PLYMOUTH-On August 29th, category five hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Louisiana leaving the area devastated.
The city was the worst in a series of hard-hit areas in several states that included Florida and Mississippi in addition to Louisiana.
While Katrina has brought death, destruction, and mayhem to millions, it has also caused damage numbering billions of dollars in clothes, communications, money, food, and transportation.
Thousands of humanitarian efforts from around the world are being employed to deliver refugees in the area.
Military personnel have already been sent from Plymouth State University (PSU), and much more help is on the way. PSU student, Anthony Wynands III of the Army National Guard left for Louisiana Monday, September 12, and hopes to return back to school Friday, September 16.
Nicholas Gunn, acting President of the PSU Democrats, led a fundraiser that raised over $700. $400 of these funds were raised in a concentrated effort by Gunn and Dustin Siggins in Blair, Grafton, and Smith Halls. The rest was raised at a fundraising table in the Hartman Union Building.
“I feel that a large portion of the student body has felt compelled to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Many of those who did not know a way to donate found that the PSU Democrats fundraiser gave them an outlet for their charity,” stated Gunn.
The Assistant Resident Directors of all student halls on campus have started additional fundraisers to help victims in the form of a Penny War.
The Campus Ministry, both Catholic and Protestant, is collecting baskets with basic toiletries and hygiene items to send to help those displaced by the disaster.
If you would like to donate items, you can contact Preston Fuller at the Campus Ministry at x2327.