Since the seniors started their college careers in 2005, they have witnessed two major devastating events that left a mark on their families, friends and even themselves. Hurricanes Katrina and Ike led to the loss of many homes and many deaths in Louisiana and Texas, but effected many states around the U.S.
On the morning of Aug. 29, 2005, a category three hurricane hit New Orleans, La. Hours later, the levee system failed, flooding over 80 percent of the city and causing almost 2,000 deaths, making it the deadliest hurricane in the country since 1928.
“I don’t think anyone realized how bad the hurricane was going to be so it was really shocking when it ended up being so disastrous,” said Jasandra Oeffinger, a sophomore psychology major. “It was a really unfortunate situation and I hope in the future things will be handled more efficiently.”
Katrina was also the most expensive Atlantic hurricane in U.S. history, causing an estimated $89.6 billion in property damage alone as well as several billion in repairs and reconstruction.
In the four years since Katrina, New Orleans has been in the process of rebuilding with the help of volunteers from all over the country.
“I know how devastating hurricanes can be and I am really glad that Houston, College Station and the surrounding areas were able to help some of the New Orleans refugees,” said Hillary Kraus, a junior economics major. “There is still a lot of work to do, even now, four years later, but we have learned a lot about dealing with disasters through the experience and it will help us with future hurricanes.”
In June 2007, a report was issued by The American Society of Civil Engineers stating that the failure of the levees in New Orleans was due to system design flaws. They have been undergoing construction since.
Stefanie Cardenas, a senior marine biology major, empathizes with the victims of Katrina after she spent her senior year dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which hit Galveston, Texas, in September 2008.
“I went through Ike and had to deal with all of the property loss, FEMA paperwork, displacement and all of the other inconveniences hurricanes bring, so I know how it feels when a hurricane destroys your whole world,” said Cardenas. “This whole experience has taught me to be stronger. I never thought I would live through one of the countries worst natural disasters before graduating college.”
Hurricane Katrina did pave the way for some changes to the evacuation plans, saving more lives and making it easier to activate evacuation plans for future hurricanes.
With donations from several countries, as well as donations from The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and other organizations, New Orleans has been partially restored and is continuing to work on complete reparation.