Hurricane Katrina: Helping in the wake of disaster
Blugolds send messages from hurricane region
Alec Foss, UW-Eau Claire business administration major:
Foss, from Rice Lake, is attending Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., this semester through the National Student Exchange program. He sent the following e-mail describing the situation there:
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005
12:15 a.m.
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but I've been fairly busy and haven't been checking my e-mail much lately. Although Baton Rouge was very fortunate and mostly lost only trees and power in some areas, other cities were not so fortunate, as I'm sure you have heard. It has been fairly chaotic here since Katrina; Baton Rouge has become much more populated lately since so many people are still evacuating cities such as New Orleans and Biloxi. I have heard about some rioting and looting taking place downtown, and I know that many other exchange students have decided to go back home rather than stay here, but I feel safe and hope that those hit by Katrina will be able to find safety as well.
Classes have been canceled all week, but they will resume again tomorrow even though many refugees are still arriving on campus each day. One building on campus, the fieldhouse, shelters about a couple hundred people each night while another, the Maravich Center, is basically a makeshift hospital for the time being. The Maravich Center is also lined with donated clothing, food, and supplies for those in need. I have been volunteering for the past few nights, and it is quite an amazing sight. Besides the heightened security and more people on campus, areas near my dorm seem to be normal as usual. I had seen everything being reported on television, but nothing seemed real to me until I began volunteering and personally saw those who have lost their loved ones and homes. Doctors, nurses, volunteers, etc. do what they can while busloads of people needing medical assistance arrive throughout each night. Working within the "hospital" area, I feel helpless at times, but I find myself busy, going from one job to the next as I walk up to doctors and patients and offer my help. The devastation of this hurricane seems unreal, but hopefully relief efforts will lead to a speedy recovery.
I just checked out the hurricane Katrina link/article on the UW-Eau Claire website; I know that many people are doing what they can to collect donations for the Red Cross to help out with relief efforts, and if you know of anything that I can do to help raise donations, please let me know. Thanks again for your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Alec Foss
Larry McFarlane, UW-Eau Claire alumnus (1964):
Friday, Sept. 16, 2005
4:26 p.m.
As a south Florida resident (Fort Lauderdale) for the past 28 years, my wife Jeanne and I have experienced many hurricanes. Katrina was no exception. Katrina roared through south Florida as a Category One hurricane and managed to take several large tree limbs, my shutters on the front windows and several screen panels off my screened-in swimming pool. Of course, we also lost electrical service for several days which necessitated the breaking out of the trusty gas-operated generator. The generator provides us with enough power to operate the refrig., the TV, a fan and several lights.
If you followed the path of Katrina you know that she came through south Florida, made a southern turn and headed across the state and into the Gulf of Mexico. The rest as they say, is history!! Once Katrina left our area and we had begun our clean up, we began to gripe and complain how slow our local power company was in returning our area to full power. Even after we had gained full power, there were several instances when we again lost power for an hour or two at a time. Naturally, that brought out more complaining and verbal attacks against Florida Power and Light.
About the time we gained full power, Katrina attacked the Gulf States of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Because I had received my Masters Degree at Ole Miss and had visited the Mississippi Gulf Coast (to visit my money I had left behind at the Casinos) on many occasions, I watched Katrina with a most attentive eye. Upon seeing the total destruction of entire communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast as well as the beautiful city of New Orleans, my attitude made a drastic change. Suddenly, 4 days without electricity, a few broken tree limbs, some swimming pool screen and a few shutters didn't seem like such a big deal after all!!!!
Growing up, I had parents and grandparents who would often remind me that one should be careful what they ask for ...... they just might get it!!!!! At the same time, I recalled the numerous times that I was also told that no matter how bad you think things are ...... they could be a lot worse!!!!! It is unfortunate that I had to see such devastation of thousands of people's lives to remember such valuable information.
Larry McFarlane (Class of 1964)
