[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK GULF TRIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I am taping or putting up here a Web site 
that will help to pay tribute to over 200 students, professors, and 
other citizens from Ohio's universities, schools, and just citizens 
interested who traveled to the gulf in our country on an alternative 
spring break.
  Called Rockets on the Road to Compassion, the University of Toledo's 
alternative spring break directed the efforts of over 200 Americans in 
helping the hurricane-ravaged areas of the gulf. To learn more about 
what they did and are doing, go to the Web site www.UTalternative 
springbreak. utoledo.edu. I will keep repeating that tonight.
  From March 3 through March 11, these magnificent Americans traveled 
to Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia. The UT 
chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ sent 65 students to Pass 
Christian, Mississippi, where Katrina's eye made landfall.
  The UT's Catholic Student Association sent 20 students to help build 
homes in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Donovan Nichols, a University of 
Toledo graduate student and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, led 
coordination efforts for 104 participants spread across five locations 
devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; 
Bayou LaBatre, Alabama; Orange, Texas; Lake Charles; as well as 
Metairie in Louisiana.
  Organizers and chaperones included Dr. Celia Regimbal, tenured 
University of Toledo professor in health sciences, and Reverend Dee 
Baker, the director of the Toledo Campus Ministry on the campus. 
America thanks all of them.
  The world can learn more about their journey by looking at their Web 
site, www.utalternative springbreak. utoledo.edu. Some of the hundreds 
and thousands and stories from the gulf are reflected by what they did.
  We recall with them the words: America is only as great as she is 
good. I know that their goal is to help follow through on this journey, 
to tell other Americans what happened so they can follow suit and to 
help us as we continue relating to these communities.
  Let me just read some of the excerpts on this blog. From Dr. Celia 
Regimbal, University of Toledo professor, assigned to Bay St. Louis, 
Mississippi. She says, it has taken 21 of us 3 days to remove siding 
and get felt paper up. How long would it take one person? How long 
would it take to replace your neighborhood?
  There is not a house in Bay St. Louis and Waveland that has not 
suffered some damage. We are guessing that 30 percent of the homes are 
totally gone. It will take years to rebuild the coast. We cannot forget 
that the folks here will continue to need our help.
  Terrance Teagarden, who was assigned to New Orleans, wrote: between 
the two crews we have got operating right now down here, we look to 
have two houses gutted and a decent start on two more. Three houses 
gutted by crews of about 10 in 4 days' time. At this rate, he says, it 
will take years to get things back to normal here.
  I saw President Bush and his escort fly over on a helicopter 
yesterday morning before we began our work. I heard the President say 
at a press conference awhile back he would love to bring his family 
here. Not in this condition he would not. Mr. President, he says, 
please come down to the 9th Ward and work with us, or any crew of 
volunteers for one day. I guarantee you will think differently of the 
progress made.
  Then the young man says, honestly, pointing fingers will not help 
anyone anymore right now. We need thousands, droves, of Americans 
staying in tents and parks and churches all over the gulf region just 
helping to gut, prepare for inspection, and rebuild houses.
  Through all of this, it has been the efforts of grass-roots 
organizations that have really gotten things done. Right now there is a 
need for playground items such as Hula-Hoops, balls. Schools and 
churches also need supplies to rebuild.
  Donovan Nichols, who was assigned to Lake Charles, Louisiana, said, 
prior to Hurricane Rita, this town of Cameron had a population of 
roughly 2,000 people clinging to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Now, 
aside from relief workers, the community is deserted. While working on 
the roof at the house in Starks, two separate individuals dropped by 
asking us for help.
  They described how they were not eligible for any FEMA money, but 
they really needed help. They sent them to some local churches for 
help.
  Mary Ellen Edwards in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, says: our group 
here in Bay St. Louis spent part of yesterday and today helping a 
family of five who were trying to get their uninhabitable house cleaned 
up.
  Madam Speaker, I know my time is expired, but I would like to place 
all of the remarks in the Record and ask the American people to look at 
www.utalternative springbreak. utoledo.edu Please help Ohioans rebuild 
the gulf.
  Today we also helped out the whole community by cleaning the debris 
off of the beach. The community gets a reduction in the loans it has 
gotten from FEMA to help out the people in Hancock County for each hour 
of work volunteers do in beach clean up. Celia Regimbal set this up 
through the environmental staff person from Congressman Gene Taylor's 
office.
  If the role of the government is to provide for the common good, the 
Federal Government just cannot seem to get much of a handle on this 
problem. Perhaps it is too worried about the media spin, its image, and 
pointing fingers than really working on solving the problem.
  Imagine, by Neda Archie in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi:

       Actually seeing the devastation has humbled me. The first 
     day we drove through town I had no words. I felt every 
     emotion possible to feel therefore I just looked with a kind 
     of blank stare in disbelief. You don't know anything until 
     you actually see it with your own eyes.
       Imagine what is now trash and rubble used to be your prized 
     possessions, your family photographs, your favorite pair of 
     shoes, an old staircase from the house your family grew up 
     in, and not your roof but your neighbors roof. Imagine trying 
     to salvage and dry out a little piece of your life that 
     existed before the devastation.
       Imagine your schools you graduated from, the bridges you 
     used to cross, the trees you used to climb, and the flowers 
     that used to bloom are non-existent. Imagine losing some of 
     your friends and loved ones. Imagine 75 percent of your town 
     is gone.

  Reflections by Danselle in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi:

       These past few days have taught us all a valuable lesson, 
     humility. This street was once where beach houses, mansions, 
     and beautiful summer homes once dwelled. Now there's nothing 
     but the Gulf. I expected to come down here and see at least a 
     house fixture, but that's barely possible even 6 months 
     later.
       Most of the homes have been here for over 100 years, passed 
     down through generations. These homes are extremely too 
     expensive to replace, so most people have to settle with a 
     home that's a lot cheaper.
       The residents here in Bay St. Louis have experienced the 
     absolute worst in wind damage, and were basically forgotten 
     all about. We have been described as elephant biters. Katrina 
     was like a big elephant dropped onto the entire coast, and we 
     are here to bite chunks out of this elephant until it's 
     completely gone.

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