The Embassy of the Republic of Poland had been notified that about a dozen Polish students, participants in the summer Work and Study Program, were trapped by Katrina in N.O. Most worked at Six Flags near N.O., some had jobs in Florida and had gone to N.O. for sightseeing. Under the direction of Charge d’Affaires (acting Ambassador) Boguslaw Winid and Consul in Washington Pawel Bogdziewicz, the Embassy jumped into action immediately – vans were dispatched from Consulates in DC and Chicago. En route they were advised that the students had been evacuated to Dallas, TX. The van from DC drove 1300 miles in 22 hours non-stop. The students were taken in by Polonia in Dallas, so they did not have to stay in shelters. They were then taken away by the Embassy staff, some to Chicago, those from Floridia returned there, and five men and two women came to DC, to be temporarily housed in the Embassy staff quarters. Last night we took them out to dinner, ironically at a place called Orleans House, which has its interior decorated to look like the wrought-iron balconies of the French Quarter (which, incidentally, survived pretty much intact). They are a wonderful and charming bunch of young people, but they have lived through some horrendous experiences. They told us stories that were like something out of Dante – never mind the streets full of water with sewage and oil, or the toilets full of excrement with no water, that was the mild part. They witnessed scenes of looting, rape, murder and suicide that made us sick just to hear about them. No doubt they will carry those terrible memories for the rest of their lives. We pray that their psyches are resilient enough to survive the experience. Let us all express gratitude to Dallas Polonia and to the Embassy personnel for their dedicated assistance in a time of dire need. Ted & Irena Mirecki