Oct. 4, 2001

By Debbie Lieberman

Homeless, Bookless, and Carless. In case you were wondering why I haven't written a journal entry in a while, these three words explain my absence and describe my living status as of September 24th at 5:30 pm when a tornado swept through our campus and my apartment complex. As if a national crisis on September 11 wasn't enough to throw the semester for a loop, a local disaster definitely hit home (no pun intended) and affected my life as well as those of several other students.

Though my car and my first floor apartment survived the 200 mph winds of last Monday evening, other people weren't so lucky. Two of my roommates' car windows were blown in and my other roommate's car was flipped over and totaled. Most of the apartments in my building were damaged: windows imploded, patio doors removed, and part of the roof ripped off. Needless to say, there was much damage that needed to be repaired.

What happened to the students who lived in these apartments? We were evacuated from the complex. Most of us were able to grab a backpack with maybe a book or two, and clothes for the next day. None of us expected to be kept out for three weeks.

So here I am on day six of my "homelessness," reflecting on how much I failed to complete this past week, and I notice that one of the tasks left undone is this journal entry.

In this time of confusion and disorganization, one really notices the strength of her surrounding networks. My teammates and coaches have been so kind and helpful in this time of need. The night of the tornado, I received a phone call from two team members, Katie Kruse and Jenny Boyd (who each represented a house which is full of team members), checking to see if I was okay. Sally Harrison opened her house up to me on that evening of chaos. It was funny because her house, usually containing six residents, supplied accommodations for at least 13 people displaced from the disaster.

The entire team offered to help in any way they could. It was so amazing and comforting to know that although I was away from my immediate family, I had 23 sisters ready to help. I wound up spending four nights in (on-campus apartment facility) Leonardtown with Kim King, Dana J, Biscoe, Audra, Lovechio, and Ludwig. They were so accommodating and giving. Although it must have been weird for them to have a 7th roommate, in no way did they make me feel put out or awkward.

With the word out that I'd be out for another two weeks, my coaches stepped in and arranged for a hotel room that I could stay in for the remainder of my displacement. The women's soccer program has fronted the money and they are looking into some sort of disaster relief fund provided by the NCAA.

In this time of chaos my team and coaches truly pulled through and showed me what true friendship and what the word team is all about."

I realized that my team is truly my family--an incredible unit made up of kind, caring and thoughtful individuals willing to do anything for one another. The teams' togetherness is constantly tested on the field, in every game we play, but this natural disaster tested it in ways never tested before, and we came through. Acts of kindness and selflessness defined our character this week.

Team, I thank you for everything you have done for me this week. I am in debt to your kindness and I hope that I can repay you all in someway that equals the sense of security you provided me when there was none.

Like a storm, we all have come together determined to reign over the ACC. When faced with adversity or obstruction on our path to achieving our goals, like a tornado we will wipe out those who dare to cross that path and we will reach victory. Though the storm has come and gone, our winds have not settled and our goal for the national championship still stands. We are the tornado, and nothing will stand in our way to capture it.

The season starts anew and the Maryland Storming Terps are ready to play!