StormAID: Minnesota's River of Relief

Minnesota radio stations broadcasted live from the University of Minnesota’s Washington Avenue Bridge on Friday, September 9, 2005, from 5 a.m. to noon. The radiothon raised $842,678 by late Friday afternoon for Hurricane Katrina victims.

StormAID was coordinated by the Minnesota Broadcasters Association and the University of Minnesota and held on the University’s Washington Avenue Bridge which spans the Mississippi River.

During the broadcasts, listeners heard a variety of interviews with University faculty experts and alumni; American Red Cross disaster relief workers; and volunteers.

CLA faculty shared their expertise on the wide range of issues involved in the disaster, spanning cultural issues to media coverage:

• Patricia Frazier, Psychology
• Chris Ison, Journalism and Mass Communication
• Judith Martin, Geography
• August Nimtz, Political Science
• Gil Rodman, Communication Studies
• Steven Rosenstone, CLA Dean, Political Science
• Earl Scott, African American and African Studies, Geography
• Eileen Sivert, French and Italian Studies

Two CLA alumni were also involved in the StormAID broadcasts—Jim du Bois and John Anfinson.

Jim du Bois, president/CEO of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, played a lead role in organizing StormAID. His professional role with the MBA and his volunteer relationship with the University enabled du Bois to help organize a highly successful event. This year he will also receive the University of Minnesota Alumni Association Volunteer of the Year award for his work as the host of the radio program Access Minnesota.

John Anfinson, a University alumnus with degrees in history and anthropology, also contributed his expertise—he was interviewed about the history of the Mississippi River, specifically as it relates to floods. Anfinson is the National Park Service Historian for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and the author of a new book on Mississippi river history. During his interviews, Anfinson focused on the flood of 1927 which inundated most of the Mississippi River valley from the mouth of the Ohio River to the Gulf.

Steven Rosenstone, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, is proud of the efforts of his college to respond to the needs of disaster survivors, students, and community. “CLA faculty and alumni are responding to this disaster with creativity, determination, and generosity— characteristics and values at the heart of the liberal arts.”