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Phone: (601) 877-6128/877-2394 Fax: (601) 877-6694
HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORTS
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Alcorn State University Extension Program (ASUEP) formed a Hurricane Disaster Committee, made up of Extension staff, the Small Farm Development Center, Office of Student Engagement, School of Nursing, and the Department of Communications. Meeting every Friday since September 14, 2005, this committee has focused on helping to make governmental and social agency information available and facilitating response and recovery resources to residents in the affected areas without hindering the response of the federal and state agencies involved in the recovery efforts. To carry out these tasks, sub-committees/teams were developed in the following six areas:
Survival Needs Team Members: Mr. Anthony Reed, Dr. Valerie Thompson, and Mr. Clifton Peters Assessment Team Members: Dr. Charles Shepphard, Ms. Nicole Bell, Mr. Wes Miller, and Mrs. Elizabeth Myles Communication/Technology Team Members: Mr. James Burks and Mr. Ashwani Srivastava Resource Repository/Expert
Team Members: Ms. Angela Boykin, Mr. Tory Hargro, and Mr. James Burks Adoption of Target Community/FamilyTeam Members: Mrs. Jacquelyn Wright, Mr. Clifton Peters, Mrs. Bobby Shaw, and Dr. Valerie Thompson Health and Nutrition
Team Members: Dr. Mary Hill and Ms. Deborah Caples Committee AccomplishmentsMembers of the survival needs team have partnered with the LeBron James Foundation to disseminate truckloads of supplies to shelters in Biloxi, Mississippi. The trucks were stocked with basic personal care items for children, women and the elderly. This team has also compiled a listing of contact information to federal and state agencies, (i.e. FEMA and MEMA). This list will be enclosed in the revised Small Farmers Directory and distributed to ASU-EP clientele located in fourteen (14) economically depressed Mississippi counties.
The Department of Energy awarded Alcorn State University $5,000, through a proposal developed by the Needs Assessment team to conduct demonstrations of alternative energy sources for small farms in rural Mississippi. This team has applied for $48,000 to complete a case study in the use of solar energy and biomass at ASU Swine Development Center and various poultry operations in south Mississippi. This team has also established relationships with the Mississippi Supervisors Association, MEMA, Mississippi Community Action Program (CAP), and Friends of Children Association.
A survey was developed by the team to assess the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims. Various needs were identified from the survey that was conducted by volunteers at the D’Iberville Relief Center. Some of the needs included assistance with housing repair, special dietary requirements, medication, debris removal, and financial and employment counseling. The committee has been instrumental in partnering Purdue University, Alcorn State University, and Mississippi State University in providing assistance to the coastal residents in engagement service learning. Subsequently, Alcorn State University is in a position to build a long-term relationship with Purdue University.
ASUEP collaborated with the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) and the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunications System (IHETS) to install an emergency communications network using Tachyon satellite systems that enabled residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to have access to telephone, Internet, and e-mail service in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This satellite system was used to connect to broadband Internet and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone system virtually anywhere in the USA through Satellite AMC4.
One mobile satellite unit was used at a shelter in the Gautier Convention Center, 2012 Liberty Lane, Gautier, Mississippi. As a result, shelter residents were able to begin filing claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Four phone lines and four desktop computers were available for the residents to use free of charge.
The second mobile satellite system was installed at the relief center in D’Iberville Ball Park, 4549 Brodie Road, D’Iberville, Mississippi. The system allowed Dr. Irene McIntosh, Head of Operations to recruit volunteers and most importantly allowed communication with organizations who could aid in maximizing efficient and effective relief efforts, and permitted communication with the media. The D’Iberville Volunteer Hurricane Relief Team was formed in the first week after Katrina and has developed a needs assessment survey, directed the implementation of data collection, and operated a soup kitchen for D’Iberville residents. The team also had distribution points for clothing, personal hygiene items, and free medical services.
The Communication Technology Team identified the Turkey Creek community for an HUD proposal. The proposal was developed with the ASU School of Nursing for $350,000. It proposes the establishment of a tele-health technology center in the Turkey Creek community. This team was also instrumental in locating a site for a student camp to support a joint effort between students from Purdue University and Alcorn State University to travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast during Spring break to assist as needed in relief and cleanup efforts.
Approximately 85 Alcorn State University students were affected by the hurricane’s destruction. Also, with the temporary closing of colleges and universities, ASU granted admission to transfer students. Through USDA funding acquired through the efforts of Charles B. Sheppherd and. Clifton Peters, several students were able to apply for Hurricane Katrina Scholarships. Sixty-one (61) students were awarded scholarships, ranging from $100-$1,400.
Dr. Julie Novak, Associate Dean for Purdue University Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences contacted the Alcorn State University School of Nursing and has planned to send students to Mississippi. Nursing students from Purdue and Alcorn are preparing to move forward with a three-year commitment to jointly serve the hurricane affected areas, beginning in January 2006.
The Alcorn State University Extension Program also implemented assistance for small farmers and limited-resource cooperatives. West Central Cooperatives of Ralston, Iowa donated 15,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in Mississippi. Alcorn State University and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives coordinated the delivery of biodiesel fuel in the Katrina affected areas to supplement farmers fuel needs and assist with the clean-up efforts.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel derived from natural oils and can be used in existing diesel engines with little or no modification. The delivery coordination of one tanker of biodiesel to agricultural consumers in affected areas who experienced power outages was completed. A second tanker was blended in Meridian and sold at the Earth Biofuels Service Station in Byram, Mississippi in October and farmers received a 20 percent discount.
“Empowering People” is more than a marketing tagline for the Extension organization – it embodies our reason for existence. We will continue assist in relief efforts through collaborations with colleges, universities, governmental and state agencies. We have resolved to continue service to the victims of and the areas by the catastrophic storm for as long as human needs dictates our presence.
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