Utah State Students Serve in New Orleans During Spring Break

Spring break often provides relief from work and study, but instead of heading to the beach a group of Utah State University students rolled up their sleeves and headed to New Orleans. Forty five Aggies volunteered for Operation Blessing’s disaster relief team, and instead of working on their tans, worked to clean up an area still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

USU’s team joined more than 200 volunteers from universities and faith-based organizations across the nation to repair flood-damaged homes.

 

The trip was funded by individual students and organized through the Alternative Breaks service program at USU.

 

From March 6-10, the student volunteers worked an average of 40 hours each to serve victims of Hurricane Katrina. They gutted a total of five hurricane-damaged homes that were flooded during the hurricane, sorted food to be distributed to the victims and picked up trash around flood-affected neighborhoods.

 

“The homes were mold-infested so we had to wear safety suits and respiratory masks for protection,” said Belinda Lopez Schultz, ASUSU service vice president. “All the volunteers ate breakfast and lunch together in a large tent, and lunch was in ready-to-eat military rations. We slept in an old grocery store on cots and bunk beds.

 

“A resident of one home we worked on wanted to help, but had to leave because he couldn’t deal with seeing everything he owned being removed,” she said. “That made a powerful impact on me.”

 

Schultz said going to New Orleans opened her eyes; she was shocked by what she saw and her perspective of life in general has been changed for the good.

 

“Seeing it with your own eyes is different than just hearing others talk about the disaster,” said Brandy Barton, Alternative Breaks director and USU student.

 

Barton spoke with a hurricane survivor who is six months pregnant and who has other school-aged children. She said the woman wants to move back to New Orleans but can’t because there is no local hospital and there isn’t a public school available for her children to attend.

 

“It was hard to see this woman trying to do everything she could to get her family’s lives back to normal, but having a hard time doing it,” said Barton.

 

The Aggie volunteers said they were happy they went and said it was an experience of a lifetime.

 

Barton said they wouldn’t have traded the opportunity for anything and can’t wait to go again.