Gettysburg College Helps to Rebuild New Orleans

By Emily Wasson on June 8, 2013

Over the course of the past decade, the United States has endured a number of untimely and devastating natural disasters that would forever change this country’s history. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. The people of New Orleans came back to their beloved city and found it under twelve feet of water after the levees broke. Many people were relocated, some children were out of school for over a year, and homelessness and crime grew out of control.

Today in the year 2013, New Orleans continues to suffer. And for this reason, Gettysburg College students saw a need for change in the city. Accompanied by Professor Ashley Burns and her husband, they formulated a game plan as to where they would look for ways to give back.

For many of us, it was our first trip to New Orleans. Before we arrived, we knew of the city for a few reasons, including Mardi Gras, which were its delicious southern style cuisine and its animated night life. Of course it was important to us that we learned about the culture of the city before diving right into our week of service. We chowed down at the local dives like Café du Monte and Parkway featured on the Food Network, toured Bourbon Street and explored the French Market. But aside from the beignets, the seafood and the music, we never imagined how much work needed to be done to get this city back to where it was before Katrina.

To kick off the week, we watched a film on the disappearance of the wetlands. We learned that for this reason, the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast were getting stronger and stronger. In order to find a solution, we actually went out onto the bayou and watched alligators in their natural habitat, and we saw with our own eyes how the vegetation is slowly receding. Due to this, more homes are being destroyed by these storms. For years now, organizations like the Saint Bernard Project have rebuilt homes for thousands of families. But the problems that erupted after Katrina did not stop there.

We met victims of domestic abuse and teenagers our age that are homeless. We met teachers who were struggling with their students because their schools were destroyed by the storm. We learned about farming and irrigation and about the at-risk kids that are employed at Grow Dat Youth Farm, because this is their only escape from their lives at home. We helped build a house for a man that has been living in a trailer for eight years since the hurricane hit. We shook his hand, listened to him thank us dozens of times over again, and we watched him cry when he told us his story.

We drove all over the city. We passed abandoned houses, boarded up hospitals, and vacant lots overgrown with vegetation. Yet, even though some parts of the city looked as if they had been broken beyond repair, the people were not. The people of New Orleans were happy. They were hopeful and excited to share with us just how much they loved this place. They were proud.

Even in times of hardship, the city still thrives because of its positive energy. It is a warm and welcoming place, and it sure amazed all of us. But it is still going to take generations of work to bounce back to its pre-Katrina days. However, for now, New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina will serve as a reminder for all of us just how precious life is and how close we all live on the edge of disaster.

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