"Things that are so normal and routine to me are gone," third-year Education student Katie Van Horn said.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina, a category five storm that has caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, will be felt all over the nation and already are being felt at the University.
Many University students who are from New Orleans said they are unable to contact family and friends and are left to wonder about the conditions of their homes and neighborhoods because communications systems based in New Orleans are unreliable, if existent.
"You have no way of knowing if the people you love are okay," second-year College student Lauren Tilton said.
The students said they could only guess about the condition of their homes.
"We're fairly certain that the first floor of the house is gone," said third-year College student Stephanie Mastrangelo, whose house was located three blocks from the 17th Street levee that broke earlier this week.
"A lot of friends have sent messages [saying] that their homes are destroyed," third-year College student Julie Guider said.
Students also said their families were evacuated successfully, but the families are struggling to find a temporary place to stay.
"The whole community is so scattered," Van Horn said. "It's going to be a long time before we see a lot of people again. Displacement is rougher than the damage."
Students who had high-school-aged siblings expressed concern regarding the difficulty of their finishing high school and subsequently attending college. University President John T. Casteen, III announced yesterday his intention to offer "visiting student" status to the in-state students who were bound to Louisiana schools.
"We want to reach out to the daughters and sons of Virginia who find themselves in this situation and offer them the opportunity to continue their academic careers uninterrupted here in Charlottesville," Casteen said.
Some students said their families will not be able to return home for at least several weeks. Mastrangelo said in a month her family will attempt to go back to their house to salvage belongings, photo albums and family heirlooms.
Many of the objects were "things that you can never get back," she said.
Students also said they were concerned about the poor population of New Orleans.
"There is a tremendous lower-class population in New Orleans that is permanently out of housing," third-year College student Kate Daughdrill said.
Many of the students said they were distressed about the looting that began earlier this week.
"I think that the lawlessness reflects the absolute desperation of all of the people that are stranded there," fourth-year College student Miles Clements said.
The students also said they were confident about New Orleanders' ability to rebuild.
"As horrendous as the conditions are, New Orleanders are resilient, and we have a unique sense of community which we will draw upon to comfort each other," Clements said.
In the wake of this disaster, the students expressed their desire to be present for their displaced loved ones.
"We're so rooted in where we belong, and to not know if your neighbors are okay ... I just want to be part of it because that's where I belong," Daughdrill said.
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