If you're out of state and are thinking about or are already enrolled in a university down here in Louisiana but have now began to rethink your decision because of the recent flooding, I'm here to resolve those doubts you are having.
Moving away to college is scary on its own, but moving away to a place that has recently just been overtaken with water that has seemingly came out of nowhere is even scarier. You are most likely thinking thoughts similar to "what will I do if this happens again," "where do I go," "what will I need to be prepared?" Just to name a few questions you may have. I can think of quite a few more you probably have also.
As someone who has lived in southern Louisiana her whole life and attends college here, I believe I'm pretty qualified to give you some advice on surviving college in Louisiana.
1. Emergency evacuation route
Being out of state, you may not know the roads well, and in an emergency you can become lost and in even more danger than had you stayed put. Learning your emergency evacuation routes and knowing which way you should go to travel away from the storm will help you. You can see a better picture and get more information on these routes here. If you have a GPS, you can research where shelters may be and keep that address saved in your GPS in case you may need to travel there. You should also know WHEN to evacuate not just how and where to. Evacuating at the right time will always save your life. If you see that a tropical storm or depression is headed your way this does not mean you should immediately get up and leave. They change courses often and may end up moving away from you. Keep watch on the weather at all times and wait until it has been confirmed that the storm or depression is, in fact, heading towards you. Also, if you are able to get back your home and be with your parents, then I recommend doings so because the water down here is nothing to mess around with. Always have a family member on call and ready to take you in at any moment because sometimes, like recently, these storms come with no warning. Once you know the storms route here's what you do next.
2. Have a storm kit ready to go
At any time during the year(s) you will be living down here you should be able to access these items at all times. You should make a storm kit or emergency kit for when the lights go out, in case you need to evacuate immediately and have no time to gather supplies, or get stranded for days until you get rescued. Your kit should include water, enough for at the least a week, granola bars and other small food items that's will keep you full longer, a few canned goods, flashlight(s) with extra batteries, extra pairs of socks and undergarments inside a Ziploc bag or two, first aid kit, bug repellent, a small neck pillow and blanket. A few optional items you might include would be travel sized deodorant, toothpaste, hairbrush, toothbrush and extra set of clothes also in a Ziploc bag. These items can all be packed in a book bag that can be quickly thrown over your shoulder in an emergency. I recommend a book bag that is waterproof since that is what you will be facing if you do have to evacuate and wade through high waters. The North Face and L.L. Bean both sell high quality, waterproof book bags. I just recently bought a new book bag for school after owning my North Face Boreallis one for three years. It still looks really nice but I just got tired of looking at it. These items are what you should have on standby at all times but there are some essentials that you will want for just normal wet Louisiana days.
3. The Louisiana University Student Starter Kit
Rain boots, rain coat, at least 3 umbrellas. I recommend black rain boots because they match everything! You want an umbrella that fits inside your school bag for those days when you wake up and it is sun shining but then starts raining out of the blue on your way to class. You then need a more heavy duty umbrella for those days where it rains all day and is windy too, I recommend these bubble umbrellas from Target! The third umbrella you will need is for your car. This umbrella will only be used when you're on your way to a destination and it begins to rain out of the blue even though the weather did not say it would rain. A cute rain hat is an option but not a must have.
4. Be prepared to help
I am not saying that you have to help. It's just that down here we take this whole Southern Hospitality business pretty seriously. From the outside, Louisiana is one big and crazy hot mess! For sure we've got our problems but in reality and when it comes down to it, you'll find us all helping one another out when the other is in need. That neighbor you really cannot stand will suddenly become your saving grace in times of desperation and we expect those that come to live here to be willing to open their arms and hearts to those in need just as we do. Louisiana is more than just a state, we are a family. So, if you're coming to school down here, I recommend brushing up on your manners and dusting off that "How to be Southern" book you may have ordered offline when no one was looking that you just forgot about. All joking aside though, it's what the people down here do, we help. In times of desperation like the recent floods all the hate gets pushed aside and nothing but love comes through the hands, mouth, and hearts of the residents that reside here.
I hope this gave anyone second guessing their college choice a little piece of mind. To anyone who has been affected by these awful storms, past and present, if you have some more insight you can comment below. It would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to donate to help the victims of recent flooding events you can follow this link to The United Way website and contribute. You may also visit The Weather Channel to find out how you can donate towards the LSU fund and towards animal shelters who have taken in animals lost in the flood.
