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19 Months Later, Katrina Damage Remains an Eye-Opener

By Phillip Lucas
Black College Wire

After a ride lasting more than 20 hours, plagued with breakdowns, confusion and exasperation, 500 Howard University students arrived in the Gulf Coast region on March 18. They crossed the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and followed the path of Hurricane Katrina, taking in the devastation it brought the region.

The Hilltop A return trip to New Orleans is not out of the question for some Alternative Spring Break participants, who said they were surprised by how little rebuilding had taken place.

Dilapidated buildings, broken trees and bent signs, all facing the same direction, littered the landscape.

The students were participating in Alternative Spring Break, traveling south to New Orleans to assist in the reconstruction effort.

Students represented Howard University as well as such organizations as the NAACP and Project Amnesty, the Howard chapter of Amnesty International. They were ready for five demanding days of volunteer service rebuilding homes, tutoring children, participating in debris removal and gutting buildings.

"I just wanted to basically see the devastation for myself," said Johnetta Abraham, a freshman political science major. "I mean, I saw it on TV and whatnot, but I wanted to see it with my own two eyes instead of having it handed to me. And without the bias of the news," she said.

During a social justice forum on March 21 that featured Mayor C. Ray Nagin and city council members, residents shared their stories of life before and after the storm.

Joe Gibbons told of his mother, who at 80 years old, was forced to take out a $180,000 loan to cover damages from the storm. She hired a contractor who took $150,000 of her money and disappeared, leaving her with $30,000 to rebuild her damaged home.

Gibbons said the event was a common horror story, illustrating that the city still needs help and that reconstruction of the Gulf region is far from completed.

Despite the many organizations helping to rebuild, many students said they believe the government is responsible for restoring New Orleans and bringing its residents back home.

The condition of the city "is ridiculous. It looks like it happened two weeks ago instead of 19 months ago," Andrea White, a freshman television production major, said. She called the circumstances an accurate reflection of the government's attitude toward black people.

Abraham said, "The government should provide the finances so they can build sufficient levees. The government should help people come back. Citizens should take the initiative to come back instead of giving up," she said.

"The most inspiring part is always speaking with the residents and understanding the people's perspectives," said Ty Axson, co-coordinator of the trip. "I think we get so many perspectives from the media, from the government, from different officials, but if you really talk to the residents, you begin to see how things really are and how they were affected. To hear their stories is truly inspiring, and I'm humbled by it."

"I'm happy with the result of the trip," Axson said. "Taking 500 students, you never really know what to expect. I knew that the experience would be great. I knew that lives would be impacted, but I never knew that it would be to this degree."

Others suspected some students came with different motives.

Feven Woldu, a freshman marketing major and transfer student, said, "Initially, I was really surprised at the number and glad to see such a huge turnout. But at the same time, I feel like a lot of people here came with different intentions and used the trip as an alternative to Miami, whether it was because of finances or because they tagged along with their friends."

A return to New Orleans is not out of the question for some. Abraham said, "I would definitely do it again. After being here for a whole week, I can clearly see how long the process is to get back to at least a semi-normal state. Just riding down the street is like [seeing] a ghost town. You might have one or maybe two people on a street, and the houses are just totally destroyed. Basically, there is nobody here, and I would like to continue to help."

Phillip Lucas, a student at Howard University, writes for the Hilltop.

Posted April 2, 2007