Habitat group raises homes in Louisiana

Ten volunteers from Sisters traveled to Louisiana last month to help with the construction of Habitat for Humanity houses. The volunteers worked in two locations, both of which were about 40 miles north of New Orleans.

“We stayed in a youth camp approximately five miles north of the town of Covington,” Habitat group leader Gale Larson reported. “The rural setting would have resembled a tropical jungle had it not been for all the cabins on the property.”

According to Larson, the Habitat houses are three or four bedrooms with one bath and are slightly over 1,000 square feet in size. Some are built on concrete slabs, others are about two feet off the ground on piers. All the walls are constructed of two-by-fours and are insulated on the outside with half-inch blue board and fiberglass batts on the inside.

They have a central air conditioner and sell for $65,000 to $68,000 when finished, Larson said.

“We found the locals to be most appreciative of our help,” Larson said. “When they found out what we were about they would thank us over and over again. And most of them knew of Habitat’s presence which is considerable.

“The area in which we worked was not affected so much by flooding as it was by wind-blown-down trees,” he said. “Probably close to 100 percent of the population was affected in some way.”

Larson noted that the area around New Orleans got hit by both wind and water. Many of the houses are made of brick and appeared to be undamaged. However, Larson said, when they saw the other side of the house they would find a FEMA trailer and a pile of debris which had been removed from inside the house.

“Our group was happy to be there even though we were asked to insulate two houses. I guess this was a test to see if we were serious about working,” Larson said. “We finally got to work on framing and were profusely thanked for our skills and work ethic.”

Those participating in the trip were: Larry Lennon, Mike Herold, Doug Leonig, Kris and Dwight Gill, Eloise and Dave Barry, Sisters Habitat homeowner Robin Tawney and group leaders Molly and Gale Larson.