By David Van Deusen

New Orleans, LA -In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, humans weren’t the only ones left homeless. So too were the dozens of mules normally used to pull tourist carriages through the French Quarter. Many of the stables in which the animals lived were all but destroyed in the storm. In the days following, no one really knew, or cared, what became of them; no one that is except David Richardson.

Richardson, 56, worked as a carriage driver before the storm. I met him outside of Molly’s pub on Decatur Street. With a gruff salt and pepper beard, a slight twang in his voice, blue jeans, and a bone handled sheath knife on his belt, he isn’t exactly the stereotypical New Orleans resident. But then again, who is? Richardson has lived in this city for 25 years. Before that his roots go back to a small farm in Indiana, where his father had two mules. He tells me he has no plans to evacuate. In David’s opinion he can do more good in the city than he could in a refugee camp. As of Thursday (9/8) more than fifteen mules have been rescued from the rubbage largely because of him.

“[Initially] I wrangled about eight of them back to an area down here in front of my house so we could get them across the lake yesterday with the LSU Vetenary Rescue,” said Richardson.

Richardson says that he’s recovered at least ten more after this first batch. He is keeping them in a warehouse, making sure they have plenty or water and grass until they too can be evacuated. Some of these he rescued with the aid of two Boarder Patrol agents and twelve men from a Texas Sheriff’s Department who he has recently enlisted in the effort.

He recalls yesterday morning when some of his neighbors woke him up to say they saw five mules in front of their house. By the time he, the Boarder Patrol, and Sheriffs arrived, “they [the neighbors] had two mules already tied up in their yard. [There was also a] white mule we couldn’t catch. So we lead the two down. We thought she’d follow. Un ah. [It took] all twelve of that sheriff’s posse, two boarder patrol guys, [my friend] john and about five other civilians about an hour and a half till we got that little girl. We never did catch her. We herded her down by the other mules and got her to run in the gate.”

Richardson then looks me in the eyes, and asks in a sincere tone, “You ever try to wrangle horses on a bicycle? I guarantee you it would make you healthy.” He laughs.

The “Buggy Man”, as he refers to himself, is not just concerned with the mules. Like so many other New Orleans residents, he has done what he can for those in need. He recounts treating a young man for heat exhaustion. He also tells of a humble attempt to raise moral in the French Quarter.

“For Labor Day I did a parade [with] one buggy, we usually have twenty. We came down here into the Quarter on Sunday with a big red and white carriage and my big old red mule Sachmo. I come down Bourbon Street… I come down to this bar… We come down to Johnny White’s [back on Bourbon Street]. I swear to God people had tears in their eyes when they saw the big carriage.”

David gets choked up. In a cracked voice he continues, “I did it because we needed a victory. And by God we did it.” A tear rolls down his cheek.

Despite the mandatory evacuation, Richardson has no plans to leave. “Dam right I’m staying. I got two more [mules] out there I know of… I’ll find them by God.”

*David Van Deusen is a member of the National Writers Union, UAW Loal 1981. He recently spent five days in the New Orleans area. He is a resident of Moretown, Vermont.