does not appear to be damaged. Thanks to all our Operations Southern Comfort friends for your unwavering prayers and support. Please forward this note to all our OSC friends.

Sincerely,
Rusty & Rhonda Serpas
Sept 5

Baton Rouge Update

2008-09-05T12:26:00.001-04:00

from my niece katie kalota in baton rouge 9-5-08:

"Just writing to let everybody know whats going on since the storm.
Baton Rouge sustained a lot of damage. trees and power lines are down
everywhere. Some streets will be closed off fo a while until huge trees
can be moved. The radio has told people to stay off of the roads because
of the power outage, but no one has listened. All intersections are
being treated as 4-way stops, but it's difficult when you're at an
intersection where two six-lane roads intersect. Gas pumps were turned
on yesterday and the lines started a half a mile from the gas station
out on the roads. After two days of limited power through a generator,
and after receiving the news that campus would be closed until Monday, I
decided it was time to get out of there! My roommate Janine and I took
the pups, Max and Ellie Sue, and we drove up to Shreveport to stay with
Jason's parents. i got in last night and i'm planning to stay until
Sunday morning. I'm not sure if the children's choir I direct on Sundays
will still take place or not. The rumor is that power won't be restored
for another 4 weeks. I would believe it after seeing all of the power
lines down all over the city. It's going to take them a long time to put
all of those poles back up. On our way out we saw a long line of Entergy
trucks on their way into the city, so that was promising. The radio is
comparing this storm to hurricane Andrew in '92, however after the 2nd
day of no power after Andrew, 67% of Baton Rouge had power restored and
the 2nd day of no power after Gustav, NO power has been restored."

Norm Andrzejewski

--
Norm Andrzejewski
Operation Southern Comfort
nandrzej@twcny.rr.com
315-559-9413
Life is in Session - R U Present?

Maria and Rickys Home - Looking Real Good!

2008-09-05T01:04:00.003-04:00

St Bernard's Parish Responds - PS Editorial 9-2-08

2008-09-04T07:33:00.003-04:00

Operation Comfort
Local group builds homes and hope for Katrina victims
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
By Charles R. Cassar
St. Bernard Parish Public Schools

As the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on the Louisiana coast passes, I feel compelled to share our story. As you may know, the devastation of our St. Bernard Parish community was overwhelming.

Every business, school, house of worship and government building was flooded and rendered unusable. In a community of 68,000 people, only five homes remained unflooded.

When I returned after the storm, the entire picture looked hopeless. There was not a green leaf on a single tree nor a blade of green grass to be found.

Every person I knew in our community had lost all their possessions; my father's house was lifted and carried off its foundation; my own house had sustained 9 feet of flood water; the school infrastructure was destroyed; my children could not return to their schools; and our jobs were non-existent. My life as it existed seemed over.

In this disaster, hope arrived from amazing places. Caring people throughout the nation began sending gifts and supplies to help sustain life in St. Bernard Parish.

For our community, the tide visibly began to turn when, against all odds, the school district, under the direction of Superintendent Doris Voitier, reopened a school on Nov. 14, 2005, a school quartered in a series of trailers and tents that welcomed 340 students in grades pre-K through 12. This was the start of community restoration.

In early 2006, Central New York's Operation Southern Comfort learned of our plight. The members of this group have organized volunteers from schools, community organizations and various churches.

They have joined together and given of their time and finances. To date, the group has sent over 750 volunteer workers to St. Bernard in 13 trips. While here, they have gutted homes, repaired residences and built two entire houses from the ground up, an astounding feat for members of a community 1,400 miles away.

In continuation of Operation Southern Comfort's commitment to the restoration of the community and school system, on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Operation Southern Comfort will be donating and delivering 14 pianos to St. Bernard Parish, a gift valued at $20,000.

All of the efforts and donations of Operation Southern Comfort are marvelous and appreciated. Even more significant than any of the sheetrock hung or electrical wiring run are the relationships that have been forged between those who have come to help and those whose lives have been touched by their efforts.

Through the continued efforts of Operation Southern Comfort, many of us in St. Bernard regard Syracuse as a place swiftly becoming a sister city. From my perspective, the greatest gift to our community has been the broadening of our students through the opportunity to connect and "hang out" with Central New York high school students.

Students from many schools in Central New York have visited Chalmette High School, and students from Chalmette High have traveled to Syracuse to assist with Operation Southern Comfort's annual fundraising efforts. Our students are again looking forward to visiting their friends this year when they return to perform at the second annual Mardi Gras event on Nov. 8 at the Museum of Science and Technology.

Now more than ever, it is so important that our students are able to see and connect with the world beyond the devastation of our community so that they can imagine a brighter future for the place we call home. This too has been made a possibility through the visionary efforts of organizations like Operation Southern Comfort, St. Bernard Parish businesses and the Joseph and Arlene Meraux Charitable Foundation.

These experiences have helped me to realize that the people of Operation Southern Comfort are not only in the business of rebuilding houses but rebuilding lives, and for this, we are changed for the better.

Charles R. Cassar is coordinator of cultural arts for St. Bernard Parish Public Schools in Arabi, La.

Original Storm Watch for Gustov Posted 9-3-08

2008-09-03T19:50:00.004-04:00

UPDATES to these blog entries to follow independently or as comments below. Thank you for your patience, caring and understanding.

Monday, September 1, 2008Keeping Track of OSC's Friends during the Storm !

Scroll Down for updates as they arrive and are posted!!OSC Communication Tree
*Joyce - Christie/Cisco Gonzales; Maria/Ricky Hernandez; Red Cross
*Mike D - Rusty/Rhonda Serpas; Hugh Craft
*Debby - Jerry/Carolyn McDonald
*Donna - Alberta Lewis; Polly Boudreaux
*Shelly - Dr. Warner; Barbara Manuel; Josh Punch; the Meiers
*Norm - Daryl Gonzales; Charles Cassar; Marilyn Paisley; Donlene Butler The Plan

*we're gonna share information; provide moral support and ask what's needed as the storm progresses, and especially afterward.
*let's pray*
we may want to send some people or stuff down in September, surely in October.
*we may wish to go elsewhere if we're needed - but, our first concerns are our family members in St. Bernard.
*we need to keep in mind the most vulnerableUpdates:
Last Update 2008-09-01 22:36:38

Barbara Manuel - Stayed in Baton Rouge...9/1 1130 Christy and family - mom /dad/sister Lisa and cousin Larry going to Butler, LA. son Corey will depart with girlfriend and her family last word. 8/30 Carolyn and Jerry are in Baton Rouge with one daughter....other daughter Amy (nurse) worked but will join them tonight 8/30Marilyn headed to Miss and Darlene on Alaskan cruise and secured the house before leaving...Norm to follow up....8/30

Alberta Lewis - staying in Abita Springs - "we have bouyed her sprits with our concerns and friendship" "we are a great blessing to her"

Maria and Family.....Maria, her mom and son settled into a motel in Bristol VA - Rick to arrive later other son evacuated also 8/31 Ricky made it back to their house and it is OK!! They are ecstatic!!! Concern over the status of Miss Seenie Surpass - let us know when you find out....8/31

The pianos were delivered this pasty week -14 of them and 3 organs with supplies thanks to Shelly Bob Albright and Dave Rice who droive to St Bernard Middle School.....8/31

Polly from St. B is leaving for Baton Rouge...children Sophie and Alex already evac8/31

Update 9/1 - Sophie called at 1800 from Alexander, LA - minimal flooding today no damage to home.....reiterated comments about how thankful they were for people of Syracuse and OSC for concerns and prayers.....TT Polly’s daughter, Sophie around 7pm tonight and they just had arrived at the government building in St. Bernard Parish. Sophie said they were going to get something to eat at the government building with Parish’s president -Craig P. Taffaro Jr. They were going to go to the house after dinner. She said that the Parish didn’t have any flood water but many power lines were still down along with many trees. The power was off in much of the area. They were glad to be back in the Parish to say the least. Sophie said that in Mannsville near Alexander,La. They had much more flooding and wind damage. I was not able to reach Charles tonight but he said he was hoping to get into St. Bernard on Wednesday. c/o Mark Miller 2008-09-03 13:05:592008-09-01 22:27:00

Charles Cassar heading for Austin Texas - father, wife and two daughters all together -
staying with Pams sister - Arrived ok - updated - Charles believes most of danger has passed - landlines out but cell contact possible - asked Charles to keep in contact with Alberta Lewis 9/1 1445
No shelter at Chalmette School - Curfew in effect

St Bernard Fire/Rescue leaving area save 10 remaining behind - returning after storm...8/31

Mary Mullins is in Miss with daughters....waiting for Sabrina to arrive....she had car problems enroute and no one has heard from her since.... 8/31

Pam and Keith Meyers going to Miss w/Shannon and David & dogs...no phone service but will call when everything passes.....8/30

Josh Punch will be staying with the firestation....update...most firemen are at Pontchatula in schools or fire stations ready to return in shifts...his roof doesn't leak either! 9/1 1300

Apparently the would be looters prefer not to be rounded up and sent to Angola Prison...so they are leaving - this time the government is prepared and ready to act.....the exodus of these folks by the Time Picayune News has been likened to roaches after a spraying... 8/31

Exodus of 2 million people looked like scene from Independence Day.....c/o Mark Miller

Test Mail to Blogger from Administrator

2008-09-03T18:46:00.001-04:00

The content of this message is meant as a test to show how the blogger works and how a direct email to this address will allow members to compose and post important messages quickly without the webmaster.

MGB

OSC Crawfish Fest Rocks Syracuse NY April 5th

2008-04-05T21:33:00.001-04:00

Operation Southern Comfort and Habitat for Humanity - Belle Chasse LA - January 2008

2008-04-01T12:50:00.001-04:00

Operation Southern Comfort In Action

2008-03-31T07:44:00.000-04:00

Home Building In Progress from OSC

2008-03-06T14:15:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Operation Southern Comfort

2008-03-06T12:17:00.004-05:00

Welcome Visitors!

Operation Southern Comfort is grateful for the continued support received from so many individuals, organizations and businesses helping to make our missions to the Gulf Coast a reality!

OSC will feature updates on our rebuilding activity and volunteer missions and spotlight our workers on this blog as well.

Right now we are preparing to travel South again for another rebuilding mission.