Granger teen helps Katrina relief efforts three years laterby Jim Pinkerton (jmpinkerton@wsbt.com)
13-year-old Jeff McGowan helps rebuild a home in New Orleans with his family last Thanksgiving. McGowan hopes his video will inspire people to still help the Hurricane Katrina effort 3 years later. GRANGER — As the Gulf Coast and volunteers prepare for another possible hurricane, a local teenager is working on a project of his own. Multimedia It's a video about the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The Granger teenager who made it hopes it sparks people to take action. The images of cities under water and damaged by hurricane winds are ones that most people will not easily forget. A local family spent last Thanksgiving and time this spring volunteering with the recovery efforts — efforts that continue three years after the storm devastated the area. "They were very thankful because they really needed the help," said Jeff McGowan. The 13-year-old used his video camera to record what he was seeing. He couldn't believe his eyes. While the news no longer focuses on the damage, there's a lot there. "The first time we went, I was thinking, 'Gee, maybe we need a video to remember this,' but then when filming New Orleans, I realized this can't just be for our family," McGowan said. He hopes these pictures will let people in South Bend know that New Orleans is not back. "Everything outside the French Quarter is gone,” McGowan said. “There are some neighborhoods where people are slowly coming back, but in some, gone." But three years later, there are people working to get things back to normal. "The group we were with was started by a woman who was in the Superdome and she made a promise to God if she lived through this, she would do her best to do good and repair the city," McGowan said. He says he's ready to go back, too. "It may be a long drive but really what matters is our mission and to help out the city, and I’ll go back anytime we can," McGowan said. Jeff says he's hoping that fresh attention on the Gulf Coast will help people realize the work that still needs to be finished. Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
WSBT WeatherWSBT Weather
Stock QuotesYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
|
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Tonight On WSBTFull Schedule
7.00
Paid Programming
7.30
Jeopardy
8.00
The Mentalist
9.00
48 Hours Mystery
10.00
48 Hours Mystery
11.00
WSBT News
11.35
CSI: NY
12.35
CSI: NY
1.35
CSI: Miami
Question of The DayMost Popular
|
Sat, Nov 21
South Bend
