Curtis
Reliford 7/09/07
Katrina was a wake up call for me.
What did it do for you?
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States. I witnessed first hand the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the community where I was born and raised. The disaster left by the storm was heart breaking but even more so was the response. Government assistance was delayed and minimal. I saw more people capitalizing on the situation than providing genuine support and assistance.
In the 9th Ward, the community hit the hardest by Hurricane Katrina, I saw people making movies of all the destruction and spending
mega-money to make these movies instead of rebuilding it and
bringing the people back into their homes. 
I drove around the corner in the next block.
There was a group making a sculpture out of one of
the destroyed "shot gun houses" to haul back to
New York. He
says he is going to set it up in some type of art project. How much money did it take to do that?
I'm sure that family would like to go back to their
home, instead of looking at it in a museum.
And all through
the 9th Ward there were different projects going
on... one group digging in the soil, like they were looking
for something. Another group was saying they were gutting
houses, but from all appearances I couldn't see it. The weeds were eight feet high. I was told the city will come in and ask
you to clean your property. If you don't clean it, they
will and then take it away from you.
And the people that are from this
neighborhood are stuck in a trailer park two hours away
with no transportation, not really knowing what's going
on in the Ninth Ward.
These folks are in this trailer park and it looks
like a concentration camp fenced in with guards carrying
guns at the gate.
As you go in they check your I.D.
There was a lot of tension in there amongst the people.
The residents complained about not having transportation,
jobs, food, and propane. Reports indicated that individuals
were getting sick from fermaldahyde fumes in the trailers.
Very few residents had vehicles and many complained how the bus system leaves them downtown and
if they miss the bus, they would have to walk the 10 miles to get back, unless someone at the trailer park comes to pick them up.
People were kicked out of FEMA trailer parks for minimal reasons. If they got kicked out of trailers, there was
no where to go. If they did not have have family in the surrounding cities or elsewhere in the country they had little choices. The over-filled shelters with waiting lists left thousands of of people living under bridges.
Many people were left hungry, desperate, and without hope turning to alcohol, drugs, and crime, going in and out of jail.
In witnessing the dispair of the people and the immense need, my heart was called to action.
Since 2005, I have dedicated my life helping people who are in need and not receiving proper help.
I began making trips with trucks full of donated items to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. I founded the Follow Your Heart Action Network in 2006. The Follow Your Heart Action Network has delivered 37 truck and trailer loads of goods to Louisiana.
As our mission grows, our strategies are changing. What Katrina woke me up to is to look at how many people in
the U.S. need help. Our job is to serve them. At the present time we are serving communities in Santa Cruz, Watsonville and the surrounding Bay Area.
 I'm looking for someone who thinks the U.S.
can do better for our impoverished people and communities
nationally.
Is there anybody out there who thinks like us? About
caring and sharing? And assisting the misfortunate?
I just think its time for us to be conscious and compassionate
towards one another.
Isn't that what we're here for? What do you think?
Come
on you guys, let's show our younger generation what America is about!
Follow Your Heart Action Network is about bringing the American Spirit back to the American people. We collect and directly distribute donated and purchased items to migrant farm workers in the fields, low income apartment complexes, recovery centers and soup kitchens. Follow Your Heart Action Network brings hope in the form of labor, inspiration and goods. It is a network of caring individuals banded together to provide grassroots community service.
Our Vision is to spread this Journey of Kindness throughout the United States. We have all witnessed peoples' lives changing because of our work, our positive messages, our caring and sharing services. The lives of the volunteers are transformed as well by their reaching out.
Follow Your Heart Action Network delivers assistance directly to those most in need. It is designed to foster diversity, recovery and community.
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