Students Wait Out Storm in Jackson

September 1, 2008

Keith Brannon
kbrannon@tulane.edu

The gym at Jackson State University was filled with air mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags and even a small tent on Sunday (Aug. 31) as Tulane students hunkered down in the safety of Jackson, Miss., to wait out Hurricane Gustav.

Approximately 260 students took advantage of Tulane's Student Evacuation Plan, boarding seven buses from New Orleans to Jackson State University early Saturday (Aug. 30). Most arrived on the campus Saturday afternoon, says Erica Woodley, director of Residence Education and Community Standards.

Since then, the university has provided shuttle service to shopping malls, Wal-Mart, movie theaters and other recreational options to help students buy needed supplies or simply to pass the time.  Meals are provided through Jackson State dining facilities and snacks are also distributed at the gymnasium. Jackson State has opened recreational facilities and university center amenities to Tulane students during their stay.

Many students were glued to their laptops, using the gym's wireless Internet connection to communicate news to friends and family as well as get updates on the storm's track. Heidi Mallis, 22, was checking e-mail on her iBook on a blanket on the gym floor before hitting the books on Sunday. "I have a bunch of reading to do.
I'm going to try to do that and maybe catch a movie later," says Mallis, who started her first week of classes in International Health at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine last week. She was taking the evacuation in stride.

"It's been quite smooth. They evacuated us out (Saturday) morning. Everything, from before getting on the bus to the bus ride, was a completely smooth process. Our bus driver was great, he had a good sense of humor," she says.  "We've been fed, we're fine, we're safe in an air-conditioned gym (and) we're getting some good meals. It's all good."

Some students decided to pass the time by lending a hand. Mississippi state relief workers put out a call for volunteers to help set up a special needs shelter at another gym across campus. Approximately 30 students volunteered to help cover the floor with protective sheeting and set up cots for Hurricane Gustav evacuees from Louisiana.

Other students were using Jackson as a pit stop on their way home to wait out the storm. More than 35 met parents or booked flights out of the city, and residential life officials expected more would follow. Tulane operated shuttles from Jackson State to both Jackson-Evers International Airport and bus terminals.

Overall, the number of students participating in the university evacuation plan to Jackson is much lower than originally anticipated. Rob Hailey, associate vice president for student affairs, credits this to the university's plan to encourage everyone to be prepared and activate their own emergency plan. Tulane also helped students get to the New Orleans airport days before the voluntary evacuation. Shuttle services transported approximately 1,000 students to Louis Armstrong International Airport, he says.

Tulane has more than 45 staff members stationed in Jackson to take care of students for the duration of the storm. Tulane will resume normal business operations on Saturday, Sept. 6.  The dorms will reopen on Sunday, Sept. 7,  and classes will resume on Monday, Sept. 8.