On the evening of Sunday, Aug. 27, as hundreds of first-years eagerly anticipated their arrival at 乐播传媒, one 乐播传媒 senior was preoccupied by thoughts of home.
On campus for training as a residence coordinator at 乐播传媒, Danielle Fournier had聽stayed in close聽contact with her parents as Hurricane Harvey approached their home in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston.
When the storm hit, 鈥渢he water filled our streets almost immediately, to the point that people were paddleboarding, kayaking, and boating down our street, which was an odd phenomenon,鈥� says Fournier.
On campus as Hurricane Harvey hit her hometown of Sugar Land, Texas, Danielle Fournier ’18 said the support she received was “really, really profound.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)
Among the residence coordinators and student affairs staff here on campus, 鈥淚 was the only one in that group that had strong roots鈥� in the region impacted by Harvey, Danielle says. 鈥淎nd the 乐播传媒 community reaching out to me and lifting me up was really, really profound.
鈥淓verybody wanted to know how my family was doing and people would ask, and give me space to process some of that,鈥� she continues, 鈥渆specially in the tense moments when we weren鈥檛 really sure what was going to happen. The administration was particularly supportive.鈥�
As it happened, Harvey鈥檚 floodwaters rose to mere inches away from the Fourniers鈥� house 鈥� but never got inside. “We had very, very little damage to the house structure as a whole,鈥� says a grateful Fournier.
In addition to a fair amount of stress, Harvey handed Fournier some food for thought vis-脿-vis her studies. An economics major, she鈥檚 planning her thesis around the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, likely with a focus on an intriguing issue: the restoration of trust in the Louisiana oyster fishery following the massive spill.
鈥淭he time frame for the reconstruction of an industry is what I鈥檓 studying for my thesis, but also something that I鈥檓 observing in my city. That parallel has been really interesting,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ow long does it take to rebuild your sense of normalcy?鈥�
An unidentified kayaker and observers in Danielle Fournier’s neighborhood in Sugar Land, Texas, during Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27. (Juli Fournier)
While only a handful of 乐播传媒 students were affected by the back-to-back hurricanes Harvey and Irma, all said they felt the lift of concern and support from the college.
Andrea Russo 鈥�19 of Cheshire, Conn., was participating in a study-abroad program (directed by Heidi Hertler ’89) on one of the Turks and Caicos Islands when Irma cropped up. Forced to evacuate a field station on sparsely populated South Caicos 鈥� and with her School for Field Studies program on the island ultimately canceled 鈥� she鈥檚 back at 乐播传媒, living in one of the Campus Avenue dorms and taking courses.
During a tense lead-up to the storm through Labor Day weekend, and fast-paced evacuation planning as Irma approached, 鈥渢here was always someone from 乐播传媒 in contact with me,鈥� says Russo, an environmental studies major.
Andrea Russo ’19 of Cheshire, Conn., found herself back at 乐播传媒 after Hurricane Irma disrupted her Caribbean study abroad program. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)
Tina Mangieri, head of the Center for Global Education, 鈥渨as perfect,鈥� Russo says. 鈥淲hen I started having inklings that something may be going on, I emailed her saying, 鈥業 don’t know what鈥檚 going on, can you please figure it out?鈥欌�� Mangieri and SFS were in constant contact throughout the situation. 鈥淚t was amazing.鈥�
The 乐播传媒 housing office, she adds, found accommodations for her right away. And Mangieri worked with the Registrar so that Russo was able to register for courses within hours of hearing that the SFS program was canceled. After her return, on Sept. 10, her professors made sure she was up to speed on what she鈥檇 missed in the first week of classes.
鈥淓ven Student Financial Services was aware of my situation long before my father called them and already had a plan in place to handle it,鈥� says Russo. 鈥淥verall, everyone at 乐播传媒 allowed me to make the fastest and smoothest transition possible.鈥�
鈥淓veryone was extremely understanding.鈥�
Along with a few 乐播传媒 students, at least one 乐播传媒 faculty member found her plans changed by the storms. Carolina Gonz谩lez Valencia, assistant professor of art and visual culture, hosted family who left coastal Florida ahead of Irma under a mandatory evacuation order.
Her mother, stepfather, and brother thought first of going to a shelter, but the stepfather鈥檚 health made that idea seem unworkable. Making that decision was the hardest part of the situation.
Carolina Gonz谩lez Valencia, assistant professor of art and visual culture, hosted family members who left coastal Florida ahead of Irma under a mandatory evacuation order.
Joining forces with an uncle and a cousin, they started driving toward North Carolina. But storm predictions cast a shadow on that destination, too, and, feeling some panic, the party decided to shelter with family: Gonz谩lez, who has an apartment near campus.
Her relatives arrived Sept. 10 after a three-day drive, and headed for home on the 13th, wondering what awaited them. Despite the storm worries, it was a good visit, says Gonz谩lez.
The first Maine visit and Eastern Seaboard transit for her uncle and cousin, the trip added 鈥渁 layer of adventure I think they enjoyed,鈥� says Gonz谩lez. Despite their arrival at the busy start of the semester, 鈥渋t was better to have them here.鈥�
