A minister

The Rev. Jonathon Jensen, rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, served at Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans from 1998 to 2002.

He said judging by news reports, he was almost certain the cathedral was flooded. The cathedral had been completing extensive renovations in preparation for its bicentennial celebration.

Jensen has been watching news reports about the hurricane, catching glimpses of the places that were once familiar to him.

“It doesn’t even look like the same place. It’s hard to recognize,” he said. “If it does come back, it’ll be years and years, and it’ll never be the same.”

Jensen said he had a friend in New Orleans who was considering retiring in Lawrence. He’s expecting the friend to stay with him in the upcoming weeks.

He hasn’t got in touch with other friends in New Orleans.

“It’s one of the hardest parts,” he said. “With the lack of communication, one doesn’t know.”

He said people in New Orleans feared a hurricane like Katrina.

“When I lived there, people would talk about expecting the big one to hit,” he said. “They said it was just a matter of time. It’s still a huge shock. It’s one thing to talk about it and another to have it happen.”

A doctor

Emergency room doctors in Lawrence and across the country are prepared to go to New Orleans and other hurricane-stricken areas if the call goes out for more medical help.

Dr. Scott Robinson, Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency room medical director, said physicians and medical agencies are being told to work with government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Requests for help could be passed on through the American College of Emergency Room Physicians, of which Robinson is a council member of the Kansas chapter.

“We have 10 certified emergency room doctors at LMH, and if they wanted us to help in some way we’d be willing to do that, but what we don’t want to do is go down there and get in the way,” Robinson said.

School children

Students at New York School are proving that every penny counts.

After talking about hurricane Katrina during current events discussions in class, students decided to collect pennies and other spare change to help in the relief effort.

New York School fifth-graders, from left, Liza Stancliffe, Gaia Morgan and Kelsie Thompson, work on a poster Thursday afternoon for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“Most of them don’t have any homes. They don’t have any belongings. They don’t have any food – nothing,” fifth grader Gaia Morgan said. “I feel really, really sad and so lucky it’s not me.”

The school is encouraging a little friendly competition. Whichever grade collects the most money will be rewarded with extra free time, but teachers said they hope the students also learn a valuable lesson.

“It’s horrible and disturbing. We talked about what if it was you,” fifth grade teacher Melissa Turpin said. “It makes them think about their own lives and how fortunate they are.”

The school plans on passing the money the students collect on to the Red Cross.

English professor

Stan Lombardo grew up in New Orleans. Even though he left nearly 40 years ago, the Kansas University English professor feels deep pain over this week’s events.

“To see the city that you grew up in and have a deep spiritual rapport with is devastating,” Lombardo, 62, said Thursday afternoon.

Lombardo’s brother, Peter, remained a New Orleans resident and raised seven children there. But Peter Lombardo is in commercial real estate, his brother said – a profession that, in New Orleans, seems likely to undergo a severe slump.

“Their prospects are terribly bleak,” Stan Lombardo said of his New Orleans relatives. “Like thousands of people there, they lost everything. Their economic prospects are dismal to feed their families. It’s heart wrenching.”

Peter Lombardo and family are now in a hotel in Baton Rouge, La., Stan Lombardo said, where they hope to stay permanently.

“He’s attempting to relocate to Baton Rouge,” Stan Lombardo said. “His company’s there … but the pressure on a place like that really is enormous right now.”

Stan Lombardo said he was frustrated that New Orleans levees weren’t strengthened before the disaster and at the slow federal response.

“I hope that the response on the part of the federal government is everything it should be,” he said. “I think it’s been somewhat inadequate until now … especially in keeping order.”

Swimming coach

Annette McDonald, Free State High math teacher and swimming coach, grew up in New Orleans. She said her family evacuated the area safely before Katrina hit. Now, they will likely have significant property loss and no idea when they can return home.

“Just finding out that they had decided to leave was a big relief for me. Their safety is more important than the property as far as I’m concerned,” McDonald said.

Baker help

Baker University students launched a campaign to help victims. Students and faculty will accept donations of linens, soap and cleaning supplies. They will collect items in the basement of Osborne Chapel on the Baker campus, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

The supplies will be sent to a relief committee in Baldwin, La.

Theatre, film professor

Matt Jacobson, a Kansas University theater and film professor, recently found out he had a connection with several in the hurricane’s path. Jacobson’s hobby is to build space ship models.

He frequently visits a Web site, www.starshipmodeler.com, and chats with others of the same interest. This week, Jacobson saw messages from several online pals who have lost their homes and experienced damage.

He said he will donate several of his mint condition models to the online community’s administrator, who will put the items up for bid and use the funds to help those in the online group.

“I’m giving up a lot of models, but other people need them right now,” Jacobson said.