Meme-ic Monday: Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans is recovering slowly from Hurricane Katrina. As of last year, the 10 year anniversary, only 34% of residents had returned to their homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, the area hardest hit when the levees broke. 

But that's pretty well known.

My family and I are in New Orleans for the first time, working with a mission team from our American Baptist region. Some members of our team have been coming for years. 

A team member, who started coming shortly after the storm, worked at school today. She said it was wonderful to see schools and children, because in the immediate aftermath there had been so few,

Two small groups worked at construction sites, helping to rebuild homes that were damaged in the storm. One homeowner is still in Texas. The other is living in part of her house, although a member of that team said it "wouldn't be livable by our standards."

Me? I encountered rats. Assigned to a food pantry, I thought I would be sorting, boxing and distributing food, and I did for part of the time. However, we arrived before the food and we were asked to clear out a room, sending some stuff to a thrift store and throwing out garbage. Rat droppings were everywhere. I found a dead rat. Other team members saw more rat bodies and a live one. They moved a huge box of popcorn kernels, the rats' main food source we think, out. 

While the room was swept, I moved over to organizing food boxes and dividing large bags of rice into small ziploc bags. 

But what really stands out about the day was the appreciation. I and another team member were introduced to the food pantry customers as people who had come down to help after Katrina. There was a wave of thanks on the people's faces. 

And then there was lunch. We had brown bag sandwiches, but Miss Brenda figured we would want New Orleans food and cooked fried chicken and jambalaya just for us. Delicious. (Alright we were a tad nervous, because of the rats. but we got over it. That stuff was cooked in boiling oil ,, and, boy, did it smell good!!)

So today's meme reminds us of the slow progress rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward. Behind it there are stories, so many stories. You should visit. These people need to tell those stories. And they are very grateful for the chance to tell them to new ears. And appreciative of whatever work you can do. 

Mosquitos vs. Sumithrin

I have an organic garden.

Or perhaps I had one.


My town contracts for truck -based aerosol spraying of Anvil, a pesticide formulation containing sumithrin, PBO, and white mineral oil (a petroleum based solvent.)

Sumithrin is considered "slightly toxic" and both PBO and white mineral oil are minor carcinogens.

For more information:

The New York State Department of Health's information sheet on Anvil

This stuff was sprayed on my street, near my garden, the night before I intended to harvest green beans. AAARRRGGGHHHH!! I had been watching the newspaper and hadn't seen an announcement of the spraying.

I waited 24 hours before harvesting the green beans and washed them thoroughly. But I really don't want this stuff on my food. How well does it wash off?

After doing a little research, I spoke to the company contracted to do the spraying. I hear that sumithrin breaks down quickly in sunlight (but my garden doesn't get sunlight until midday.)

I learned that Sumithrin persists in soil for up to sixteen weeks. My contact agreed that to be true but said that it adheres to the soil and doesn't go anywhere for that time. Umm....except under my nails. And it's in the soil on any root vegetables or vegetables that touch the dirt in that time.

The kicker? I asked if the spraying was effective, since mosquito borne illnesses are a threat, too, after all. I got the following evasive answer. "Well, it's truck spraying. It's not aerial spraying. That would be effective, but it's politically and environmentally prohibited in [this state.]" So it sounds like these sumithrin applications aren't all that helpful.

Non-pesticide mosquito control measures include eliminating standing water on property, keeping pools clean and chlorinated, and maintaining bat houses. People can also avoid bites by staying in during peak mosquitos hours, covering up if they do go out and judiciously using repellants.

My town's board of health wanted to talk about eliminating the spraying, apparently, but the board of selectmen refused to discuss it. I guess I need to get politically active.

I have excluded my property from all mosquito spraying and town-wide pesticide applications, so by next year my garden will be fully organic again.

What are your thoughts on mosquito spraying?
Do you have any other resources on this topic?




 

Ants Be Gone

I had an ant problem. Briefly.


Ants seemed to like one of my windows. Just one. There is a bush near that window, and likely that had something to do with it.


I am an organic-solutions sort of person so I decided to try that first. So… I cut back the bush so it doesn’t touch the house. I washed the sill and stool cap of the window to get rid of any scent markings left by ants. Then, I sprinkled cayenne pepper on the sill and the bottom of the sash. No more ants!

Just thought I would pass that along in case anyone else wants to get rid of ants without resorting to poisons. I have no idea if it will be consistently effective or if it works with all types of ants. But it could be worth a shot.


Have a great day!