More than 50 students look to help with relief

Preliminary plans are in the works for a group of more than 50 students to assist with clean-up efforts in areas of Louisiana hardest hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In recent weeks, members of the University’s hurricane relief committee have been corresponding with the Rev. Danny Torres of the St. Joseph Church in DeRidder, La., via e-mail.

Advertisement

A 90-minute drive away from the Gulf Coast, many in the town of 13,000, including Torres and his congregation, are rallying to help those in need in surrounding areas.

If things pan out, a group of willing students, including Black Affairs Council Coordinator Kevin Winstead, could be helping distribute food and clothing by Thanksgiving or winter break. Winstead, who sits on the relief committee, has been attempting to organize a group to help with hurricane relief since early September.

Planning the trip has been a slow process, as officials are trying to determine where students could help the most.

“We have students who want to help and were looking at doing that through the Red Cross, but they require three weeks of training and a minimum of three weeks in the field. Students don’t have that time,” said William Recktenwald, a journalism instructor who sits on the committee and first contacted Torres after seeing a request for help on the Internet.

“If you can’t do that, they suggest sending money, but students don’t have that either. So we have this group of students who really want to help out, but we have to identify a community where they won’t become part of the problem, where they can have food and shelter,” he said.

That town might be DeRidder, where Torres says he can offer 40 cots, sleeping bags for another 30 volunteers, food and showers in a shelter that houses those displaced by the hurricanes.

Committee Chair Sue Davis said though plans for the trip are not finalized, a number of student groups and organizations are rallying around the plan. Officials at the Student Health Center are looking into safety issues for those who travel south, including what immunizations may be needed. Davis also said the committee is in the initial stages of adopting a city to link relief efforts too.

Advertisement*

Winstead said interested students are welcome to join the expedition. However, Torres warns it will be hard work and long hours, including travel to Cameron Parish along the Gulf Coast, where the water is still three-feet high in some communities.

“It’s kind of a frustrating process, dealing with health and safety and legal issues for the University,” Winstead said. “But it’s something that needs to be done and the University is supporting our efforts.”

Reporter Monique Garcia can be reached at [email protected]