Students fight a different storm in Texas

As snow piled up by the inch and cars slid sideways through the streets last week, Bloomington residents struggled to keep their footing in the wake of the new year’s first winter storm.

But while many kept warm inside, one group of students was weathering the effects of a different kind of storm.

From Jan. 3 to 8, 47 volunteers packed up and hit the road to help repair the damage caused by Hurricanes Ike and Rita to the area surrounding Port Neches, Texas. 

The volunteers, who are members of the student organization Youth Advocating Leadership & Learning worked to paint, clean and rebuild homes for families still recovering from the effects of both hurricanes.

This was Y’ALL’s third trip to the Gulf Coast, executive board member and senior Stephanie Boxell said. 

“All of the homes in the area we worked in were damaged by the hurricane itself,” Boxell said. “They were wind damaged and once the wind cut the roofs off or put holes in it, the water would get in and cause damage as well.”

Volunteers spent their time tearing down the walls ruined by water, cleaning the insides with mold killer and installing new insulation, she said. They also helped repaint the outsides of the houses.

The group completed work on four houses during their stay.

Executive board member graduate student Jimmy Morrow, who  has been traveling with Y’ALL since 2006, said one of the best parts of helping the families is the look on their faces when they see everyone coming together to help.

“They’re just really grateful that we’re down there,” he said. “You can tell that they’re kind of down on their luck; they keep getting hit over and over by these hurricanes.”
Morrow said the homeowners often cooked meals for the volunteers or would take them out to local restaurants to show their thanks.

“They’ll tell us their stories of how they survived the hurricane, and some of them are pretty amazing,” he said. “And they’ll show us pictures of what their house used to look like before.”

Y’ALL, created in 2005, sends student volunteers to aid in disaster relief in the Gulf Coast every winter, spring and summer break. The destinations vary, but each trip works to aid in the restoration of homes destroyed by the rampant influx of hurricanes.
When it struck in September 2008, Hurricane Ike left behind more than $30 billion in damages.

In an area so susceptible to these storms, Morrow said, many often wonder why these people choose to remain there after the hurricanes have struck.

“A lot of people can say, ‘Well, why don’t they just move away somewhere that’s not going to get hit by a hurricane?’” he said. “But that’s just all that they know; that’s their home.”

For Boxell, the best part of the trip was being able to see the sense of accomplishment the volunteers get by helping them.

“The best part of the trip is seeing the satisfaction in the volunteers when they know that they helped rebuild someone’s life and get them back on track,” she said.