BATON ROUGE - Around 500 Southern University students took part Tuesday in a symposium to discuss the effects Hurricane Katrina had on the law enforcement, demographics, economy and way of life in New Orleans.

The hurricane struck the Gulf Coast nearly ten years ago, killing more than 1,000 people and chasing away half of New Orleans' population.

Southern's event was titled "Remembering Katrina: A Symposium Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina." The gathering featured panel discussions along with testimonials from survivors of the storm.

"It wasn't as I believed, that it was just a hurricane and I will be back in a couple of days," said Lane McCormick, who lived through Katrina and shared a warning to people attending to be prepared anytime a hurricane approaches the Gulf.

"Watch the news, watch the weather, and pay attention to what everybody is telling you, because I lost because I didn't... take heed and I procrastinated," McCormick said.

The program, held in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Union, was sponsored by the faculty of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences.