<p>Well, as far as I have read about Tulane it's a great uni but the thing that conerns me is its location. Almost every year there are some hurricanes and sort of. Do you feel endangered there, because of these events? Do I really have any reasons to be concerned?</p>
<p>There are risks almost anywhere you go, it is just a matter of being realistic about things and not letting the hyberbole scare you off. To say every year there are hurricanes is an exaggeration, it is more accurate to say there is always the threat of a hurricane. The actual number that have hit is very small (none in the 4 years I was there, 2 that threatened but moved off). If you go to school in California, there may be a massive earthquake, and that is a year round, permanent threat. In the midwest and other parts of the south, tornadoes, and those give you very little warning. At least you can prepare for a hurricane. In the north, there can be blizzards and bitter cold that cause all sorts of problems and deaths, although admittedly it is not so likely to affect the university students. And remember that Katrina was the disaster it was not because of the hurricane itself, but because the levees failed.</p>
<p>My point is that while I am sure you can pick a university based on relative safety from natural disasters, does that really make sense? The absolute risk is tiny. Relax, and look at the things you should be looking at, such as quality, atmosphere, cost, etc.</p>
<p>Agreed-- This topic has come up several times, and Tulane's current Pres, Pres. Cowen makes the point that fallenchemist did-- that there are risks everywhere. Certainly since Katrina this issue has been more paramount because it had a devastating effect on NOLA, but truth be told, my older s had more issues with forboding hurricanes in Houston during the years he was there (and the year after, when the hurricane his this year in the Galveston and Houston area) and I hadnt considered weather as a major factor when he chose a school in Houston. I don't want to downplay the concern. It was a concern for us when my s chose Tulane, and this year, he was evacuated just one week after they arrived, but the school was very, VERY prepared and handled it well. In the past few years, colleges and universities in California have had to deal with forest fires and windstorms, and sadly, the VA Tech incident reminds us that no place it completely free of risk. The Urban schools do also require a bit more diligence and careful thinking when making choices about walking at night, etc, but that is true for almost all urban campuses. Please give Tulane a good look. You will be happy you did.</p>
<p>They can see hurricanes coming, they evacuate the campus, yadda yadda yadda. You won't be endangered as much as inconvenienced.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about the levels of soil/water toxins in or around Tulane?</p>
<p>Wrist - One of the things that was prioritized and done (unlike so many of things that FEMA and other agencies screwed up) was the Federal EPA and Louisiana's equivalent testing the residues completely and continuously. You can find the results via both departments websites. Around Tulane, the soil is fine, and since the water is city water, it has to meet EPA standards and is tested all the time. No worries.</p>
<p>thanks fallenchemist!</p>
<p>My S is a "Katrina" student.....began as a freshman the weekend Katrina hit and will be graduating this May.</p>
<p>When we did the tour earlier that spring before he decided on Tulane, the administration told us they evacuated an "average" of 2 times per hurricane season. These evacuations, historically, were VERY short. And to echo fallenchemist's very important point: with hurricanes, you can plan. There are DAYS of warnings.</p>
<p>S begin at Tulane in August 2005. Obviously, the Katrina evacuation lasted several months. However, he was not evacuated AT ALL in his sophomore or junior year. This year, as a senior, he evacuated for Gustav which lasted several days.</p>
<p>I think it's fair to say you should plan on 2 per season and in my opinion, the university handles these incredibly well. Some students used it as a field trip of sorts, calling it a Hurri-cation.</p>
<p>On the serious side, my husband is an Emergency Management professional and has been quite impressed with Tulane's handling of hurricane season events. I still worry every time, especially after having been through Katrina (we were there moving S in that weekend). But my worry level has diminished some and S has never been sorry he chose Tulane. And neither have we.</p>