Elon University 2005 Fall Break Service
Trip to Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Nathan Rode / Katrina Volunteer; Sports
Editor
For Fall Break 2005, 40 Elon students and faculty took the
time to travel to Bay St. Louis, Miss. in order to help with
disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina. The volunteers helped
clean debris out of yards, organized donations and interacted
with the community. Bay St. Louis was crippled by the storm
which was blanketed by a tidal wave.
The wave went six miles inland and as it receded it took
homes, wildlife and roads with it. It will take years for the
town to get back to "normal" but little acts of
kindness will go a long way. The next four pages contain
stories of survival, heartache and perseverance that
can't be missed. Bay St. Louis has been adopted by Elon
and return trips are in the making.
Students and faculty give up break to help relief effort
There is nothing quite like seeing a beautiful sunrise unfold
over the Gulf of Mexico during Fall Break. It's a time to
relax from the rigors of class and catch up on sleep. But
this sunrise shed light on reality and opened a group of Elon
students' eyes to the destructive capabilities of a
hurricane.
As many students boarded shuttles to airports and spent time
with their family, 40 Elon students and faculty made a
12-hour trek to Bay St. Louis, Miss. to help with disaster
relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Beginning at
7:30 a.m. every day, the group cleaned up debris, organized
supplies and interacted with the community in an effort to
help a town get back on its feet.
The group stayed on the grounds of Our Lady of the Gulf
Church, sleeping in tents and eating breakfast out of a van.
Each day had long hours of labor but the experience that was
gained was outrageous.
During the first morning the volunteers met Father Michael
Tracey and he took them on a tour of the town, or at least
what remained.
Carolyn Byrne, a freshman from Connecticut, was shocked at
the amount of devastation.
"The neighborhoods were just slabs of concrete and
stairs surrounding endless piles of debris," she said.
"I realized then that these people's town had been
destroyed."
After being introduced to the reality of the situation,
students split up into three teams and began doing what they
could to help. The different teams would rotate between
cleaning the church, organizing supply stations and
interacting in the community.
One project consisted of separating food donations into an
organized section so residents could come and easily find
what they needed. The group estimated that they sorted and
moved over 2,000 pounds of peanut butter, canned corn and
applesauce.
Many volunteers had passed through the church so the area
was relatively clean but it was deceptive towards damage
throughout Bay St. Louis.
"Naturally, I assumed the entire area was cleaned
up," Byrne added. "I was so very wrong."
Another team helped one family clear an area for a FEMA
trailer. FEMA gives out trailers to those that do not have
homes that are livable but they take up space. Space was not
a common commodity for most.
Helping the family was very emotional for some.
"I only wish that we could come back to help them clear
the rest of their lot," sophomore Lindsey Harris said.
"We barely made a dent and it was addictive."
One of the main concerns for the volunteers was bringing
back their experience. It is difficult to share their
thoughts completely because what was seen and done cannot be
put into simple words. But simply talking may get the job
done.
"I will continue to talk about the situation and I will
return to Bay St. Louis," Byrne said. "I think the
best way to explain it all is to lead by example."
The Kernodle Center for Service Learning and other media
organizations will do their part in spreading the word.
Events will be held to publicize the trip and spread interest
in returning. Professors are organizing a class to be offered
during Winter Term and a trip will be returning during Spring
Break. The community of Bay St. Louis will need several years
to reestablish itself as a "normal" town so there
is no sense in ceasing the relief effort now.
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