FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 29, 2006

A year after Hurricane Katrina, Hannon and Elliott make new life in Columbus

By Jill D. O’Bryant
  
COLUMBUS, Miss. -- A year ago when New Orleans couple Chris Hannon and Adele Elliott fled from Hurricane Katrina they never dreamed they would soon call Columbus their home.
   
They had lived in New Orleans for most of their lives where they owned a lovely home and a successful event planning business in the Gentilly area. As the world watched the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina unfold, Hannon and Elliott found themselves homeless.
   
But not for long. The couple, along with about 150 others, found refuge in Goen Hall, a residence hall on the campus of Mississippi University for Women.
   
They left New Orleans at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005, bound for Montgomery, Ala., which was the closest place they could find availability at a pet-friendly hotel.
   
“All that we took with us was a few articles of clothing and our ‘children’ (two cats and one dog),” Hannon said.
   
During the course of the evening, they heard an announcement on NPR that MUW had residence hall rooms available for evacuees and that they would even accept pets.
   
Although several floors in Goen Hall were empty and available for the evacuees, they were in no condition to be used. More than 75 students volunteered to ready the rooms for the arrival of guests.
   
“Finally, at 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 29, some sixteen hours after we left New Orleans, we arrived at The W,” Hannon said. “We were not prepared for the reception that we received. Not only were Chris Holland's staff (Office of Community Living) cheerful and very courteous, but the students at Goen Hall went above and beyond. They grabbed our belongings, insisted on carrying them to our assigned room and then refused to accept a tip.”
   
The campus immediately received the evacuees with open arms in an effort to make them feel as welcomed as possible. The campus community donated clothes and toiletry items, helped cook meals at the Salvation Army and even set up the MUW Evacuee Fund to directly benefit evacuees on campus.
   
“The next three weeks were a bit of a blur since we were in many ways in a state of shock,” he said. “What I do remember, though, was the kindness and generosity bestowed on us by many, many wonderful people. Not only were we showered with donations of food, clothing and toiletries, but not a night went by that some group didn’t invite us for dinner and activities. First a barbecue, then a fish fry and then a pizza party.”
   
After authorities began allowing New Orleans residents to return to the city, Hannon and Elliott made two trips to try to salvage items from their home, which had sat in six feet of water for three weeks.
   
“From the outside, the house looked OK except for the brown stain around it similar to a water ring in a bathtub,” he said. “The inside was a different story.”
   
He said the only things they were able to save were the marble tops to two tables, their dishes, which they bleached to get clean and some old family photos that were in a box out of the reach of the water.
   
Very thankful for the assistance he and his wife received while they lived on campus those three weeks and pleased with the hospitality of Columbus, they decided to make Columbus their permanent home.
   
“After three weeks, we rented a house on the Southside,” Hannon said. “Although we were glad to have our own place, it was with more than just a little sadness that we bid farewell to our new W family. I cannot say enough good things about all of the wonderful people, from the cafeteria workers on up to (MUW President) Dr. (Claudia) Limbert who popped in to see how we were doing. We will forever be in your debt.”
   
Their event planning business, called It’s a Party, is doing well too. In fact, the university recently contracted with them for a face painter and balloon sculptor for the faculty/staff opening of school picnic in which faculty and staff bring their families.