Bringing A Little Breathing Room Michael Logue, LA-RFO public affairs mission manager, discusses the demolition schedules with artist Tokashi Horisaki.  The LA-RFO has worked to keep Horisak's art project at the bottom on the demolition list. LA-RFO photo by Spec. Larry Gleeson. Back to Features

Working the schedule so artist Horisaki can produce a work of art
By Dave Harris, public affairs specialist, Louisiana Recovery Field Office

Cover a Katrina-crippled New Orleans house with latex paint, wait for it to dry and then slowly peel off large layers embedded with actual wood grain, transport the rubbery sheets to a New York park and you can assemble a life-size replica of an authentic residence crippled by the killer storm.

 
How latex replicates a house

The artful creation overwhelms the visitor with an up-close visual and emotional appreciation of what hurricane victims faced when they returned home. The impact is stunning. 

Equally impressive is the artist, Takashi Horisaki, and his commitment to show the world the devastation that still remains in the New Orleans metropolitan area with his exhibit "Social Dress New Orleans, 730 days after" Hurricane Katrina. The exhibit will show at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, N.Y., July 29-Oct. 28, 2007.

The Louisiana Recovery Field Office cooperated with Takashi by adjusting the demolition schedule to leave the condemned house in place until the art project has been completed.

Once the City of New Orleans has asked the LA-RFO to proceed with demolition, FEMA policy does not allow the Corps to delay demolitions for any reason if there are no other structures to demo.

The property has been declared a hazard and threat to the community by both Federal and city recovery authorities. 

The Corps also had concern for the safety of the artist and has mentored him on hazards he may face during his work.

Corps field team members, particularly Max Hommel in Sector 1, helped demolitions around on the schedule to accommodate the artist's schedule.

"The Army Corps of Engineers has been very supportive of this project, keeping us informed of the schedule and checking in on our progress," Takashi said from his blog at http://socialdress-neworleans.blogspot.com/

There were several close calls as the number of demolitions available fell into the single digits a number of times.  But new houses seemed to arrive almost on queue from FEMA and the City of New Orleans. 

"Our field teams and contractors put forth considerable effort in avoiding this property," said Michael Logue, public affairs mission manager for the LA-RFO.  "Houses had come down across the street, and our teams moved on when taking the property would have made more sense.

"We made keeping Takashi at the bottom of the demolition list a top priority in terms of respecting and considering local needs," Logue said. "The house is a hazard, but it will be the last hazard we take until he is done.  We can't arbitrarily leave a hazard standing."

There was potential that the house could fall on a passerby, and to process the household hazardous wastes inside, not to mention the habitat for rodents, spiders, snakes, termites and health-threatening mold.

On July 11, Takashi advised the Corps that the project was finished and that he would like the house demolished before he departed at the end of the week so he could document the demolition with video.

So the Corps team, after pulling back on the brake for months, pushed the throttle full forward to get the contractor on site the following day. At 0700, on July 12, Takashi and his helpers and supporters watch ECC take his house to the ground in about 10 minutes. 

The Corps has already demolished 3500 structures in Orleans Parish, a number of them having issues that also required a little "Corps Consideration."

"We routinely get calls asking for a day or so delay to remove personal items that the family has just not been in position or shape to recover.  Others ask for time to work out Road Home or insurance issues," Logue said. 

"If we can work the schedule we will, but our prime mission is to get the City ready for recovery one structure at a time, as soon as possible.  Each property is someone's next step."