October 2005

Arduous journey leads professor and his family back to Purdue

By Tanya Brown, Lafayette Journal and Courier

Mohammad Qasim, a former Purdue University research scientist, started his new job as chemistry professor at Xavier University in August just before Katrina hit, forcing him to flee the New Orleans area with his wife, Sabina, and their 14-year-old daughter, Sadia. They now are living in Purdue Village while they await the reopening of Xavier. This is their story.

Mohammad: Since I had recently joined the faculty, we were very reluctant to leave. But on Sunday morning, when I saw the TV, they were showing all the scenarios of what could happen. I was worried because our apartment building was so old. I thought, 'What if the building collapses?'

Sabina: We left in 20 to 25 minutes.

Mohammad: We were thinking we'd be back in 48 hours, so we didn't take much. Hurricanes are so deceiving. No one who had been there 15 or more years expected it be that bad.

Sabina: We drove 360 miles to Houston. We couldn't find any hotels. We tried all, from the very cheap to expensive, but there was none. There was a food shortage. McDonald's and these places, they would have no food or only buns left. It took us 18 hours. Luckily we had some fruits in our car to eat.

Mohammad: Because of the amount of people driving, you weren't allowed to change lanes at all. You had to go either toward Jacksonville or Houston, and after a while it became apparent we were going to Houston.

Sabina: People were still letting people over, though. We like those people in New Orleans very much. Everyone was so friendly there, and even on the road, they were kind. They did not honk or yell at you if you needed to move or pull over. There were broken cars all along the road. People didn't know they'd have to go so far. Many times the traffic came to a complete stop, so people would change cars or try to be fixing theirs.

Mohammad: Until we reached Baton Rouge, the exits were blocked. We had filled completely on Saturday, so at least there was no worry of fuel. We finally got a hotel in Houston and stayed there the first night. Then we stayed with friends of ours.

Sabina: We were in Houston exactly one week. We had a hamster that had just delivered six babies that we left at our home. We thought we'd be coming back and that it would be better not to move the babies. My daughter is very worried about her hamsters. We left tons of food and the cage open, but she is all the time worried about her pet.

Mohammad: When we left Houston to come here to Purdue, we thought we'd stop at our apartment and just have a look, but we saw all that was happening on the news. We decided that once, somehow, we got out and so we would not go back again.

Sabina: We are just thankful to God that we are alive and safe. We feel sorry, so sorry, for those people. Some were very poor. My daughter and I had done some grocery shopping and one man came in to the store. He was so poor -- weak and thin. He counted out pennies, so many pennies, to buy some of those, what do you call them? Ramen noodles. We are so sorry for people like him.

Mohammad: We own a home in Blackbird Farms here, but we rented it, so we cannot go back in it.

Sabina: We also took all my husband's work, his research. His bacteria and cells, they were supposed to stay at minus 81 degrees. They are all gone now, for sure.

Mohammad: It was about 12 or 13 years worth of work. But at some point in time, you start thinking about what is replaceable, and life is not replaceable. We are sufficiently happy to be alive and safe.

Sabina: You have to suffer some things. No matter where you are, it will come. We don't care if it was hit by hurricane. We will go back.

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