Hurricane Katrina not to be forgotten, five years later

By Laura Snowden

For the past three years, I have been part of a movement of high school and college students focused on rebuilding the Gulf Coast after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. This group of students created the nonprofit organization Shirts Across America to move residents of the Gulf Coast out of FEMA trailers one family at a time.

Since 2007, over 450 volunteers from Shirts Across America have come together to help rebuild New Orleans and Mississippi.

Over the years, we have met amazing people who feel forgotten by our country during their struggle to rebuild. It has been five years since Katrina hit and families are still unable to return home. For blocks on end, empty foundation follows empty foundation, broken up only occasionally by a rebuilt home or trailer. Sadly, this is a common site throughout the Gulf Coast. Each concrete slab and empty home is a reminder to the world that this community is still in need. While the rest of the world may have moved on to newer and more current disasters, for the thousands of families still living in FEMA trailers and temporary housing, life is anything but easy.

Many people do not realize that flood insurance was not available to homeowners in New Orleans during the time of the hurricane. Homeowners were told by officials one year prior to Katrina that flood insurance was not necessary for New Orleans citizens, as the last major hurricane to hit the city was Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

This lack of flood insurance put most residents in a position where they could not afford to rebuild.

While in New Orleans this past spring, the Shirts Across America group helped to rebuild the home of Mr. Carreras, a life long resident of the Saint Bernard Perish in New Orleans.

The year before our group worked to help Ms. Deffes, another native of New Orleans. Homeowners like Mr. Carreras and Ms. Deffes have faced insurmountable odds.

They have been forced to evacuate their homes and live in temporary government trailers without running water. Many have been taken advantage of by contractors. Five years later, they are still waiting for funding to help restart their lives. These are the stories that have moved me to continue to stay involved with Shirts Across America. I have seen first hand that by coming together, we can have a huge impact for the people of the Gulf Coast.

Last spring, a group of twelve students from Santa Clara joined students from Seattle University and Whitman College to rebuild four homes. Now it is your turn. We are asking college students from around the country to come together to find solutions for these problems.

If our trips to New Orleans have taught us anything, it is that ordinary people reaching out in simple ways have had more of an impact for the communities of the Gulf Coast than any government agency. So get involved. Here are two easy ways everyone can help to move another family home.

1. Buy a T-shirt from www.shirtsacrossamerica.org and be a voice for the forgotten people on the Gulf Coast every time you wear your shirt.

2. Simply shoot a free throw as part of our One Million Free Throws 4 NOLA campaign and donate $1, $5, or $10. All proceeds and donations go directly to help families move back into their homes.

I can't imagine waiting for five long years for my home to be rebuilt, can you? Be a part of the solution today.

Laura Snowden is a sophomore sociology major.