Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 3/29/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy // Bonnie Massey The shattered shell of a building in Biloxi, Missippi. Many students are spending time helping rebuild the Gulf Coast.

Media Credit: Courtesy // Bonnie Massey On of the many "piles of stuff" the president refered to on a trips to the Gulf Coast.

Seven months have passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast. Although time has passed, the need for aid remains. One affected area is Biloxi, Mississippi. SSU student, Bonnie Massey took a trip to Biloxi with Calvary Chapel Petaluma in January. Through Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization, Massey and Calvary Chapel Petaluma were able to help in the relief efforts in Biloxi. She volunteered in Biloxi for ten days, helping to install insulation and sheet rock in existing houses.

"I saw more trash than I've ever seen in my entire life," said Massey.

Her experience was overwhelming, but she says "the people of Biloxi were the sweetest people that I've ever met."

Each day her work group woke up at 6:00 a.m. and was assigned to a family in need. Massey speaks of a Biloxi woman who was working as a night nurse. Her house was demolished in the hurricane, but hurricane relief was only able to pay for the roof. She was told she needed flood insurance to pay for the rest of the damage, but did not qualify. She carried a picture of what was left of her house, a pile of everything she owned.

"The coastline of Biloxi, 80 miles, was demolished…the damage was amazing," Massey said.

She was so moved by her experience, she would like to go back and continue to help.Various organizations at SSU together raised over $18,000. "The campus was concerned about the impact of Hurricane Katrina, so Join Us Making Progress (JUMP) took action to help those affected and everyone jumped on board to help," Said Brittany Wilbur, SSU Student and JUMP Chair.

JUMP, on its own, raised $8,500 including $5,739 with its "Donate Your $2" campaign, acceding their goal. Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Delta Zeta, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Pan-Hellenic Council raised a total of $4,039. Freshman seminar classes pulled together to organize events such as car washes and bake sales to raise a generous $1,790. Sonoma State Dining Services and Seawolf Shops collected over $3,200, when customers added a dollar to their bills to go towards relief efforts. The Sallie Mae Fund of Reston, Virginia doubled this collection, resulting in a total donation of $6,400. The Sociology Club and Human Rights Club sponsored a dinner at Chevy's Restaurant in Santa Rosa, raising $337.08 after Chevy's donated 20 percent of every SSU customer's bill. The money raised by SSU was sent to the Red Cross.

"It was really inspiring to see the same type of unity among SSU students, staff, and faculty that we saw on the national level as so many people from all walks of life came together to support this cause," Wilbur said.

Since the Hurricane hit the gulf coast, The Red Cross has providedshelter, supplies, and docked cruise ships for city employees and theirfamilies. The cruise ships, Sensation and Ecstasy, were donated by the Carnival Cruise Line and housed numerous families, until recently. As the six-monthanniversary of Hurricane Katrina arrived, so did the conclusion of the contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CarnivalCruise Lines. City employees are moving on to FEMA provided trailers andmotels. The Red Cross has taken a step back and moved on to long-termassistance, providing victims with physical and mental health resourcesand working with partners to help with the ongoing needs of thecommunities. However, Red Cross is still providing meals, water, and supplies.Direct Relief International's relief report stated that $3.3 million in cash grants were made to 31 clinics, hospitals, and associations; $4.5 million in cash was received to aid hurricane victims; $12.5 million in wholesale medical was donated; $26.1 million in wholesale medical donated to be used specifically by health professionals in the regions affected by the hurricane. In the last six months, Direct Relief has worked with a number of local groups, institutions, and community leaders, specifically health clinics and physicians.

President Bush urged congress to help in the relief efforts of hurricane Katrina while visiting the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast. ABC 7 News reported on Mar. 8 that Congress has $4.2 billion ready to allocate, in flexible community development funds for the areas affected by the hurricane six months ago. However, Bush would like the money to be dedicated to the relief of Louisiana alone. He seems to be unaware of the rest of the coast, where one million people were affected by Katrina as well.

As a bulldozer pushed a pile of debris along a New Orleans street, Bush stated "You've got a pile of stuff there."

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