This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a mammoth Category 5 storm that slammed into New Orleans from the Gulf of Mexico, leaving destruction and devastation behind. Six months after Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact, 250 Howard University students ignored demands from FEMA officials and boarded buses headed to the disaster zone. This action opened the doors for other universities to also travel to New Orleans and garnered worldwide support. Instead of partaking in typical Spring Break activities, HU students took part in the Howard University Alternative Spring Break, an initiative coordinated by the Office of the Dean of the Chapel, to assist in relief efforts for Katrina survivors. The 2006 HUASB service trip to New Orleans following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was documented in “Katrina: A Break in the Storm,” a short documentary created by Howard’s WHUT-TV. This wasn’t he first time Howard students left campus to help those in need around the ...