LIVINGSTON, Ala.—Quiet. The only word that can describe the University of West Alabama’s Wellness Center once the final Hurricane Katrina evacuees left this Red Cross shelter Wednesday after two and a half weeks of living in the Student Union Building basement.

Wellness Center Director Carole Welborn, who ran the shelter with Red Cross worker Shannon Dockery, could not find words to describe the outpouring of support from the university and the Livingston community.

“Overwhelming and amazing don’t do justice to how UWA and others responded,” Welborn said. “Numerous individuals, families, businesses and churches provided meals, manned the door throughout the night and organized activities for the kids. Many people donated items without giving their names. They just wanted to help their neighbors.”

Several campus teams and clubs, including the Tiger volleyball team, the Baptist Campus Ministry and many Greek organizations, provided assistance to the 475 people helped at the UWA shelter.

“The rodeo team brought over horses for the kids and adults to ride. A freshman seminar class volunteered to sit at the entrance of the shelter overnight. There is an endless list of those who helped,” said Welborn.

Jason Gardner, UWA Director of Student Activities, agreed. He emphasized that the collaborative efforts really paid off.

“Our student involvement was out-of-this-world. They brought anything we asked for and continue to try to do their parts,” Gardner said.

UWA shelter residents are working to establish a new life with help from local contributions. All evacuees have stayed in the area in temporary or permanent housing, enrolling their children in local schools. Welborn knew of 35 in Sumter County public schools, and she estimated at least 50 children were in schools across the area.

Those wanting to assist the relief effort continue to call or stop by the SUB. The local and national response has indeed been great. The UWA shelter received a truckload of goods from as far away as Ohio last week when a student reported the need. A 48’ trailer of goods driven down from Tennessee was sent to nearby Meridian, Miss. because the shelter had enough donations to meet the evacuees’ needs.  Three Red Cross trucks this week picked up donations of excess food, water, paper products and more to be distributed to the Katrina victims in Mississippi.

UWA officials hope to reopen the Wellness Center sometime next week after the cots are gone and the cleanup is complete. A room full of donated clothes remains upstairs in the SUB, but these items will soon be moved to make way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA will arrive next week to set up shop in the Tiger’s Den for possibly three to four weeks as those affected by the storm report damages to officials, Gardner said.   

All is quiet now in the SUB, with school officials hoping to return to a normal schedule in the Wellness Center, while continuing to open the campus to those assisting with the massive relief effort in the wake of Katrina.