It's been five long years since Hurricane Katrina destroyed Southern Louisiana, but the disaster is much more than a memory for Morrisville-Eaton eighth grader Lacy Westcott.
"They still need help. It's not better yet. They can't be forgotten," Westcott says.
This weekend, Westcott will be heading back down to the Gulf of Mexico for the third time as a volunteer with Operation Southern Comfort. In the past five years, the Central New York group has sent close to 1,000 volunteers - many of them students - to help rebuild homes destroyed by the hurricane.
Though it has been five years, Morrisvile-Eaton history teacher Meaghan Palmer says there is still much work to be done. "It shocks me every time... there are still houses waiting to be torn down, and yes it happened five years ago but parts of the Ninth Ward look like it happened yesterday," she says.
Morrisville-Eaton Superintendent Mike Drahos will also be heading back down to the gulf this weekend. Drahos says Operation Southern Comfort has not only helped the people of Louisiana, it has been a learning experience for students as well. "That's why I like this so much. Not only are we going down and helping people, but it is transformational for these students - many who had not been out of CNY," he says.
Lacy Westcott is one of those students and she can't think of anything she'd rather be doing than helping those in need on her summer vacation. "I would rather help somebody than stay up here not to anything at all. I'm making a difference when I go down there," she says.
For more information, visit Operation Southern Comfort.
