Spring Break
Rebuilding New Orleans
CSU experts talk about the storm and its aftermath
Bob Shipton
Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: News
Sandfort recalled one hazard that volunteers from outside the region were unprepared for: alligators. When one crewmember asked a local man how they were going to control the alligators, he went to his truck and pulled out a large pistol and a bottle of hot sauce.
"First we shoot them, then we eat them," he said.
Other faculty members addressing the crowd focused on their experiences and expertise regarding Katrina.
Watson discussed how human activity like levee construction and oil and gas exploration exacerbated Katrina's impact.
Rice, who has made 22 trips to New Orleans to investigate mold damage to hotels, hospitals and homes, talked about the damage to buildings and health concerns that have resulted due to the buildup of mold.
Peek focused on the attitudes evacuees had towards returning to New Orleans, discussing the stress placed on families who have relocated to Colorado.
Laura Williams, the Crisis Counseling Program Manager for Disaster Mental Health, talked to the crowd with David Duquette from the Aurora Mental Health Center. Williams and Duquette worked directly with evacuees who came to Colorado.
"We had evacuees in every county in the state," Williams said.
Williams said that many programs were created to establish a new community for the evacuees, including picnics and the creation of a community center, however, evacuees were displaced into areas of Colorado vastly different from that of New Orleans.
"It's harder on the second and third generations of the community," Williams said. "Home will never again look like it has for generations."
Don Goldstein lived in New Orleans for 20 years, but now calls himself a resident of Fort Collins. He evacuated two days before Katrina devastated much of the Gulf Coast. He and his son, Phil Goldstein, the associate athletics director of business operations at CSU, were in attendance to learn more about the aftermath of Katrina and the future of New Orleans.
"First we shoot them, then we eat them," he said.
Other faculty members addressing the crowd focused on their experiences and expertise regarding Katrina.
Watson discussed how human activity like levee construction and oil and gas exploration exacerbated Katrina's impact.
Rice, who has made 22 trips to New Orleans to investigate mold damage to hotels, hospitals and homes, talked about the damage to buildings and health concerns that have resulted due to the buildup of mold.
Peek focused on the attitudes evacuees had towards returning to New Orleans, discussing the stress placed on families who have relocated to Colorado.
Laura Williams, the Crisis Counseling Program Manager for Disaster Mental Health, talked to the crowd with David Duquette from the Aurora Mental Health Center. Williams and Duquette worked directly with evacuees who came to Colorado.
"We had evacuees in every county in the state," Williams said.
Williams said that many programs were created to establish a new community for the evacuees, including picnics and the creation of a community center, however, evacuees were displaced into areas of Colorado vastly different from that of New Orleans.
"It's harder on the second and third generations of the community," Williams said. "Home will never again look like it has for generations."
Don Goldstein lived in New Orleans for 20 years, but now calls himself a resident of Fort Collins. He evacuated two days before Katrina devastated much of the Gulf Coast. He and his son, Phil Goldstein, the associate athletics director of business operations at CSU, were in attendance to learn more about the aftermath of Katrina and the future of New Orleans.
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