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Students Flee Southern U., Anticipating 2 Storms

By Gabrielle Maple
Black College Wire

For two straight weeks, Southern University students in Baton Rouge, La., fought the drizzling rain to pack up cars and clear out dorms in anticipation of two storms: Tropical Storm Isidore and Hurricane Lili.

Most traveled home to North Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and even Alabama.

"I didn�t know how bad the weather was going to become, so I decided to pack up and head home," said Dedre� Martin, a freshman political science major from Shreveport.

Isidore blew into Baton Rouge on Sept. 26 with wind gusts of 25 mph to 40 mph.

Hurricane Lili, classified as a category 4 hurricane carrying winds of up to 145 mph, landed Oct. 5.

Although classes were cancelled from Wednesday to Saturday both weeks, some students remained on campus. Many opted to stay with a friend or relative in the Baton Rouge area.

"I�m going to my house!" said Kenya Tillman, a freshman resident. The biology major from Baton Rouge said she would rather have been in the comfort of her own home than the six-story high rise.

According to Kevin Johnson, director of the Southern University Police Department traffic and parking division, the university was prepared to accommodate students in the event of an emergency.

"Students were safe in their dorm rooms," Johnson said. "But in the event that we lost power, Capital Transportation Corp. (city buses) would�ve assisted us in transporting students to buildings on campus with generators."

The F.G. Clark Activity Center -- the Minidome -- could not be used as an evacuation site because it is undergoing renovations.

Food service personnel also prepared nonperishable meals and stocked up on bottled water in case the campus lost power.

Gabrielle Maple is a student at Southern University who writes for The Southern Digest.