The Cold
In the best of conditions, Pine Ridge challenges many of it's residents to survive on a day to day basis. This summer, at countless job sites, I have watched homeowners struggle to stay cool during the day, evading the blistering sun by chasing the slim shadow cast by their trailers from one side to the other as the heat builds through the day. Many homes sit on the grasslands, with no shade nearby. Running an air conditioner is impractical or impossible in many instances.
Rain may cool things off, but brings a new set of issues. Many homes suffer from leaking roofs, an issue we encounter in many of the homes that we work on. With water damage, the whole structure can be compromised, and mold is a huge problem. Dozens of homes that I have worked in this summer have various stages of mold contamination, rotting wood and other issues brought about by water damage.
A great number of the roofing problems arise from the incredible winds that take a great toll on the many trailers that dot the otherwise uninterrupted prairie landscape. Although many homeowners attempt to shore up their roofs with tires for additional weight, the gusts that frequently top 60 miles per hour -- with sustained winds frequently at 30 to 40 in storms --equate to a tropical storm force burden on homes that are most certainly not capable of withstanding such punishment.
The worst is the cold though. Although the cold does little by way of physical damage, the toll it takes on Pine Ridge is greater than any other. Rarely can one find a house on Pine Ridge that does not have a broken window. Frequently I encounter holes in ceilings, walls and floors that expose the interior of the home to the ambient air outside. In many renovation projects, we come across walls that do not exceed 3/4 of an inch, with minimal or no insulation. Malfunctioning heating systems are common, and the funding to provide propane is never a guarantee.
Several times this summer, we have worked with or heard from individuals and families who were living in makeshift accommodations, camper-trailers or vehicles. In a number of homes that we have worked on, children sleep on mattresses laying on the floor.
As I write this, the temperature is falling through the twenties, with wind chills in the single digits. In what is seemingly one of the worst possible scenarios, cold weather has arrived early this year, and will place a burden on budgets, and equipment for the long winter ahead.
During my last visit to Pine Ridge -- the first week of March in 2008 -- I arrived to experience the fallout of what had been a long, hard winter. I heard of families that had no money left to fill their propane tanks, and were forced to choose between buying food and heating their home. I observed dozens of "rez dogs" wandering streets and neighborhoods for food, and was told that pets are often the first victims of the winter when they are left unfed as other priorities mount.
So quickly, we have left behind the bucolic summer and plunged into the grey, windswept dreariness. With this suble change, comes a personal modification in how I view my surroundings as well. A certain dullness and dreariness casts a new mood of desperation, illuminating the poverty that is all around in a new and more intense light. The streets seemingly become dirtier. The wind picks up trash and tosses it about, littering front yards and fields indiscriminately. Plastic sheeting flaps against the frames of windows, and the appearance of a quilt or comforter stuffed into a window leads one to contemplate whether it came off a bed.
An already tough life is made even more challenging with this change of season, one that comes this year, all too soon.
Rain may cool things off, but brings a new set of issues. Many homes suffer from leaking roofs, an issue we encounter in many of the homes that we work on. With water damage, the whole structure can be compromised, and mold is a huge problem. Dozens of homes that I have worked in this summer have various stages of mold contamination, rotting wood and other issues brought about by water damage.
A great number of the roofing problems arise from the incredible winds that take a great toll on the many trailers that dot the otherwise uninterrupted prairie landscape. Although many homeowners attempt to shore up their roofs with tires for additional weight, the gusts that frequently top 60 miles per hour -- with sustained winds frequently at 30 to 40 in storms --equate to a tropical storm force burden on homes that are most certainly not capable of withstanding such punishment.
The worst is the cold though. Although the cold does little by way of physical damage, the toll it takes on Pine Ridge is greater than any other. Rarely can one find a house on Pine Ridge that does not have a broken window. Frequently I encounter holes in ceilings, walls and floors that expose the interior of the home to the ambient air outside. In many renovation projects, we come across walls that do not exceed 3/4 of an inch, with minimal or no insulation. Malfunctioning heating systems are common, and the funding to provide propane is never a guarantee.
Several times this summer, we have worked with or heard from individuals and families who were living in makeshift accommodations, camper-trailers or vehicles. In a number of homes that we have worked on, children sleep on mattresses laying on the floor.
As I write this, the temperature is falling through the twenties, with wind chills in the single digits. In what is seemingly one of the worst possible scenarios, cold weather has arrived early this year, and will place a burden on budgets, and equipment for the long winter ahead.
During my last visit to Pine Ridge -- the first week of March in 2008 -- I arrived to experience the fallout of what had been a long, hard winter. I heard of families that had no money left to fill their propane tanks, and were forced to choose between buying food and heating their home. I observed dozens of "rez dogs" wandering streets and neighborhoods for food, and was told that pets are often the first victims of the winter when they are left unfed as other priorities mount.
So quickly, we have left behind the bucolic summer and plunged into the grey, windswept dreariness. With this suble change, comes a personal modification in how I view my surroundings as well. A certain dullness and dreariness casts a new mood of desperation, illuminating the poverty that is all around in a new and more intense light. The streets seemingly become dirtier. The wind picks up trash and tosses it about, littering front yards and fields indiscriminately. Plastic sheeting flaps against the frames of windows, and the appearance of a quilt or comforter stuffed into a window leads one to contemplate whether it came off a bed.
An already tough life is made even more challenging with this change of season, one that comes this year, all too soon.
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