With Help From More Than 100,000 Volunteers
If you’re like most people, when you hear that there’s been a storm in a certain area, your first reaction would be to stay as far away as you can. Not so for Zack Rosenburg and Liz McCartney. When they heard that New Orleans had been hit by Hurricane Katrina, they got in their car and drove 17 hours into the heart of the devastation.
Two week trip
When Liz and Zack started the 17 hour drive from Washington, DC to New Orleans in February 2006, they had planned to do what they could to help and start back to Washington after two weeks. Things changed when they got there.
“The people needed so much help,” says Liz. “We realized that we couldn’t just wish them luck and leave to go back to the life we left in Washington, D.C.” Liz worked in a local community organization in D.C. that provided summer and after-school programs. Zack was a lawyer. Liz’s family was in close reach and they had a great life and wonderful friends.
“We knew we couldn’t leave the people of New Orleans behind, so we decided to help them rebuild their homes and their lives,” says Zack.
A new beginning
Zack and Liz hosted a fundraiser in the living room of Liz’s parent’s home. They managed to raise $20,000. This combined with a minivan, a pick-up truck and tools set the foundation for the St. Bernard Project.
“We had no idea what we were doing,” says Zack. “But we didn’t wait. We just started building houses. Then people started to volunteer. We wanted to get the people we were helping back on their feet as soon as possible. “
Sullivan Dabley, a 70 year old New Orleans jazz musician is one of the many beneficiaries of the program. “My world came crashing down,” she says. “The St. Bernard Project helped to save me.”
St. Bernard Project has built over 950 homes in New Orleans. They expanded their efforts to New Jersey and New York City in 2012 to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy. They also work helping to rebuild homes for the victims of the destructive tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri in 2011.
Still a Long Way to Go
Although the St. Bernard Project has been able to restore what was lost to so many, Liz and Zack still feel that there is much to be done. “We want to do more than just build homes,” Zack says. “We feel this is just a band-aid solution.”
The couple established the Disaster and Resilience Recovery Lab to reduce the time between the occurrence of disasters and recovery efforts. The Lab offers training programs to help volunteers and communities develop resilience before the actual disasters strike. The Lab also provides training to ensure maximum efficiency in the recovery and rebuilding effort.
