Newswise — During the onslaught of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and, now, Wilma, Westfield State College faculty and staff have been actively involved in both assessing the results of the storms and helping out at the scene.
Karl Leiker, professor of geography and regional planning and an internationally respected authority on weather, gave a presentation on campus, "Hurricane Katrina: A Meteorological Discussion." Leiker, the campus "weatherman," offers insights into the causes and effects of severe weather. He is often off chasing tornadoes and other weather-related events.
Stephanie Kelly and Roderick Francis, also of the Geography and Regional Planning faculty, offered detailed presentations on campus about the environmental, social and public policy issues relating to recovery from the hurricane. They offered advice on the rebuilding process and planning new communities. They also noted several socioeconomic similarities between New Orleans and local cities and the disaster preparedness issues they have in common.
Jacqueline Sheehan, director of the campus counseling center, recently returned from the Gulf Coast where she spent several days aiding Katrina victims as a Red Cross volunteer. A licensed psychologist, she is trained to help disaster victims deal with the trauma. Among Sheehan's observations is an assessment of the chaos and challenges faced by Red Cross workers, as well as the lack of any significant help from FEMA in the early stages of the relief effort.
Philip Hotchkiss, associate professor of mathematics, is another member of the college community to join the hurricane relief effort. He is scheduled to return in a few days after spending three weeks on the Gulf Coast as a Red Cross volunteer.
The campus community organized several fundraising and teaching events related to the storms. The college is also one of the institutions that offered refuge to students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. This semester, a student enrolled as a junior at Loyola University in New Orleans is attending Westfield State.
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