Carolyn Quelly of Quakertown, Pa., and Namdi Brandon of New Orleans were both excited to begin their college career at Tulane University.
That was before Katrina -- before a hurricane devasted their college, their city and their new homes.
The pair had barely finished unpacking when they, along with Jimmy Michaels, of Los Angeles, were told to evacuate the city. They managed to leave New Orleans safely, but with only the most limited of possesions.
All three will be attending Penn this semester, along with approximately 100 other students displaced by the disaster.
After an orientation sesssion held by the vice provost for university life and the university chaplain, Brandon, Michaels and Quelly sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to share their stories.
The Daily Pennsylvanian: What is the situation with Tulane right now?
Carolyn Quelly: Supposedly it's mostly wind damage and that kind of stuff. Trees, power lines.
Namdi Brandon: I saw a picture that was taken from the front of my house that showed people on Broadway, which is where all the frats and bars are, in a canoe.
CQ: I [heard] that there was two feet of water, so it wasn't like the dorms were 10 feet underwater.
DP: Was everyone down there already?
Jimmy Michaels: Yeah.
NB: Yeah.
CQ: It was actually on the Saturday before move-in day. We were moving for like two hours and we had to leave. We had to evacuate.
DP: How did you decide? Did someone tell you to leave?
CQ: They had a meeting, and we either had to leave on our own or we had to be bused to Jackson [Miss.], and the people who got bused ended up in Atlanta or Dallas.
DP: And Namdi, you were obviously there already?
NB: My parents just picked me up and we left for Houston.
DP: Is your family there now?
NB: No, they're in Dallas right now.
DP: Have you been able to keep in contact with them?
NB: Oh yeah. They work for Tulane actually, so they're just working.
DP: Are they professors?
NB: Professors. And my stepdad is the chair of a department.
DP: What was leaving like for you?
NB: No big deal. I mean, we evacuate every year. It was a nice evacuation; it was only eight hours. Last year it was 26.
DP: What happened last year?
NB: Florida was getting the crap beaten out of it [by hurricanes].
DP: Does this happen a lot?
NB: Yeah. I mean the city was going to be destroyed. It was inevitable.
CQ: [Laughing] They were just counting down.
NB: I mean it really was. Everybody knew it. Everybody over here is like freaking out. You know, they're like, "Oh my god, it's destroyed." It's like, "Yeah, about time." It was right there, and hurricanes come every year. We just didn't get lucky this time.
DP: So this time was easier than last time, I mean moving out at least?
NB: Yeah.
CQ: Moving out, not getting back.
DP: What was moving out like for you [Jimmy]?
JM: It wasn't hard. We waited until midnight [Saturday], and then we drove to Atlanta. There was no traffic. We made it there in eight hours.
CQ: Did you take the contraband?
JM: The contraflow? Yeah.
DP: What's that?
JM: They switch the sides of the freeways so they aren't going east and west, they're all leaving New Orleans.
DP: How did you guys decide to leave?
JM: It was on the news. The hurricane is going to hit. Everyone left, literally everyone left New Orleans. The only people who didn't leave were people who couldn't afford to get transportation out.
NB: It was mandatory.
DP: What about your belongings?
JM: My belongings could be floating in the Gulf of Mexico right now.
DP: How much did you bring with you?
JM: I brought three polo shirts, two pairs of shorts and a laptop.
DP: What have you been doing since then?
JM: I've been staying with my friends at Penn. They've been very generous, very kind.
DP: [To Namdi] What about you?
Is all your stuff still in your house at home?
NB: No they're in my dorm. Locked in my closet on the eighth floor.
CQ: I put my stuff in the closet. I stuffed everything in there. I was like, "Just in case."
NB: Did you put hangers in the door?
CQ: Why?
NB: In case the wind breaks.
CQ: [Laughing] Sorry, I don't know all these hurricane tips.
NB: The worst thing that can happen is a broken window.
DP: Or if the building comes crashing down. Carolyn, did you have a lot of stuff down there?
CQ: I brought like everything down. I cleaned out my room before I left. I either brought it with me or threw it out. I'm hoping my stuff is still there.
DP: Are your friends OK?
JM: Yes.
CQ: Yeah.
NB: Yes and no. ... My roommate was where the levee broke. So his house is underwater. He can see his roof on Google. So I have a lot of friends who lost houses.
DP: Have you guys been watching the coverage?
CQ: It's weird to look at it. It's weird to see it. Route 10 ... is floating in chunks. It's like, "Wow, I just drove on that three days ago."
NB: It sort of shows how third-world New Orleans is. It's a third-world city. I don't think many people knew that. Big unemployment and a whole bunch of people who are underneath the poverty line. And a lot of crime. It's got one of the highest murder rates. So the lawlessness isn't a surprise for me.
JM: It was weird seeing the Wal-Mart where I bought my TV being looted and hearing about streets that I knew about and intersections where I'd been where there was gunfire breaking out and people dying.
CQ: I just bought a fish there.
DP: At the Wal-Mart?
CQ: Two actually. One I brought all the way home with me, and it's still alive.
DP: What about the looting?
JM: I hope my stuff is still there.
NB: I wasn't surprised. What ticked me off was when they started shooting the people that were helping. They did that to the Army Corps of Engineers. They did that to the Coast Guard. I hope people aren't living in my house right now, because they're going to be heavily armed and it's going to be very difficult getting back in.
CQ: Is your family moving back in soon?
NB: They have to because they work for Tulane. So when Tulane starts, they have to come back.
DP: What have you thought about Penn's plan to have you guys here? How's it been so far?
JM: It's been very unbureaucratic and they've been very helpful.
CQ: It's been very good so far. I need to figure out the housing thing, and then everything will be set.
NB: It's a pretty sweet deal. It doesn't get any better.
DP: How did you guys find about it?
JM: From a Web page. Tulane told us that there wasn't going to be a fall semester. we needed to start looking around.
CQ: I found it off some college-association Web site.
DP: What are your living situations?
JM: I'm living in a house off-campus with some friends.
DP: Friends from home?
JM: Yeah, one of them is.
NB: I'm living with faculty.
CQ: I'm still looking for a place. I talked to other girls, and we're going to look at a place tonight.
DP: Have you guys met Penn students yet?
CQ: A couple. They've been really nice. One was a friend of a friend, and he gave me a tour, and his friends were really nice. Everyone's been like, "Oh, you're from Tulane! Welcome to Penn." It's been really great.
JM: Everyone's been really welcoming.
DP: What are your thoughts about Penn so far?
CQ: I liked it. It's nice. I couldn't ask for a better place than here. The only thing I'm kind of dreading is the cold. I liked Tulane because it was warm. Besides that, everything's been great.
JM: It seems like a great place to spend a semester, but I can't wait to go back to Tulane.
NB: Lots of walking. I've been losing things, so I've been going a lot of places.
DP: What are you guys' plan for next semester?
JM: Tulane is planning on having next semester.
CQ: Hopefully, we'll be back.
JM: We'll make Mardi Gras.
DP: Do you have any back-up plans?
CQ: Hopefully Penn will let us stay. Either that or it'll be a really long spring-break vacation.
