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MTSU Audio Clips are written and produced by Gina Logue.
If you have questions or comments, contact her at
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• Up on the Roof 1. No sooner than had Jerrica Lugo arrived in New Orleans, enjoyed a Cajun meal and visited Bourbon Street than she had to leave. The New York native, who had planned to enter Loyola University as a freshman, evacuated to Nashville with nothing more than her laptop and the clothes she wore as Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast. Now she is enrolled at MTSU, but she says she understands why so many people stayed behind.
Some of Lugo's relatives, who had lived in the Crescent City for 20 years, rode out the storm in their home. They climbed out onto the roof of their house and lived there for three days before they were rescued and taken to a shelter in Houston. Lugo only learned of their whereabouts a week-and-a-half later. 2. Nearly 50 college students from the region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina have registered and enrolled at MTSU, and each one of them has a story to tell. New York native Jerrica Lugo had planned to attend Loyola University in New Orleans, where her uncle and cousins live. But while she got out in time to avoid the storm, she left loved ones behind.
Lugo's relatives were lucky. She says they climbed onto the roof of their house, where they stayed for three days before they were rescued and evacuated. Lugo says she would like to return to New Orleans some day, but only when she can do so safely. 3. Jerrica Lugo was looking forward to entering Loyola University in New Orleans as a freshman this semester before Hurricane Katrina struck. She managed to get out of the city in time, but her relatives, who had lived there for 20 years, were missing for a week-and-a-half after the storm. Fortunately, they're all right.
Lugo, a New York native who now lives in Nashville with her mother, is an international business major with a double minor in Spanish and Japanese. She is one of nearly 50 university students from the Gulf Coast region who are continuing their college careers at MTSU. 4. Travis Sanders thought he could ride out Hurricane Katrina with some friends in the New Orleans bar where he worked.
But after Sanders and his buddies called their boss in New York, her tales of horror obtained from television coverage convinced them to get out of the Crescent City. They broke into other people's cars and siphoned off enough gas to enable them to drive out of town. Sanders was to have attended Dillard University this semester as a junior majoring in special education. Because of the hurricane, he transferred to MTSU, where nearly 50 students from hurricane-ravaged areas have found physical and educational refuge. 5. MTSU has accepted nearly 50 students from the Gulf Coast areas decimated by Hurricane Katrina. One of them is Travis Sanders, who transferred from Dillard University in New Orleans. At first, he tried to ride out the storm in the bar where he worked. But a phone call from his boss in New York advising him of TV news reports changed all that.
Sanders admits to a certain degree of “hurricane fatigue.” He says he and other New Orleanians were skeptical after having heard for years that “the big one” was coming. But he says the “Big Easy” is resilient and will recover just as New York recovered following 9/11. 6. Gulf Coast residents evacuated due to Hurricane Katrina are being told not to come home—at least, not yet. Native New Orleanian Travis Sanders initially tried not to let Katrina force him away from home. He doesn't blame his fellow citizens for being skeptical about Katrina and staying behind to protect their property. He says they've been hearing for years that “the big one” is coming only to be fooled.
This time, after initially trying to ride out Katrina in a bar, Sanders evacuated. He transferred to MTSU, along with nearly 50 other students from the Gulf Coast area. 7. New Orleans is referred to as the “Big Easy” because of its freewheeling atmosphere and its ability to embrace cultural diversity. So it was not unusual for Dillard University junior Travis Sanders and his friends to plan to ride out Hurricane Katrina on the fifth floor of the bar where Sanders worked.
Sanders changed his party plans after his boss called from New York and informed him of the hurricane's power based on news reports she had heard. Then, Sanders and his friends broke into cars to siphon off enough gas to power their own cars out of New Orleans. Sanders is one of nearly 50 college students from the Gulf Coast who have enrolled at MTSU. 8. Katrina recovery efforts continue on the Gulf Coast even as Hurricane Rita approaches. Nearly 50 university students from the affected region have found safe haven at MTSU, where they are continuing their college careers. Junior Travis Sanders transferred from Dillard University. The New Orleans native says he is confident that the Crescent City will survive and rebuild.
Sanders says so many people refused to evacuate as Katrina approached because they had fled the area so many times in years past only to find minimal damage when they went back home. 9. Tennessee has taken in thousands of hurricane evacuees from the Gulf Coast and provided them with essential services. Nearly 50 college students from the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina have registered and enrolled at MTSU, including New Orleans native Travis Sanders. He says he has found a warm welcome, especially from his new roommate.
Initially, Sanders tried to ride out Katrina at the bar where he worked. He says he has heard so many incorrect reports over the years that “the big one” was coming. So he figured evacuation would be a waste of time. Eventually, he left after his boss warned him of the storm's power.
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Katrina's Students:
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