"We didn't know what was going to happen...because I wasn't at home, I heard sensationalized stories about it," he said.

But Krieger felt fortunate his home did not sustain any substantial damage.

Now, as the storm moves through Dixieland, students from other states are beginning to worry.

Adrinda L. Kelly '02 of New Orleans, La. said she is concerned about being away from her family during the storm.

"They evacuated the area, my mom traveled to a shelter yesterday," she said. "I have to hope for the best for my family. I'm even more powerless because I am so far away."

"I heard on the radio this morning that it hit in Pascagoula," said Katherine F. Stewart '02. Stewart lives in central Mississippi, but her grandparents and aunts and uncles live in Pascagoula, which is near the coast.

"I'm concerned about what's going on," she said