Article 1: August 31, 2005 Meredith welcomes returning international students and offers new cultural experiences             On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 23, the Office of Study Abroad welcomed a group of students and faculty members returning from abroad in a reception at the Alumnae House.  Returning from sites across the world, such as Italy, England, Greece, Chile, Australia, Vienna, France, and Spain, conversations were varied and full of lively stories.  As well as sharing unique cultural experiences, many related similar accounts of airports, customs, and reverse culture shock.  Senior Nina Borum, who studied abroad with the BorderLinks program, and spent the last two summers working in Barbados and Chile, said, “It was really interesting to hear what others had experienced abroad and compare them to my own experience; it gives me pride to know that many of my fellow Meredith angels are embracing the opportunity to study abroad.”             When returning from abroad, many students suffer through a phase of “reverse homesickness” and “reentry shock,” and the reception offered returnees the opportunity to mingle and develop a network of contacts that are going through the same period of readjustment.  It was also an opportunity for students to learn about other international opportunities on campus and in the community so that they can stay connected to their cultural experience.  Many students from this summer’s programs kept travel journals that offer returning students the chance to reconnect with memories, and let interested students develop a taste for international travel.  This semester, Meredith students will be studying abroad in locations across the globe, including France, England, Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia.  To find information about study abroad opportunities, read this summer’s travel journals, or share your experience, visit the Office of Study Abroad in 124 Joyner or their website at www.meredith.edu/abroad/.     Upcoming Cultural Events:   La Fiesta Del Pueblo September 10 and 11 NC State Fairgrounds Entry cost is $1 www.elpueblo.org for more information   Meredith International Association’s first meeting Monday, September 12 at 10 am Harris 110   Greek Festival September 16, 17, 18 Kerr-Scott Pavilion at NC State Fairgrounds Entry cost is $1 Visit www.holytrinityraleigh.org for more information and a free entrance coupon       Article 2: September 8, 2005 cover story Hurricane Katrina: The worst natural disaster the US has ever faced               When hurricane Katrina made landfall in Florida as a category one storm last week, no one could have predicted the disaster to come.  Spending the weekend strengthening in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katrina had reached Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale by Sunday evening, as it moved steadily towards the coast of Louisiana.  Making landfall on Monday around 6 am, Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph and 20 foot storm surges.  The storm devastated the Mississippi cities of Biloxi and Gulfport, causing the highest death toll Harrisson County has ever experienced.  Katrina’s effect on New Orleans, while catastrophic, is not nearly as devastating as the damage could have been had the city suffered a direct hit.  Nevertheless, by 11:00 Monday morning, the raging waters of Lake Pontchartrain had breached two of the city’s most important levees, submerging 80% of the city with water 20 feet deep in some areas.  Integral parts of the city’s hurricane protection system, the levees were only designed to withstand the effects of a Category 3 storm.              Although under an evacuation order, there were thousands of residents who did not have the means to leave the city; those who did not seek refuge in shelters were left waiting in their homes for help, in many cases unaided.  Over 20,000 people sought refuge at the Superdome, and upwards of 25,000 at the city’s Convention Center, yet the two structures suffered great damage, and conditions quickly deteriorated for those hoping to escape the storm.  Food and water have been scarce, and with no electricity or water pressure, combined with the late summer heat, conditions for refugees have been unbearable.              Thousands of troops have slowly been making their way into the flooded city, helping to speed up the evacuation process while also protecting the citizens from the bands of looters that descended on the city almost immediately following Katrina’s departure.  By Saturday evening, all of the refugees at the Superdome and Convention Center had been evacuated by bus and air, and the last 200 patients at Charity Hospital were taken by the truckload to seek medical care outside of the city.  As the main refuge centers in New Orleans emptied, the focus shifted towards rescuing those still stranded across the city and claiming the bodies of the dead.  Houston’s Astrodome is now the home of some 15,000 New Orleans evacuees, and two other shelters were set up nearby to house up to 26,000 people.  Shelters have been set up all over the surrounding area in efforts to find housing for the refugees, most of whom have lost everything.  FEMA has chartered three Carnival cruise ships to house as many as 7,000 refugees over a 6-month period, to be docked in Galveston, Texas.              President Bush visited storm struck areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on Friday, and began efforts to increase the security of New Orleans and speed up the evacuation of the city so that the rebuilding process can begin.  The US Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that it will take over a month to pump water out of the flooded city, and could take up to 3 months to completely dry.  Although flooding has stabilized for the moment, it will take some time to get the pump system back in working order, and the Corps is working on draining water back into Lake Pontchartrain from the city.  All told, the death toll from Hurricane Katrina will undoubtedly reach into the thousands, with an exact figure taking weeks to calculate as the search and recovery mission continues.