Volume 35 No.

Bryan has become the home away from home for many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The students have been enrolled in school in an attempt to bring some normalcy back in to their lives. Bryan High has enrolled over 40 students from Louisiana - each of them with a different story, but all with the same sense of loss and newfound appreciation for life. The Norseman staff talked with several of the evacuated students to help Bryan High students understand the trauma that their new classmates experienced.

H u r r i c a n e K a t r i n a s I m p a c t
Guard helicopter and dropped off at a nearby bridge. From there they were able to walk to her fathers work, where he had ridden out the storm. As they walked, Bierria couldnt avoid seeing the bodies that floated in the flooded streets. Bierra distinctly remembers seeing a man covered with a bloodstained blanket after his tragic fall from a bridge. To ensure their own survival, Bierrias family had to take food and water from a grocery store to stay alive. The family stayed at the fathers work until Saturday when they were able to get the car her father had driven to work and make their way to Bryan where her godparents were. Bierria and her family are planning on returning to New Orleans after the end of this school year. Freshman Nikki Leydecker, from Shalmette, Louisiana, was able to evacuate the day before Katrina hit. She knows that some of her family and friends are safe, but unfortunately has not heard from other members of her family. It took her family an agonizing 18 hours to make the trip from Shalmette to Bryan. Her family hopes to return and salvage what they can, but the water damage may have

A trailer house sits contorted and displaced by the winds of hurricane Katrina while debris is scattered across the yard. Picture provided by Junior Meryl Moliere, taken in Port Sulphur, Louisiana

Amidst the confusion and chaos in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina, freshman Nandi Bierria and her family sat fearing what would take place. Bierria was at her home with her mother, older sister and younger brother when Katrina came ashore. The situation grew more dangerous for the Bierria family as the water began to flood their home. The family had to then seek safety in a high area, which meant somehow reaching the roof. Bierras mother used an ax to chop her way through the ceiling and get her family to safety. Huddling together, the Bierras waited for help. They were finally rescued by a Coast

destroyed all of their belongings as well as their home. Leydecker was an officer on her high school dance team and is now performing with the Shy-Annes. Leydeckers family is currently living in a donated RV and driving a friends car. Eventually, her family plans to go back to Louisiana, but Leydecker would like to continue living in Bryan. Freshman Tiffany Wilkes came to Bryan from Bogalusa, Louisiana with her mother and youth pastor. They were able to evacuate before Katrina made landfall and were placed in a shelter for three weeks. Its a big change starting high school in a new town, Wilkes said. Wilkes and her family are now living in an apartment and plan on staying in Bryan

for some time. We have to start all over again. We are just trying to get our stuff back together, Wilkes said. Junior Justin Hartley barely escaped the storms fury. He and his family left Lafayette early Sunday morning. They headed west to Hartleys aunts house near Bryan. His mother was sent to Dallas to work for another branch of Chase Bank. Hartleys father returned to Louisiana and found roof damage and water inside their home. Hartley hopes to return home Oct. 3 when his school will reopen. I miss my friends and my job at Quiznos, Hartley said. Although the media primarily focuses on families who have lost everything in

Katrinas wake, there were many other families who encountered minor damage. Cousins Lauren and Jordan Walsh were relocated to Bryan and believed that it would be more than a month before they were able to return home. They only had to stay in Bryan for a week. Both girls said they enjoyed their time at Bryan High and will take the experience with them forever. Junior Davreyion West was lucky enough to leave her home in New Orleans on the Sunday before Katrina. Her family packed a few valued possessions and headed out of the city. They traveled toward Texas and finally found shelter in Bryan. West made contact with continued on page 3

Student Finds Hope in a Devastating Situation

Editors Note: Junior Meryl Moliere escaped Hurricane Katrina with her family, but her home was not as lucky. This is Meryls story. On Saturday, Aug. 29th, Plaquemines Parish (parishes are like counties in Louisiana) was issued a mandatory evacuation. Our Parish President, Benny Rouselle, insisted that everyone leave before Katrina came ashore. As we evacuated Saturday we could tell that the situation was not being taken seriously. We are accustomed to hurricanes and are usually able to have everything back up and running in just a couple of days after a storm. When I left Saturday evening I never thought it would be the last time I would see my home or my dog, Copenhagen. Leaving my dog behind was just as heartbreaking as leaving my school, friends and home, but it was a sacrifice we had to make to ensure our own safety. I just kept thinking that there might not be anything left of my home, but I kept my composure, thinking about hurricane Ivan and how we were able to return shortly after that hurricane. On Sept. 14, my parish was opened to citizens to see if any belongings could be salvaged. That night all I could think about was going home and being able to get all of my possessions and hoping that everything would be okay. As I watched the news, it dawned on me that I could be going home to nothing, but I still held to my faith. I kept hoping that I would find Copenhagen despite all the flooding. For some reason I knew she still had to be there, just waiting for me to rescue her. We left Bryan at 11 pm, Sept 14 and arrived in Port Sulphur, Louisiana at 7 am. When I got there it was so devastating, words cant express how I felt. Plaquemines Parish had been reduced to debris and dead grass. Along the roads were trailers that were moved three blocks from where they were originally. Grocery stores and houses were collapsed. After passing by all the devastation, I tried to brace myself for what my house would look like. The street I live on was totally destroyed, everything was rotated around and then pushed back or collapsed on top of itself. As we drove down the street I called Copenhagens name, hoping that she would hear me and would come running. She didnt come, but I still believed she was alive.

When we finally made it to where my house used to be, all I saw where the steps that led to the front door. My house was shifted back behind an oak tree and rotated around to where the front door was in the back. Seeing everything was unbelievable. As we were about to leave, something came around the corner of a house - it was Copenhagen. I called her name and began crying. I couldnt believe it. My dog survived two weeks with-

out anything. It was wonderful to see Copenhagen after so much death and destruction. I never thought that a hurricane could cause the amount of devastation that Katrina has. Im still in shock that all of this is actually real. Its like a never-ending nightmare. Im trying to keep a positive attitude through this challenging time. I am going to make the best of this experience and use my time at Bryan High to the best of my ability.

Volunteer Work Opens Eyes

Bryan High School 3401 E. 29th, Bryan, TX 77802
Volume 35, No. 1 Co-editors Hilary Francis and Jennifer Haynie Staff Erica Carroll, Jason Galindo, Elisa Santana, Blair Whitley, Travis Whitley Adviser Rebecca Dominy
The Norseman is a publication produced by the Advanced Journalism Newspaper Production class at Bryan High School. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent the opinion of the faculty, staff or administrator of Bryan High School. Letters to the editor are welcome and may be delivered to Rm. 6160 or the Blue Campus Office. Member-UIL Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC) Winner of the ILPC Award of Distinguised Merit 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03; Silver Star, 2001-2002.

Jennifer Haynie Co-editor Over the past few weeks it seemed that everyone was contributing to the hurricane Katrina relief effort, so I also did my part and spent an hour and a half one morning volunteering my time with the Texas Shares money drive at the Post Oak Mall. All I really had to sacrifice was a few hours of sleep that morning to help collect monetary donations and I was even able to make it to school on time. I also donated money, so I truly felt that I had paid my

dues to the people who were victims of the hurricane. It was not until Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf and headed toward Texas that I realized natural disasters werent something that only happened on television to other people. I learned that I could also suffer from Mother Nature and become dependent upon the kind donations of others. Thursday morning before Rita made landfall my mother, Laura Haynie - one of the nurses at Bryan High, was called to SFA Middle School to care for the medically fragile evacuees from coastal

nursing home facilities. I drove my mother to SFA thinking I would return to school and carry on another normal day. But when I walked inside the Mustang gym I saw the evacuees lying on tiny cots, tired and hours away from home, and I realized I had the strength and ability to care and comfort those in need and it was my duty to do so. I spent the rest of the day, along with many other BISD employees, feeding, changing and meeting the medical needs of 80+ senior citizens. continued on page 3

continued from page 1 her friends and family still in Louisiana and discovered that the roof of her house was torn off and major flooding had occurred in her neighborhood. West said that she enjoys being at BHS, but misses her school and friends. Her family plans to return home after her home is repaired.

Students Impacted by Katrina

tell her that he had left with his father, but she was unable to evacuate because she had no transportation. That was the last time Clivens talked to his mother before Katrina made landfall. During the days that followed Katrinas devastation the media focused on New Orleans, allowing Clivens to see the destruction of his own neighborhood. The flood waters nearly covered the tops of the street signs and approached the roofs of homes. The most powerful images Clivens saw broadcasted across the national news and printed in all the papers were the images of the deceased. With the number of the deceased continuing to increase, Clivens grew more and more concerned about the health and whereabouts of his mother.

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and that she had evacuated to the Astrodome in Houston. That night Clivens father took him to see his mother and for the first time in almost two weeks he no longer had to worry about her well-being. Clivens and his family are planning on building a new life in Bryan. Were starting all over from scratch, Clivens said. Despite everything Clivens and his family have been through, Clivens is thankful to have his family. Clivens, like most other students that have relocated from Louisiana to the Bryan area, has said that the most important thing that he has taken away from this situation is to never take things for granted and to know what he should truly value - his family and friends.

Junior Allen Clivens experienced one of the more heart wrenching stories due to Hurricane Katrina. Clivens was the first student from Louisiana to enroll at Bryan High on September 1. Prior to the storm coming ashore Clivens was able to evacuate with his father, whom he was spending the weekend with. He was able to call his mother to

Clivens spent eleven days without knowing what had happened to his mother and finally, on Sept. 8, he reached out for help. Clivens told Mrs. Ponzio that he was certain that his mother was among the dead. Together, Ponzio and Clivens searched the internet on web sites posted to help evacuees connect with other family members to let them know of their safety and location. The first number they found during second period was a dead end but after searching for hours, they finally got another lead. At 2:00 pm, Ponzio and Clivens found a number where Clivens could reach his aunt. Amazingly enough, Clivens aunt was at Reed Arena and was able to tell him that she had talked to his mother

continued from page 2 Fortunately, I was able to remain calm and collected and thank God for my composure while working at SFA. Friday morning my mother and I woke up at three to make it to the shelter by four. I have never worked so long and hard for a greater cause in my life, and I now understand how important it is to be an active volunteer rather than someone who just donates when it is convenient. There were so many people confused and in need of serious medical attention at the shelter. Some of the elderly were unsure of what was happening and others were scared because they unKatrina/Rita Comparison

derstood the dangerous situation. I wanted to sit with each one of them to give assurance that everything would turn out alright. One of the most touching stories of the day was a situation that occurred with one of the older men. Mr. Hilley was among the evacuatees from a Friendswood nursing home. My mother and I found a note in his shirt pocket and read it to him. It was from his daughters letting him know how much they loved him and a number where each one of them could be contacted at any time as they were also having to evacuate. He teared up after we read him the note and 24 hours before landfall Katrina 160mph 370 miles 40 miles 185 miles Rita

thanked us over and over again for the help. During all the chaos, this one moment made me realize all the stress and toil was worth the sacrifice. Americans have always done a wonderful job of pulling together in times of need, but what our country continues to need is help for people who are dealing with daily problems. People everywhere, everyday need the kind of generosity shown to the hurricane victims, not just when a situation is in the limelight. I will forever see the faces of those who sought shelter from the power of Hurricane Rita. I can honestly say I have changed how I feel toward my contributions to my fellow Texans. 24 hours after landfall Katrina 50mph 210 miles * 105 miles NNE 18mph * Rita 40mph 120 miles * 60 miles N 11mph *

48 hours before landfall Katrina 115mph 300 miles 35 miles 150 miles W 7mph * Rita

Landfall Rita

Katrina 140mph 460 miles 125 miles 230 miles N15mph 18-22 ft

Wind speed

170mph 370 miles 70 miles 185 miles WNW 9mph *

140mph 410 miles 85 miles 205 miles

120mph 410 miles 85 miles 205 miles NW 12mph 15-20 ft

Storm size (Width Across) Radius of hurricane force winds Radius of tropical storm force winds Movement

WNW 12mph NW 10mph * *

Costal storm surge

*not applicable **information taken from www.cnn.com

Remember Rita Victims

Hurricane Rita, at one point, was a larger storm than Katrina. However, Rita weakened before making landfall, saving countless lives. As people look at the damage inflicted by Rita they must remove Katrina from the window they are peering through, as Rita, in actuality, is one of the more damaging storms that has come ashore in recent years. Over and over again news programs comment on how lucky it was that the storm did not hit Galveston and Houston and how much better the situation is because it hit a less populated area. Athough that statement may be true, people must remember that just because 100 lives are affected instead of a 1000, it is no less devasting for those 100 people. News programs continuely show the Beaumont area and parts of Louisiana that are flooded, but all along the Texas border small East Texas towns are suffering without electricity or water. Bryan has not gone unchanged by Rita either. The traffic on Hwy 6 during the evacuations and the run on grocery stores for supplies were just the beginning of Ritas impact on the Brazos Valley. As of Thursday, Sept. 29, Bryan High had enrolled eleven students from areas affected by Hurricane Rita. Although most people were able to return to a normal routine, there are others whos lives will never be the same.

If asked to, would you evacuate again?

40.00% 35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00%
Yes, if they Probably, if a Not sure, Id No, Ill ride Yes, if they Probably, if Not sure, No, I'd ride wait as long say go, Im storm is it out saygone I'm aimminentis I'd wait as go, storm it out as possible 38.79% 38.79% 23.87% 23.87% 16.27% 16.27% 21.08% 21.08% 1039 Total # of votes 403 248 169 219 *survey conducted through KHOU at www.khou.com from the Houston area population

If asked to, would you evacuate again?

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As Hurricane Rita came in on the heels of Katrina, emergency funding was already low across the nation. Millions of people have donated money to help those in need, but the general public is beginning to suffer donation fatigue. The tsunami that devastated parts of India occurred less than a year ago, depleating large portions of relief funding. Now that the Gulf Coast has suffered two major hurricanes, resoruces for these people are looking slim. Citizens must also remember the needs of those that require aid on a daily basis in addition to those affected by catastrophic disasters. People are in need across the Brazos Valley and other areas while dealing with their own personal crises. It is important to not only help the people affected by the two hurricanes and others in need, but also replenish the financial aid accounts to be prepared for the next disaster. If you would like to help in the relief effort please contact one of the following organizations:

Volunteering and Donating

Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation 1201 North Third Street, Suite 7-240 P.O. Box 94095 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 Salvation Army P.O. Box 193465 San Francisco, CA 94119-3465 1-800-SAL-ARMY United Way of America P.O. Box 630568 Baltimore, MD 21263-0568 1-800-272-4630 American Red Cross P.O. Box 37243 Washington, DC 20013 1-800-HELP-NOW

Texas Disaster Relief Fund Office of the Governor P.O. Box 12878 Austin, TX 78711-2878 1-800-228-0504 www.governor.state.tx.us and then follow the lnks AKC/CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund American Kennel Club/Companion Animal Recovery Attention: Ms. Kim Luong C/O American Kennel Club 260 Madison Avenue 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 To volunteer or provide non-cash donations: One Star Foundation Hurricane Relief 1-800-707-6768