By Abby Nadeau
Community Editor

It has been over five months since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The waters have receded, but the small road to recovery is still littered with debris.

Those residents who decided to stay after the hurricane and clean up are finding that help is not only hard to find, but hard to trust.

Many residents looked to the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations to help them with the devastation. But besides the major organizations, there are also small groups of people who have come on their own to help.

Jessica Kopp, a Forest Lake High School graduate and University of Wisconsin at River Falls student, joined a small group of students who wanted to help.

Along with 41 other students and staff from UWRF, Kopp traveled to the Gulf Coast on January 7.

Preparation

The group had four meetings before they left for the Gulf Coast to discuss the logistics of the trip.

ìWe werenít really sure what to expect,î Kopp said. ìWe were rather uncertain as to what exactly we would be doing and what we would see.î

They were able to keep costs low because of funding from the Leadership Development and Programming Board at UWRF.

The group planned to spend nights on church and gym floors to save on boarding costs. Each participant brought bottled water, personal tools and they each paid $100 to go on the trip.

After everything and everyone was assembled they left and spent the next two days traveling in 15-passenger buses to get to the beach.

First Impressions

Kopp, along with two other FLHS graduates Katie and Molly Thompson, reached the Gulf Coast cities of Gulfport and Biloxi and found something they never expected.

ìI would liken the area closest to the ocean to a war-ravaged countryside,î Kopp said. ìOne might presume that the hurricane occurred no more than a week ago. Debris was scattered everywhere.

ìThe only signs of the homes, restaurants, and businesses that occupied the two blocks closest to the ocean were concrete foundations and debris,î Kopp added. ìSteps that used to lead into somebodyís home lead to nothing but rubble. Spray-painted on the foundations of homes are phone numbers and addresses of the former residents, and messages that they are ëall OK.íî

Even when the group got beyond the hardest hit ocean front, the surprises kept coming.

ìWhat surprised me most was that the destruction didnít stop at the coast,î Kopp said. ìA 30 foot wave of water, considered the ëstorm surgeí of a hurricane, hit Mississippi even harder than Louisiana, forcing water miles inland.

Bayou View Baptist Church, located approximately three miles from the Gulf of Mexico, experienced three feet of water when the surge flooded nearby lowlands. Traces of the stormís wrath can be seen in Hattiesburg, MS, over 70 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. Imagine a tornado in Forest Lake causing damage in Cloquet.î

Changing Lives

Even though the initial shock of the destruction and damage of the Gulf region never wore off, the group of students had to move on fast.

The group was only in the area for a week and had a lot of work ahead of them.

Kopp explained that ìmany residents of Gulfport need the basic necessities. These people didnít need walls painted. They need walls. They needed a roof over their heads.î

The group worked to shingle roofs, install insulation, remove trees and put up sheetrock.

As much help as the group was able to provide, they couldnít help everyone. Hundreds of people are still waiting on lists just for an electrician to come into their home.

ìMy group arrived at our first assignment, which was to insulate the first floor of the home,î Kopp said, ìand the homeowner came out to greet us and she said that she wished we could help her out, but that she was still waiting for an electrician before we could insulate.î

Now, instead of being frustrated or bitter about the situation Kopp said ìshe accepted that there are many people in the area that need services and there are not enough skilled workers to do the jobs, so she would just have to wait it out.î

Kopp, and others on the trip, were amazed at the attitudes of the people still waiting for help.

ìThese are by far the most patient people I have ever met,î Kopp said. ìBeyond patience, the most important thing the people of Gulfport taught me is that there is always hope. Homemade signs read, ëHighway of Hopeí and ëGod bless the Gulf Coastí and American flags scatter the ravaged coastline.î

With each new project Kopp and other volunteers worked on, they came across more and more excited homeowners.

After working to repair one familyís roof, Kopp was given a bit of ìsouthern hospitality.î

ìThe second day we worked on her roof, ëMiss Annieí invited us into her home for a true ësoutherní meal,î Kopp said. ìWe crowded into her tiny kitchen to eat the pots of food she prepared to thank us for giving her a roof again. I have never been welcomed into a home like that before.î

Volunteers needed

Although volunteers are needed to help rebuild the coast, they are also needed to rebuild the spirit of the residents.

ìPeople such as the volunteers working through Southern Baptist Disaster Relief prove that there is hope for the devastated Gulf Coast,î Kopp said. ìThese selfless men and women remind us that there are people in the world who care enough to take time out of their busy, working lives to serve others. They left families, jobs and vacations to help strangers hundreds of miles away. They do this work with such joy and feel as though it is a blessing for them to be able to use their skills and abilities to help those in need.î

Even though the volunteers did not get paid for the work they did, they were able to calculate the worth of their time.

ìAs a group, Destination: Gulf Coast worked 1784 hours,î Kopp said. ìThe hourly worth of a volunteer is calculated at $17.55/hour, and the entire impact of our trip totaled $31,309.20. We helped those who could not afford to rebuild, did not have adequate insurance to cover costs, and/or were rejected for governmental assistance.î

Kopp returned to UWRF on January 15 with hopes of returning to the Gulf Coast soon.

ìAfter seeing and experiencing what I have, I feel compelled to return and help in any way I can,î said Kopp. ìI also feel it is important to tell others about what I have seen in hopes that they will see the need that exists and be compelled to help as well.î

Many of the students on the trip were frustrated by the lack of attention the media has given to the area.

ìWe felt the images we see in the media do not reflect the extent of the destruction we witnessed,î Kopp said. ìSo many pictures and video clips show homes flooded, but they fail to show the vast destruction even closer to the coastline.î

Kopp has one message to those who have only watched the hurricane on the television. ìDo not forget about the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Do not assume that the Gulf Coast is ìlooking pretty good.î Although the media coverage has diminished and the storm occurred over four months ago the devastation is more than 1200 miles south of our warm homes, remember that there are still people without roofs and walls.î

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