By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - In the beginning it was like any other hurricane warning on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Families packed their bags with a few days worth of clothes and headed to higher land.
But as Hurricane Katrina hit, area residents learned this was no routine storm.
Tran and her husband, Hung Hoang, their son, Anh, 9 and daughters, Lexus, 6 and Alivia, 6 stayed in Pensacola for two nights and heard about some of the damage Hurricane Katrina was causing on the news, but weren't sure how bad it really was.
At this point Tran and her husband knew that they weren't dealing with a three day trip to the beach to try and get away from the storm. They now needed to find a long term place in which they could stay because they wouldn't be able to go back home anytime soon.
The family found everything to be alright with Tran's parents. They just had a bit of cosmetic damage to their home and had no power.
The family then went to look for Tran's aunt who was unaccounted for and went to different Red Cross shelters to see if she was there.
Hung, Elizabeth and the children arrived in Niles last Thursday and are truly greatful.
Tran had just begun the fall semester at the University of New Orleans when the hurricane hit. Since coming to Niles she has enrolled at Andrews University in Berrien Springs where they have given here a year's worth of tuition for free.
Hung who is a pipe line welder is currently looking for a job in the area.