This was a one-day project to start off the organization's effort to encourage physical and pyschological recovery after the US invasion. There were 30 workers the first day of demolition at the Wazeria site. Most are pictured here, at the end of the day.

JumpStart International has started its first project in Iraq, under which it will clean the Ministry of Electricity's Moustanzeria Warehouses.

The organization met on Tuesday with the general director of the Ministry for Electricity in Baghdad and toured the six warehouses which had been looted and burned after the American takeover of Baghdad. The Baghdad official said the project was of the highest priority and asked for our assistance. The six warehouses are needed to store and protect large incoming shipments of international aid supplies for Iraq's electrical infrastructure.

On Wednesday the initial funds were disbursed, on Thursday the hand tools and supplies were purchased, and on Saturday 30 workers, three supervisors, and two overseeing engineers from Zozik, JumpStart's subcontracting partner, were there to begin the initial rubble and rubbish removal. At the end of the first day, dozens of tons of material had been removed from the structures, including some metalwork and shelving units that will able to be re-used after cleaning and repainting.

Bumped into the General Director of Baghdad Electricity Ministry again today, as he was touring our site. He seemed pretty happy to see the workers, although he thought we could use about 75 workers instead of the 35 or so we had today. I agree (although we started with a smaller number of workers, anyway, just to figure out the flow and set up the dynamics, etc)... especially if you consider that were only clearing 3 of the warehouses right now. But I think a team of 50 will for sure be able to get the work done on the first three by the end of next week, at least in terms of clearing and cleaning the building and maybe removing the damaged roof of the first warehouse.

Reconstruction and finishing work is another story. Reminds me that yesterday there was a group of reconstruction people in from the CPA, along with their security forces, etc. Hope to get them to help on this project, although they were just there to advise/work on an inventory management system. I think they were surprised to see a Westerner there, especially someone doing reconstruction work! But I hope they can help, especially in terms of the heavy equipment.

Warehouse 1 entry way. The first three warehouses are all two stories, approximately 20,000 square feet each story.

Warehouse 4

Warehouse 3 entryway

Tens of millions of dollars worth of electrical equipment and supplies was destroyed in the fire. Some materials, insulators, clamps, winching wire, etc., were able to be salvaged amidst the soot. But the bulk of valuable materials was either destroyed or looted. The wastefulness of it all is just heart-breaking. 

Concrete walls between the warehouse buildings will all need to be removed and replaced. The un-reinforced concrete blocks, because of the heat of the fire, crumble extremely easily.

Shelving units... throughout all the buildings, much of the strong metal shelving was destroyed, melted by the heat of the fires. Some of the shelving will be cleaned, repainted, and re-used. Much of it will be sent to the scrap metal dealer for recycling.

One of the last remaining roof steel beams being removed from Warehouse #1

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After 2 days of working with a 15 ton crane, a 20 ton crane started work at the Moustanzeria Warehouses project today. Over 60 workers are on the project now, including the crane operators, the supervisors and the forklift crew. The roof of the first warehouse was removed in about a day and a half. The cranes are need to not only remove the structure, but also to suspend the torch workers in mid-air so they can cut the steel beams down. Tomorrow two 20 ton cranes will be at work to complete the removal of all three roofs of the salvagable warehouses. The remaining three warehouses (#4-6) will need to be razed and then rebuilt from the ground up. Meanwhile, the insides of the first three warehouses have been completely emptied and cleaned.

JumpStart's first project in Baghdad was completed successfully on October 30, 2003. Three warehouses of the Electricity Commission of Baghdad are already in a sufficiently good condition to allow partial re-use. The other three warehouses were completely demolished and their concrete foundations were made available for outdoor storage.

The walls of the upper level of Warehouse #3 as they are being removed by a 20-30 ton crane.

The upper levels of Warehouses #1-3 cleared & cleaned.

 Warehouses #4, #5, and #6 used to be here. The final scraps and debris are being removed in this picture.

Meanwhile, emergency electrical supplies from the international aide community and the Coalition were arriving on dozens of flatbed trucks.

The electricity commissioner for Baghdad, Mr. Nafah, surveys the newly cleaned warehouses with the supply of huge new transformers.

JumpStart workers put up a new concrete wall and windows to seal the outside of the warehouse complex.

The Wazeria warehouses project still has much work ahead of it, but at least the first few steps have been taken.