As the Gulf Coast copes with the crippling effects of Hurricane Katrina, ASU is reaching out to displaced students looking to go back to school.
The storm, which began over the Bahamas on Aug. 24, may be the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history, according to the National Weather Service.
Sharon Keeler, a spokeswoman for ASU, said ASU President Michael Crow asked the University to help enroll students whose colleges are closed Tuesday.
"We're trying to accommodate them," she said.
One of those students is Rachel Chulew, a business major who was starting her second year at Tulane University in New Orleans when Katrina hit.
Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29 and is estimated to have displaced millions and killed thousands.
New Orleans arguably suffered the most damage, when two levees broke and flooded an estimated 80 percent of the city.
Tulane was forced to close because of the storm, and Chulew doesn't know when it will re-open. On its Web site, Tulane University said there was "no timeline for its recovery" but that all Tulane students have been safely relocated.
Chulew is originally from Arizona and was able to enroll in the W.P. Carey School of Business Wednesday.
"It's incredible," she said. "Everyone in the Registrar's Office has been incredible."
Chulew said she's happy to be going back to school, but grieves for the destruction in New Orleans.
All Chulew's favorite bars and restaurants in New Orleans are underwater, and she has no idea if her apartment is still there, she added.
"It's sad," she said.
"It's one of my favorite cities."
LouAnn Denny, the University registrar, said ASU has talked with 20 students about enrolling at ASU since Tuesday.
They are transferring, enrolling in classes and getting parking passes in one day, she added.
"We wanted to streamline the process," she said. "Time is of the essence."
Another student on his way back to Arizona is undecided freshmen Michael McGillicuddy.
He said he evacuated Loyola University, also in New Orleans, two days before the storm hit.
All his friends and family live in Phoenix, and he feels lucky he has a home to come back to, he added.
"Everybody but me has it worse," he said.
McGillicuddy said he hopes to enroll in a few classes at ASU when he gets back in town.
ASU psychology sophomore Erika Lobenstein grew up in New Orleans and said she was shocked by the destruction the storm left behind.
"We have hurricane season every year in New Orleans, and it was never a big deal," she said. "There were nights I'd go out during hurricanes, and we'd have hurricane parties, so I just can't believe this is happening."
She said her parents and grandmother were safely evacuated, but she is still waiting to hear from other friends and family.
"When it comes to not knowing whether your family or friends could be dead or alive, it is just very, very uneasy," she said. "And with school starting and with me having a new job, it's just not going well at all."
Along with ASU, many Arizona organizations are sending relief to the victims of the hurricane.
For 10 days, the Phoenix Fire Department's Search and Rescue team will be in Mississippi to administer medical assistance.
Helicopters from Arizona's Department of Public Safety are also being loaned to help in the rescue effort.
The Associated Press and State Press reporter Jourdan Rassas contributed to this article. Reach the reporter at michael.famiglietti@asu.edu.