Spring Break
A city in Progress
Jessi Stafford
Issue date: 8/29/07 Section: News
|
On Aug. 29, 2005 and the days following, the hurricane killed more than 2,000 people and left more than 800,000 homeless.
And although efforts to rebuild homes and businesses have created more substantial accommodations, New Orleans still needs help.
"The need is still so overwhelming, so obvious," said Fort Collins Habitat for Humanities Special Programs Manager Andrea Bean. "There has been a lot of progress, but there is so much that still needs to be done."
More than 1,000 people are still living in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers and only a fraction of the 18 elementary schools have reopened, making them the most populated in the nation, Bean said.
"Many of the children are still living in FEMA trailers," she said. "They don't have places to play."
Bean and 142 other volunteers made their way to New Orleans last April to help reconstruct and remodel ruined homes. The experience was both emotional and inspiring, she said.
"Amidst the devastation, it's a rewarding feeling as well," Bean said. "There are so many amazing people there."
Bean has visited New Orleans three times, and her third trip impacted her in an unexpected way.
"I felt like I was doing exactly what I am meant to do," she said.
She has recently put in her notice at Habitat for Humanity and is dedicating one year to volunteering in New Orleans for an organization called the St. Bernard Project.
"There are so many little ways to make a big difference," Bean said.
So, beginning next month, she will be organizing volunteer groups in New Orleans. It costs $100 for food and lodging - all volunteers need to do on their own is get there. And, once there, it's easy to see why aid is needed.
"Some places look like a third-world country," Bean said. "There is destruction everywhere you look."
Shannon Hein also accompanied Bean to New Orleans as a volunteer team leader, and the experience taught her that volunteers are as necessary now as they were two years ago.
"We only put a small dent in the problem," Hein said. "There is so much need in our own country."
While they provided service for many, Hein and her team of 14 volunteers helped one single mother and her two children most. The family was sleeping on cement floors while their home was being reconstructed.
Be the first to comment on this story