USU-based program sends trio to assist Louisiana flood relief aid

Utah State University-based Utah Conservation Corps (UCC) sent three individuals to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area on Sept. 24 to contribute to relief efforts spurred by floods that devastated the area in August.

The trio — comprised of Chris Pruden, Rachel Tillinghast and USU alumna Samantha Archer — will join a group of 900 individuals who have already rushed to aid those affected by the August floods.

For the UCC, the three individuals’ recent endeavor is only one instance on a list of relief effort deployments that have come through the USU-based office.

Sean Damitz, the director of the office for Civic Engagement and Service Learning, says the UCC — which is one of multiple programs based in his office — has sent relief effort crews via the national AmeriCorps program to multiple disaster sites through the years — notably, those that were a result of hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.

This time around Damitz and his office, he says, scrambled to get a crew together but were able to do so in just a few short weeks.

At the head of the trio is group leader Chris Pruden, who, in a public release, said he has seen “first-hand the positive impact that UCC makes in communities,” and is “honored to join other AmeriCorps members in helping people get back on their feet in Louisiana.”

Pruden’s optimism is going to be an asset for him and his crew during the deployment.

Damitz says the trio will spend majority of its time mucking and gutting homes left drenched and damaged in the wake of the floods.

Armed with crowbars and donning Tyvek suits, the trio will brave 100 degree temperatures in the homes, and, according to Damitz, the deployment may last much longer than expected. Originally, the trio was set to return from their deployment on Oct. 18. The scale of the disaster and the need for relief efforts, however, will likely extend the trio’s stay well into the next year.

“With the amount of homes that were affected and the amount of money that congress is allocating for responding to this disaster, I wouldn’t be surprised if [the relief efforts] go into 2017,” Damitz said.

Damitz adds that as climate change continues to evolve and affect more parts of the world, the UCC and other programs in the office for Civic Engagement and Service Learning may see more opportunities to contribute to relief efforts.

It’s imperative, he says, that they be ready.

“With climate change we are going to see more of these type of disasters and I think it’s something that’s going to be more on the public radar,” Damitz said. “We’ve got to know more about how to respond to these type of things effectively, and be able to partner federal and state resources, giving our folks our chance to do that.”

The need for relief efforts is sourced in tragedy and disaster, but there is a positive side, Damitz says. It’s an opportunity for individuals to give back, and in turn, receive a tremendous life-changing experience.
“I think that it gives a certain sense of empowerment to the folks we put in AmeriCorp positions,” Damitz said. “It gives them a feeling of service to country, doing the right thing and getting things done for the country.”