The will to continue

Hurricane Katrina swept away thousands of homes, erasing years of memories in a matter of days.

And it will take years to rebuild them.

Though organizations around the country have gathered to provide relief for the affected areas, people still need more help to rebuild their lives.

Recognizing this need for long-term relief, a group of UNC students formed the Extended Katrina Relief Committee.

The group is raising money to revitalize one community in the area affected by the hurricane. They plan to travel to the location during Thanksgiving.

"The whole idea is to help one community where we can make a definite, concrete impact," said sophomore Mary Small, committee chairwoman.

Elliot Grudem, who worked in the poverty-stricken ninth ward of New Orleans for two years, came to campus Monday to drive home the dire need of Gulf Coast residents.

"This is not a problem that's going to be solved when the French Quarter reopens," said Grudem, who moved to Raleigh three months ago. "It's a long-term problem that needs a long-term solution."

He said most people only volunteer while a disaster is fresh in their minds.

"You do what you have to do to get rid of that nagging feeling and then move on to something else," Grudem said.

But he stressed that people will need help for years, describing the hurricane's devastating effect on one community - the ninth ward, a particularly poor part of the city.

"Hurricanes don't discriminate, do they?" Grudem said. "But the area that got hit the hardest was an area where people didn't have the resources to get out. For them, it's a general confirmation that life just isn't going to be fair."

Committee members will focus their efforts on a specific location, and Small said they are in contact with several communities. But she said they won't know which location they will help until they know how many students will get involved.

Interested students can e-mail Small at smallm@email.unc.edu.

Committee members handed out small envelopes, hoping students will keep the envelopes in their wallets as a constant reminder to donate money to the cause.

"Squirrel away what you might be able to spare for 10 weeks," said Benjamin Inman, a minister for Reformed University Fellowship.

The committee will collect donations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday in the Pit.

"I can't say it enough," Grudem said. "These people have lost everything."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.