College freshman Samantha Sher was busy saying goodbye to friends and stocking up on back-to-school necessities last week, as were thousands of her college-bound peers across the country.
That was before Katrina.
Now, the New Orleans native is more concerned about her 89-year-old grandfather, who was too frail to comply with the mandatory citywide evacuation ordered last week.
As one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history slammed into several southern states Monday -- causing intense flooding, at least 120 deaths and devastation throughout the region -- numerous Penn students were faced with a double challenge: beginning new lives at Penn and rebuilding their lives at home.
This year's freshman class includes 27 students from the states hardest hit by the hurricane: 15 from Louisiana, 10 from Alabama and two from Mississippi. For these freshmen, New Student Orientation is beginning just three days after the storm ravaged their home states.
Sher and Ashley Barriere -- another College freshman from New Orleans -- had to flee from their homes to Philadelphia, leaving behind friends and family.
Sher's grandfather, who suffered a heart attack three weeks ago and remained in his second story apartment near Tulane University during the storm, is due to be airlifted to Houston by the Jewish Federation.
The situation has only worsened in Sher's hometown since Katrina hit Monday, as broken levees have resulted in significant flooding. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin estimated that 80 percent of the city is flooded, with water levels reaching 20 feet in some areas.
There are widespread power outages and, due to a water main break, no drinkable water in the city. Nagin said that there are corpses floating in the streets.
Although she was originally booked on a Monday flight to Philadelphia, Sher said that "at the first mention of a hurricane," her family decided to flee the city, getting on one of the last airplanes out of town on Sunday.
"We didn't get to prepare our house for the storm because we were focusing more on getting to Philadelphia," Sher said.
"All the videos of weddings, bat mitzvahs, my sweet 16, prom, birthdays, dance recitals, track meets ‹¨« will they float down the street?" she wondered.
To make matters worse, most phone numbers in the New Orleans area code remain out of service.
"The scariest part is the uncertainty. I don't know if I will have a house when I come home for Thanksgiving," she said.
Part of Sher's fears were realized yesterday morning when she opened up a copy of USA Today and saw a picture of her neighborhood underwater.
Based on the picture, Sher believes that her house is flooded to the roof.
Barriere had a similar experience in escaping New Orleans, as she also made last-minute plans to fly to Philadelphia on Sunday.
"Luckily our flight wasn't canceled," she said, "but there were a lot of stragglers" at the airport.
Barriere spent Saturday night scrambling around her house trying to save family mementos and pictures as well as trying to make her final preparations for moving to Penn. That was not the way she had anticipated spending her last night at home before college, she said.
"It's definitely surreal," she said. "It's taken my mind off move-in a lot."
Barriere said that the worst part for her may be the prolonged absence from her hometown, as she won't be able to return to New Orleans until Thanksgiving break.
"I could be homeless," she said. "Right now, it's devastating. My hometown, my city -- most of it doesn't exist."
Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, the vice provost for University life, expressed sympathy for those affected by the hurricane.
"Our hearts go out to the victims, the survivors and their families. As a university family, we stand ready to support all affected Penn community members," she said.
McCoullum noted that although no students have contacted her office for support so far, there are multiple University services available to those suffering the effects of the hurricane.
One of these is the Penn Police Special Services Unit, which maintains an international network that makes it possible to get in touch with people during difficult circumstances.
Also available for support, McCoullum said, are Counseling and Psychological Services, the chaplain's office and the VPUL central office.
McCoullum said that her office could provide "anything ranging from emotional support to trying to help contact families."
As of Tuesday, all flights between the Philadelphia International Airport and the affected region were canceled. However, airport spokesman Mark Pesce said that these cancellations have not affected flights destined for the rest of the country.
The hurricane is likely to cause travel headaches for upperclassmen heading back to campus from New Orleans in the next week.
US Airways spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said that flights into and out of New Orleans are already canceled through Saturday, and she anticipates that still more cancellations are in store.
For those students from the affected region who managed to arrive at Penn, school will have to go on as normal.
"I'm excited about freshman year," Barriere said. "It's just harder."
