[StBernard] Centenary College reaches out to Katrina victims

[Westley Annis]

Centenary College reaches out to Katrina victims

By CHRISTINA TATU 

For the Herald 

As they drove though Chalmette, La., they saw that signs of Hurricane
Katrina are still fresh, said a group of Centenary College volunteers. 

Two-and-a-half years after the storm, only 40 percent of the town's
residents have returned, and most of them still aren't home. Many are living
in trailers that sit next to their gutted houses. 

"I just can't compare it to anything I've ever seen before," said Centenary
junior Allison DiChiara. "Some people were comparing it to a Third World
country, and I never believed that parts of our country could look that
way." 

DiChiara was one of 85 Centenary College faculty and students to visit the
area for the school's third Katrina relief trip. 


>From Jan. 2 to 11, student and faculty volunteers worked with the St.

Bernard Project, a nonprofit home-rebuilding and renovation group, and
Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild 25 homes in Chalmette, the seat of St.
Bernard Parish (a parish is the Louisiana equivalent of a county) and a
Methodist parsonage in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. Previous trips focused on
clearing garbage and debris from the streets, but this year's theme was "A
Time to Rebuild." 

This was DiChiara's first trip to the area. The Fredon resident said what
she saw left her shocked. 

"It was a very depressing and sad area, because you just look at all those
homes and the people who lost them and you see them living in trailers. I
can't imagine having to live like that," DiChiara said. 

St. Bernard Parish was one of the areas most badly damaged by the storm. All
its homes were left uninhabitable. 

Norman Cetuk, professor of criminal justice and trip organizer, said that
residents of the area rely mostly on nonprofit and volunteer groups to help
with the rebuilding process. 

"I'm angry that it's been so long, and these people have been asking for
help, but the only organizations that are helping are church groups and
schools. It appears as though they've been abandoned by the government,"
Cetuk said. 

Colleen Kenny, a staff member at the St. Bernard Project, said student
volunteers are an invaluable resource. 

"The need for labor is so high that it's impossible to get that many people.
Private contractors are a hit or miss. About 90 percent of the homeowners
who have used them say they were scammed for money," Kenny said. 

While changes to the area are slow and frustrating, many students said that
going to Louisiana was an unforgettable experience, and they vowed to come
back as long as help is needed. 

Russ Yarnell, a senior and Relief student coordinator, has been with the
Centenary Relief team since their first trip. 

Hurricane Katrina has faded away in people's minds, so it was very rewarding
to see a group students give up their winter break to do such work, Yarnell
said. 

By far, the most rewarding part of the trip was getting to see the
residents' lives come back together, volunteers said. 

DiChiara said she will always remember one resident, Bernice. 

"She didn't physically work on the house with us, but every day seeing her
and talking to her put a face on the house. We were directly impacting
someone's life, and that was even more motivating," DiChiara said. 

Centenary College students held several fundraisers throughout the year and
sold T-shirts to raise the money for the trip, which Cetuk said cost about
$100 per student. The students already are thinking of fundraisers to help
pay for next year's return. 

"It's exhausting and emotional, but the consensus of the entire group is
that coming home is always harder. My students say their lives have been
changed forever," Cetuk said.