mr. mac
i can't believe i haven't written about mr. mac yet.
(not that anybody's actually reading this... i'm mostly writing for myself.)
mr. mac is a true, new orleans hero. he's the guy whose house we were working on.
let me give you a little background information about him. he's in his 60s, he's always been an hourly-waged employee, and he is presently on disability.
i interviewed him (i have it on video, which i'll share in a little while) about his experience. he said he decided not to leave st. bernard parish because he trusted in the lord. and so when the hurricane came, he felt his house shake, and although he was scared, the hurricane left, and he was fine.
but then came the waters.
the waters came up about 8 feet in his house. without hesitation, he got in his boat and went around rescuing people from their houses, bringing them to rooftops. he was a first responder.
then he went back to his own home. he said he has a habit of keeping bottles of water in his truck. now, i'm not sure how he got to that water, but he got those bottles of water and started delivering them to those people stranded on rooftops.
i asked if he had any hesitation about giving away the water... he said none at all. he knew this was what he had to do.
and the following day, after the water had subsided some (but not completely), he went into his kitchen, where his refrigerator was floating, and he opened it up, got all the food out, and again, went around, delivering food to people. again, without hesitation, he gave away all his food.
he eventually was brought out to houston, where he stayed until he got his FEMA trailer because his house had so much flood damage.
i asked if he had flood insurance. where he lives, in st bernard parish, it used to be mandatory for the residents to have flood insurance. a few years ago, they said the residents no longer needed flood insurance, that there was no longer a flood risk. so, the $20 per month flood insurance he had, he figured, he could put that money to better use.
and there it is. no flood insurance. no money. no home.
and then there was st bernard project. mr. mac asked them if they could fix his house. they said that they didn't have any money, but if mr. mac could buy the supplies, they'd supply the volunteers. and somehow, somehow, they worked it out.
so mr. mac's house is almost done. (the drywall's all up, and almost all the mudding and sanding is done... they're almost ready for a layer of primer!)
mr. mac... i wish i could capture him in words... in this little blog here. as cars drive by, as his neighbors return, he waves and gives them confidence and hope. he's a fixture in this community. a pioneer, if you will. a true, new orleans hero.
(not that anybody's actually reading this... i'm mostly writing for myself.)
mr. mac is a true, new orleans hero. he's the guy whose house we were working on.
let me give you a little background information about him. he's in his 60s, he's always been an hourly-waged employee, and he is presently on disability.
i interviewed him (i have it on video, which i'll share in a little while) about his experience. he said he decided not to leave st. bernard parish because he trusted in the lord. and so when the hurricane came, he felt his house shake, and although he was scared, the hurricane left, and he was fine.
but then came the waters.
the waters came up about 8 feet in his house. without hesitation, he got in his boat and went around rescuing people from their houses, bringing them to rooftops. he was a first responder.
then he went back to his own home. he said he has a habit of keeping bottles of water in his truck. now, i'm not sure how he got to that water, but he got those bottles of water and started delivering them to those people stranded on rooftops.
i asked if he had any hesitation about giving away the water... he said none at all. he knew this was what he had to do.
and the following day, after the water had subsided some (but not completely), he went into his kitchen, where his refrigerator was floating, and he opened it up, got all the food out, and again, went around, delivering food to people. again, without hesitation, he gave away all his food.
he eventually was brought out to houston, where he stayed until he got his FEMA trailer because his house had so much flood damage.
i asked if he had flood insurance. where he lives, in st bernard parish, it used to be mandatory for the residents to have flood insurance. a few years ago, they said the residents no longer needed flood insurance, that there was no longer a flood risk. so, the $20 per month flood insurance he had, he figured, he could put that money to better use.
and there it is. no flood insurance. no money. no home.
and then there was st bernard project. mr. mac asked them if they could fix his house. they said that they didn't have any money, but if mr. mac could buy the supplies, they'd supply the volunteers. and somehow, somehow, they worked it out.
so mr. mac's house is almost done. (the drywall's all up, and almost all the mudding and sanding is done... they're almost ready for a layer of primer!)
mr. mac... i wish i could capture him in words... in this little blog here. as cars drive by, as his neighbors return, he waves and gives them confidence and hope. he's a fixture in this community. a pioneer, if you will. a true, new orleans hero.
