Rice welcomes 125 student evacuees
Attendees from summer program at LSU escape predicted flooding caused by Barry
Dozens of middle- and high school students danced to popular line-dancing hits such as “Cupid Shuffle” and the “Wobble,” while their classmates engaged in arts and crafts in Rice University’s Sid Richardson College on Friday afternoon.
The laughing, chattering students — participants in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program, better known as Duke TIP — had arrived on buses from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, escaping predicted floods from Tropical Storm Barry.
“It was an adventure,” said Sahil Sheth, 13, a math and science enthusiast from Sugar Land.
Even though he was looking forward to being a little farther from home, he added: “I guess it was a little exciting.”
Rice is one of 13 universities, including LSU, to regularly host the three-week program for highachieving students in the seventh through 10th grades. The relationship made Rice a logical alternative venue for the 125 middleand high school students as Barry churned through the Gulf of Mexico, nearing Louisiana.
The private Houston university worked with its dining and housing departments and the Duke program coordinators to provide a dormitory for students and staff, food and academic facilities, so the program could continue as planned.
Shawna Young, executive director of Duke TIP, said staff decided around 3 p.m. Thursday to evacuate the students after flooding was predicted.
Forecasters said Barry could drop 10 to 20 inches of rain through Sunday across a swath of Louisiana that includes New Or
leans and Baton Rouge as well as southwestern Mississippi, with pockets in Louisiana getting 25 inches. The storm could shatter Baton Rouge’s one-day record rainfall of 11.99 inches from April 14, 1967.
Some low-lying roads near the Louisiana coast were covered with water Friday morning as the tide rose and the storm pushed water in from the Gulf of Mexico. President Donald Trump declared a federal emergency for Louisiana.
Young said Duke TIP staff notified students and parents. Rice University, which regularly hosts the three-week summer program, welcomed the students, but getting them to Houston was a challenge at the outset.
“It was very hectic at first,” said Savannah Hooks, 16, of Winter Haven, Fla. “There was a whole lot going on in a span of 24 hours.”
Young said staff learned from bus companies that many people throughout the Louisiana were requesting buses for evacuation. Fortunately, by 11 p.m. Thursday, students, staff and their belongings were packed onto four buses headed to Houston, Young said.
Savannah and her roommate were frustrated at the prospect of leaving LSU —“just ’cause you’re getting ripped away from
“It was very hectic at first. There was a whole lot going on in a span of 24 hours.” Savannah Hooks, 16, of Winter Haven, Fla.
where you expected to be,” she said.
Savannah settled in her dorm room at Rice in her “squishy” bed around 6 a.m., after arriving with her group at 4 a.m. Her mood lifted when she saw the sun rise over a picturesque campus, she said.
“It was the cherry on top of kind of a mess,” she said.
Seth Hulse, 16, of Frisco, who is studying neuropsychology in the Duke program, agreed. Rice’s food and lodging have been a welcome upgrade, he said, adding “it’s not about the fancy lodging, … It’s mainly about pursuing the desire to learn.”
Though plans were shifted Friday — students were allowed to sleep in and engaged in fun activities such as dance and art — Young said classes will continue as scheduled Saturday. It had not been determined whether the group will return to LSU after the weekend.