AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
Rebuilding
Xavier University
of Louisiana
The Miracle in Pictures
Rebuilding Xavier University after Hurricane Katrina
N LATE AUGUST 2005, Xavier University
of Louisiana was on a roll. The small,
Historically Black and Catholic school
– long recognized for its excellent academic
programs over an 80 year history – had just
been named “America’s Hottest College for
Pre-Med” by the Kaplan/Newsweek Guide to
Colleges, and singled out as one of the nation’s
best institutions for undergraduate/graduate
education by both The Princeton Review and US
News and World Report. Enrollment at the start
of the Fall semester was at an all-time high of
4,100 students.
Then along came Hurricane Katrina on
August 29, which devastated much of the
New Orleans area. For more than two weeks,
floodwaters brought by the storm covered the
entire campus with four feet of water. Katrina
scattered Xavier students, staff and faculty
across the nation, and its aftermath cast the
very survival of the University into serious
doubt.
President Norman Francis, who recently
joked that his decision to reopen the University
in January 2006 would be recorded in history
as either “naive and stupid” or “bold and
visionary” was determined to see the University
rebound. And the visionary description has
been affirmed.
After just five months of intensive cleanup
and reconstruction, the University reopened its
doors on January 17 – bringing back students,
faculty and staff to the campus for what was
officially the resumption of the “fall” semester.
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The most important news was, of course, that
the students came back in significant numbers.
3,098 students returned – nearly 80 percent of
the University’s pre-Katrina figure, and a good
deal better than dire estimates that only half of
Xavier’s pre-Katrina enrollment would return.
An impressive 97 percent of the College of
Pharmacy students returned to resume their
highly competitive program.
“As I have said before, every time we open
our doors, it’s a miracle,” said Francis, Xavier’s
president of 38 years, while addressing returning
faculty at the first Academic Assembly since
the storm hit in late August. “Well, I can tell
you that opening our doors this time was the
biggest miracle of all.”
Of course, this kind of miracle doesn’t come
cheaply. To date the University has not received
much in the way of government aid to help
offset the $40 million that has already been
spent to reconstruct the campus. While Federal
help is expected at some point from FEMA and
Congressional actions, Xavier has been forced
to seek “bridge loan” financing to pay for these
extraordinary damages.
The reconstruction has been extensive. The
ground floor of virtually every building on
campus has been gutted and cleaned and the
Central Plant, which was totally destroyed
by floodwaters, is fully functioning again. All
of the storm debris has been cleared and the
campus – sans green grass and landscaping
– for the most part looks very much like it
did pre-Katrina. Refurbishing continues inside
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other buildings, however, at a feverish pace.
Probably the most visible evidence that things
are not yet “normal” are the FEMA trailer parks
that have sprung up on two of the University’s
largest parking lots—to house displaced faculty,
staff and administrators. The lack of activity in
the surrounding residential areas is far from
normal. Also, the University Chapel which was
housed on the first floor of the Administration
Building was completely destroyed and has yet
to be rebuilt making Xavier, perhaps, the only
Catholic institution in the country without a
permanent on-campus chapel. Still the ongoing
reconstruction and the return of the students
and faculty to the campus have re-energized
the campus.
“What happened to New Orleans represents
the greatest disaster this country has ever had,”
said Francis. “That we were able to come back
in such a short period of time is a credit to the
faith, commitment and passion of our staff and
faculty, who put aside their personal losses and
problems to make this miracle happen.”
Xavier’s mission and legacy at providing high
quality educational services for this nation’s
leadership cadre, past, present and future,
is on the path of full recovery. To all of our
supporters, donors and grantors, we offer our
gratitude and thanks.
COVER: This aerial view of the Xavier South building
(center) and the two-year-old St. Martin de Porres
dormitory (left) shows both buildings sustained both
substantial water damage, as well as roof damage.
August 30, 2005
X AV I E R
Inundated with Water
A view of Washington Avenue in
front of the Administration Building.
The Washington Avenue canal has disappeared.
January 2006
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The University Center (left),
Katharine Drexel Hall (right)
and the Central Plant (center)
surrounded by water. In
addition to water damage,
numerous buildings also
suffered substantial roof
damage.
Rear entrance to
the Convent
University Police lost all
four squad cars to the
flood waters of Hurricane
Katrina. This picture of one
of the squad cars shows
water up to the windows
and the abundance of
gasoline in the water.
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October 2005
January 2006
September 2005
T
he science building auditorium remained flooded with
contaminated water one month after Hurricane Katrina made
landfall. The water had to be drained from the room because the
layout of the room would not allow the water to drain on its own.
The auditorium was completely gutted to include walls, desks and
audiovisual equipment.
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September 2005
T
hese pictures from the dining room of the University
cafeteria illustrate the vastness of the damage caused
by the standing floodwater that remained for weeks. All
electrical wiring and connections as well as more than
$1.5 million dollars of furniture and equipment had to be
replaced. The cafeteria was cleaned and ready for use
when school resumed in January. But, to date, students
are still being served with paper and plastic products
while the regular items are replaced.
September 2005
October 2005
January 2006
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September 2005
January 2006
S
tanding floodwaters severely buckled and destroyed
the entire gymnasium floor and all of the coaches
and administrators offices that were housed in the
facility. Consequently, the flooding caused the
suspension of the entire intercollegiate athletic program
for the 2006 season. The picture above shows a newly
installed floor that was loaned to the University by
Mississippi’s Jackson State University.
September 2005
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January 2006
T
he students vowed to return, so the University had to
make sure administrators, faculty and staff could return
also. With the aid of FEMA the University turned two of its
largest parking lots into temporary trailer camps.
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January 2006
S
tudents busy with the rigors of the classroom have
replaced the fallen trees and debris that were evident
throughout the campus following the devastation caused
by Hurricane Katrina.
October 2005
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October 2005
T
his picture taken on the
first floor of the University
Center shows the vastness of
the destruction. An extensive
art collection, the campus Post
Office, administrative offices,
and a $1 million state of the art
copy center were completely
destroyed. The University Center
serves as the center of student
activity and life is returning to
normal thanks to the recently
completed renovations.
September 2005
January 2006
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October 2005
October 2005
F
irst floor dormitory rooms were destroyed by the
flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. These
rooms had to be completely refurbished to include the
replacement of books, bedding, computers, televisions,
small electronic items, and clothing. Insurance claims
have been filed but in most cases settlement is not
expected until months after the storm.
January 2006
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October 2005
October 2005
E
specially hard hit was the University chapel, which
has been completely gutted and still has not been
fully restored. Daily mass is now being offered in the
former chapel of the founding religious order, the Sisters
of the Blessed Sacrament. Plans have been drafted for
the construction of a new University chapel in honor
of St. Katharine Drexel, the University’s patroness and
founder.
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October 2005
October 2005
T
hese pictures taken outside of the historic
Administration Building illustrate the size
of the task that was necessary to clear tons of
storm debris. Nearly all of the grass on campus
was killed and it is estimated that hundreds
of trees and plants will have to be replanted.
Additionally, the University lost all of its lawn
maintenance equipment to the four-foot flood
waters that engulfed the entire campus.
January 2006
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W
hen the levees broke two days after Hurricane Katrina
made landfall, boats were used to ferry meals and supplies
to students and administrators who became trapped on campus.
Hot meals were prepared by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament,
the religious order that founded Xavier University. These boats
were also used to ferry students and neighbors to higher ground
during the evacuation of the city of New Orleans.
October 2005
January 2006
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January 2006
October 2005
N
early every glass panel in the new University
Greenhouse was shattered due to the effects of
the unprecedented Category 5 Hurricane Katrina.
The greenhouse was completely restored and a
myriad of research and other teaching and learning
opportunities are scheduled for the upcoming
semester.
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T
his first floor
University
television production
studio is used to train
students in media
production. The three
foot water line did not
reach the level of the
camera, but crews still
needed to rip out all of
the walls and flooring.
To date, the studio is
still not operational.
November 2005
November 2005
January 2006
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September 2005
January 2006
C
lassroom renovations
were a top priority
due to the overarching goal
of ensuring that Xavier
University would be fully
prepared to open on its
campus without a need to
rely on the establishment of
temporary classrooms and
dormitories.
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September 2005
M
any buildings including the two new dormitories
sustained roof damage. The green roofs of the
Living and Learning Center and St. Martin de Porres
are shown here along with the roof of St. Joseph Hall,
which received extensive damage.
September 2005
September 2005
January 2006
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CREDITS:
Cover Photos provided by: Xavier
University Facility Planning and
Management and NNS/TimesPicayune/Landov
All other photos provided by: Xavier
University Facility Planning and
Management and the Office of
Institutional Advancement.
After Hurricane Katrina, Rebuilding
Xavier University of Louisiana:
Produced by the Office of University
& Media Relations, A Division of the
Office of Institutional Advancement:
ADRIENNE BROOKS, Vice President for
Institutional Advancement
DR. KENNETH ST. CHARLES, Associate
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
WARREN BELL, JR., Associate Vice
President for University & Media
Relations
RICHARD TUCKER, Director of
Publications
GERMAINE AGE WILLIAMS, Marketing
Manager
CAROL DOTSON, Media Relations
Specialist
IRVING JOHNSON, III, University
Photographer
October 2005
X
avier University has, for the last
14 years, placed more African
American students into our nation’s
medical schools than any other
institution in the country. The 1st floor
Pre-med office in the Science complex
is where it all begins. Students and
administrators returned to new facilities
with the expectation of continuing to be
a vital part of our nation’s health care
industry.
January 2006
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March 2006
“W
hat happened to New Orleans represents the greatest disaster this country has ever had. That we
were able to come back in such a short period of time is a credit to the faith, commitment and passion
of our staff and faculty, who put aside their personal losses and problems to make this miracle happen.”
—Dr. Norman C. Francis
THE MIRACLE CONTINUES