Biggest demo to date The Bundy Housing Project in New Orleans represented the largest Corps demo effort to date, with 29 separate units. LA-RFO Photo by George Marcec. Back to Features

Bundy Project demolition reminds workers of their homes
By Tom Clarkson, public affairs specialist, Louisiana Recovery Field Office  9/6/07

NEW ORLEANS, LA … Per directions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the 29-unit formerly commercial Bundy housing complex is the present object of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisiana Recovery Field Office (LA-RFO) demolition team efforts. 

Clearly, storm worn, torn and condemned by the City of New Orleans, felines and wild bees were the most it could any longer house – though even with the latter, complaints had been heard buzzing around the hive. 

Accordingly, a team comprised of Corps oversight and safety professionals, along with highly experienced, contracted demolitions experts undertook this rather large effort as the LA-RFO neared the end of its slightly over two year’s work in hurricane recovery efforts in Louisiana. 

The housing project would be the next in a series of 3,900 demolitions already undertaken by the LA-RFO in Orleans Parish, but it would certainly be the largest one to date with 27 different buildings. 

The gray-bearded native Oklahoman Dave Berkey retired from the Tulsa District and was brought back under the Corps’ rehired annuitant program to lend his experience and expertise in a quality assurance capacity.  Now on his fourth deployment in helping with hurricane recovery, he observed that the endeavor would take around 26 days to complete.   

Concurring, Stan McKain, a contracted quality assurance professional working for the Corps, said, “These structures have been an ugly eyesore and their removal will certainly help the neighborhood.”  He scanned the structures, did some fast mental math and said, “We estimate that each of the 27 buildings will generate around thirty 90-cubic-yard dump truck loads of debris.”   

Next to several of her burly team, Casey Batson, the diminutive team supervisor, from Poplar Bluff, Ark. - a master of understatement – added, straight face intact, “That’s quite a pile!” 

When asked about her team’s Katrina efforts to date, the New Orleans native answers, “An array of work.  In addition to demolition of storm destroyed homes, we’ve removed hundreds of salt water killed and storm ravaged trees, cleaned waterways and will soon take down a former police station badly damaged by Katrina.”   

Giving further verbal credence to the relative experience of these individuals was Darrell Morgan, a contractor from Cameron, Mo., who, when briefly drawn into the conversation, added that he, like several of the team, had been a part of Mississippi Recovery efforts.

Clad - like all of the individuals on site – in the proper, safety attire, the gray-haired and unflappable Berkey succinctly wrapped up the general concurrence of the group. 

“This is good and important work we’re doing.  There’s not a person here who hasn’t thought, on numerous occasions, how, but for the caprice of nature, the storm destroyed home they are removing could well have been their own back home!” 

Before and After Workers spray a Bundy demolition pile to minimize dust and the chance of fire. LA-RFO Photo by George Marcec.