Two days later (Monday, August 29th), Hurricane Katrina plowed into the Gulf Coast, taking with it more than 1,800 lives and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure along the way. From my house 2.5 hours west of New Orleans, we watched in horror as the news broadcast all that occurred east of us. We experienced the rain and wind of some of the storm's outer bands, but our power never went out and we were able to keep up with almost all of the news coverage coming out of the area.
The only people we knew directly affected by the storms were more like acquaintances than close family or friends, but our hearts still went to those living the devastation first-hand. Almost immediately, a "Cajun Navy" of 350+ boats assembled at the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette, pledging to offer volunteer rescue services to those in need (who knew the government would fail at pulling together adequate resources for addressing the situation). It couldn't have been more then a day or two before buses started rolling in to local arenas, community centers, and nearly any facility that wouldn't have it's daily functions interrupted by hundreds or thousands of new guests (aka: evacuees).
Hundreds of boats assembled at the mall at 4 a.m. That, my friends, is dedication. |
Though I'd only been a student there for one week, getting back to Nicholls was a strange experience. For starters, there were hundreds of new people calling campus home - both students and general evacuees. Like at home, the campus had opened up both of its gyms to house evacuees from the New Orleans area, and the nursing building was transformed into a triage/hospital of sorts. Many of our classes were relocated to account for new people and the accompanying business functions (communication headquarters, distribution of food/clothing, reunification efforts, applying for aid, etc).
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(Note: After Katrina, almost all of our classes migrated to using online systems and students were instructed at the start of each semester that classes would continue via distance should anything occur that prevented the school from providing in-person instruction. There were clauses added to syllabi that told students they were obligated to take texts and other materials along should the need to evacuate become essential. I attribute the spike in online classes and related technology to the effects of this situation.)
Speaking of students from other schools, Jen's then-boyfriend-now-husband was one of those affected. Logan had just begun his first semester at UNO and found himself at Nicholls after the storm. We enjoyed having Logan around for the semester, but his heart was at UNO and he returned to school there when classes resumed there in the Spring (2006).
Don't hate me, ya'll! |
Of course, time went on, we finished the Fall semester and continued with our college experience. Slowly, people were reunited with family, and students returned to their original schools. We all moved past those months and continued to find both struggles and successes over the years. Today, though, we remember those experiences and how they defined a part of our lives, a part that we will never forget.
-Lauren
For added reading on Katrina effects in the Houma/Thibodaux area:
Killer Dog Cheers up Katrina Evacuees at Nicholls
Pushed to the Limits
Katrina Taught Houma-Thibodaux Something About Itself
2 comments:
Oh my goodness, how have I not seen that picture before?! Hahaha. Logan is adorable! (Me, not so much) And I seriously forgot how crazy the campus was the first few months...
Loved reading your perspective of Katrina. Thanks for sharing!
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