Hurricane Rita, now a Category 5 storm, has delayed the repopulation of New Orleans, but undeclared junior Lindsey Cacamo said her family plans to return to the city eventually.
“One storm can’t ruin generations of tradition,” Cacamo said. “New Orleaneans are a tough bunch of people. Everyone returns to their roots, and that is exactly what my family plans to do. Once there are signs of decent recovery, I would like to return.”
Senior sports communication major Derek Ambrose said his relatives will relocate.
Ambrose, who has lived in New Orleans his whole life, resided in the West Bank. “My dad’s house got washed away in the flood. He has nothing to go back to,” Ambrose said. Although his mother’s home suffered only minor damage, Ambrose said she will relocate as well, possibly out of state.
The go-ahead to repopulate given by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has caused quite a controversy among FEMA representatives and medical officials. Thad Allen, head of the relief effort, was the major opponent. Most recently, the repopulation effort halted because of the threat of Hurricane Rita.
“My aunt’s home is still intact with minimal damage to her roof,” Cacamo said. Most other family members’ homes have fallen victim to flood damage, she added.
Although Cacamo’s family will not relocate, she said the devastating affects of the storm took a toll on her loved ones.
“My concern doesn’t lie solely with the homes themselves. Home is where the heart is,” she said. “What is devastating is coming to the realization that I have lost the opportunity to one day take my children to the same place that I have childhood memories.”
Ambrose said he will not necessarily miss the city itself but the community it fosters. His hometown was home to many of his relatives and childhood friends, carrying a deep connection of love and fellowship for him.
Ambrose will also miss Saints games, the tradition of Mardi Gras and going to the Essence music festival.
“New Orleans is a very culture-rich city, and people take pride in that,” he said. The Creole culture, French background, and diverse people of the city will draw its residents home, he said.
“There are over 1200 students from counties that were affected by Katrina at MSU,” dean of students Mike White said. There are also 100 MSU employees at the Coastal Research Center in Biloxi who were displaced, he said.
The university is doing everything it can to help these victims get counseling and needed supplies and to help them return home, he said.
MSU offers various support services to students from areas affected by Katrina, associate vice president of student affairs Lisa Harris said.
The Student Disaster Fund, a financial assistance program for students in counties affected by Katrina, is a very important part of the relief effort at MSU. The fund provides continuing assistance and has a brief application process that can be completed in the financial aid office in Garner Hall.
“We are working very hard to keep those affected in school,” Harris said.
Ambrose said he received assistance from the Student Relief Fund and from the NCAA through athletic director Larry Templeton. “It was a big help. I was very appreciative of everything I received,” he said.
Harris said relief must be an ongoing effort. “These problems won’t go away in a month or a week,” she said.
MSU will offer services for months to come, including special services in counseling, the Health Center, housing and financial aid. “Most college students were raised in a world where things were instantaneous,” she said. With this disaster, instant solutions are not the case.
However, most are optimistic about the recovery of New Orleans and the coastal areas affected by Katrina. During a time of crisis, Harris said she believes humans can learn from each other. “We can adapt. If we just pay attention to our fellow human beings we can learn a lot about hope, courage, and strength,” she said.
Ambrose said he thinks the repopulation is a good idea because it shows the loyalty of the people of the city. “A lot of people want to continue life in New Orleans because they love it,” he said.
Although Cacamo is positive about repopulation, she realizes the long term effects the storm will have on the natives of New Orleans. “We can rebuild,” she said, “but it will never be the same.”