Continuing on the Road to Recovery: An interview with Quo Vadis Breaux

This interview is adapted from an article to be published in a forthcoming issue of Rights Now, UUSC's newsletter.

Quo Vadis Breaux, executive director of the New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Center, is no stranger to rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast. In New Orleans, in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Breaux worked as a reintegration counselor with the state's labor department, helping to find work and services for those who returned after the storms. Breaux then joined forces with the UUA and UUSC, to be our coordinator on the ground for the Gulf Coast Volunteer Program.

In approaching the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, UUSC talked with Breaux about continued rebuilding efforts, the New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Center, and government response to the disasters. Below are excerpts from the interview.

How do you feel the government response has helped or hindered this process? What role have individuals, churches, Unitarians, and volunteers played?

"The government response, as most agree, was late and little, and left many with limited resources scrambling to underwrite their own recoveries. What has been and remains amazing is the level of individual response and assistance New Orleans's residents have experienced. People have come from around the country and the world to help in whatever ways they were able.

"Unitarian Universalists have come over 2,000 strong since Katrina and Rita. They have used vacation, personal, and perhaps even unpaid leave to work in the recovery effort. When they could, they purchased tools and materials to fully engage in rebuilding. The response has been and remains astounding.

"Volunteers also helped the local churches when they were able. The three area UU churches were each impacted by the flooding and storms.

"Two of the churches are still in need of refinished worship space. First Unitarian Universalist is able to use the building, but it is still under extensive repair. Most of the spaces are functional, but with the caveats of needing flooring, or the walls painted, or having some other evidence of the damage from the flooding. Community Church just learned that it will have to tear down the old facility to meet new elevation standards for the neighborhood. Each of the congregations lost members who had to relocate after the flooding. Smaller membership bases meant less money available for expenses.

"The North Shore church found itself with a steep mortgage that its new membership could not really afford. For all of these reasons, the three churches came together as the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists (GNOUU) to launch a capital campaign together so they could get back on their feet again.

"The local churches recognize how far away both they and the city as a whole are from recovery, and decided keeping the volunteer center open was a priority and an essential piece of local rebuilding."

How will you mark the third anniversary of Katrina?

"The three churches are coming together, as they did last year, around a ceremonial dinner. It will be a time of reminiscence of all that has passed and a time of recognition for those who have fostered recovery and forward motion during these times of transition and hope."

What has the volunteer program meant for local residents? How many people are still displaced from the Gulf Coast and New Orleans - and do you think they will come back?

"Several of the individuals we have worked with tell us that they simply could not hope to get back into their houses without the assistance our volunteers bring. So many people, who are tethered to New Orleans in a way others find hard to understand, want to be home no matter what. Even when there is no money, no time, and bad health, they are determined to live in their houses again, or at least to be on their land with their neighbors and lifelong friends.

"The Unitarian Universalist volunteers who have come through this program get it. They may not always understand why anyone would still want to be a place that might flood again, but they are determined to stand in solidarity with those who feel they have a right to return to their homes.

"There has been a lot of speculation about numbers. Some say as much as two thirds of the pre-Katrina population is here. How many of them are former residents is another estimate. You can find the most recent figures at nola.com, which is a website for the local daily that published a set of numbers just last week. Another great source is the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, accessed at www.gnocdc.org."

Where did the name for the Rebirth Center come from?

"We thought about all kinds of names for the center and decided we wanted to make a positive statement about where we're headed. What's important is that New Orleans is renewed, born anew, but with full memory of its cultural richness and social cross-fertilization."

What kind of projects has the Rebirth Center undertaken?

"Our volunteers have worked through our partners with homeowners, ministers, schools, and other recovery projects as varied as gardening and replacing light bulbs in local houses with energy-efficient fluorescents. In addition to the rebuilding (drywall, flooring, painting), we work in the larger arena of holistic recovery. In the future we see ourselves doing more of the same and expanding in areas where additional needs are identified. We intend to follow as many projects as possible to their finish."