This past week, while many students were soaking up the sun on far away beaches, members of Urban Renewal Student Association and other volunteers took a 24-hour bus ride to New Orleans to help recovery efforts in the hurricane-battered city.
Though more than three years have passed since Hurricane Katrina struck the southern coast, flooding levees and laying waste to thousands of homes, there is still much work to do.
"This year, we helped rebuild homes," said Urban Renewal President Farah Brunache. "We worked on houses...for people that are disabled, elderly, or have children. In the past we [demolished] homes...because they were rotted and eroded."
Brunache said that many people are still living in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or in tent cities.
A tent city is a collection of tents and other types of temporary shelters where those left homeless by the flooding continue to live until they can rebuild their homes. The tents lack amenities such as indoor plumbing, air conditioning and electricity.
"It's horrendous...driving by tent city and just seeing all those tents back to back," Brunache said. "Everyone's sleeping in tents. If you're not sleeping in tents then you're in a different city, you're in a different state."
There are several factors that keep people from returning to normal life in New Orleans, according to Brunache. Many of the homeless do not have enough money to build new homes. The government is also repossessing homes and charging large fees for minor infractions such as tall grass.
Nevertheless, many outsiders assume that the city is back to normal.
"Stories make headlines and after that, it kind of dies out," Brunache said. "I think that people believe everything is okay, but it's not."
This was the third year that Urban Renewal has made the trip to New Orleans. The group was established in 2006 in response to the Hurricane Katrina devastation. The University officially recognized the group in 2007, according to their Web site.
The club works in conjunction with Common Ground Collective. The organization's goal is to "provide short term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the gulf coast region, and long term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area," according to their Web site.
During the alternative spring break trip, Urban Renewal also worked with the St. Bernard Project, a group that is dedicated to rebuilding and renovating homes in New Orleans. According to the project Web site, the group has already completed over 100 homes in the area and plans on continuing their work.
"When I went down to the St. Bernard Project they said...'We're going to be here for a couple of years,'" Brunache said.
This year, 40 volunteers paid $190 and stayed at the New Orleans East Camp Ground in tents, not unlike the homeless living in a tent city.
Brunache has no regrets about missing the traditional spring break.
"Everyone who goes on the trip really enjoys themselves," she said. "We worked from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. every day, but after that you have free time. You can do the same things you do on spring break there."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
