University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Blessed Despite The Storms
Sep 09, 2016 | Football
Doroland Dorceus persists through all the storms after going through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
*NOTE: This feature story on Doroland Dorceus first appeared in the Sept. 3 Memphis Tigers Football GameDay program.
Remember what you did yesterday? Most will answer yes.
How about last week? Some may recall.
Last month? Not so much.
How about remembering what happened to you 11 years ago this week? Â Uh, no!
One University of Memphis Tigers football player remembers vividly what he was going through 11 years ago this week. And, he was just 11 years old at the time.
That player is redshirt junior running back Doroland Dorceus, and 11 years ago this week, he and his family survived one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the United States mainland: Hurricane Katrina.
"Eleven years later, I remember like it was yesterday," said Dorceus, who still calls New Orleans home. "I was scared."
And, for good reason. Hurricane Katrina, which hit southeast Louisiana as a Category 3 on Aug. 29, 2005, was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Over 1,200 people died in the storm and flooding, making it the deadliest hurricane since 1928. Estimated property damage, which included Dorceus' own home, from Katrina was estimated at $108 billion.
With the storm closing in on New Orleans, Dorceus and his family – dad, mom and seven brothers and sisters – first moved from their home to a local hotel. It was just the beginning of a long journey for the family.
"When Katrina hit, we were staying at a Holiday Inn downtown, and the windows started breaking because of the high winds," Dorceus said. "We got on the floor and crawled out of our hotel room to the lobby. When it stopped, we moved to the convention center."
That's when Dorceus' post-Katrina story begins. After leaving the hotel, the family moved to the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, which was located down the street from the Louisiana Superdome. Both sites were used as shelters.
"They didn't let us leave the city," said Dorceus. "I was there five, six days after Katrina hit. We were staying in the convention center, and there was some crazy stuff going on there."
Dorceus and his family stayed at the convention center for three days waiting for assistance. For many, the wait led to frustration and some giving up.
"People were getting frustrated," said Dorceus. "I saw some families holding hands and jumping off bridges like it was over. I thought my family and I weren't going to make it."
Dorceus and his family did make it. The next stop was a parking garage for two days. After their parking garage stay, an 18-wheeler transported hundreds to an airport outside New Orleans. His family then took a flight to San Antonio, where they stayed in a shelter for three months and an apartment for another month. While in San Antonio, they found family in Houston, a city where the family moved next.
All told, the family lived in three cities in a year, and for 11-year-old Dorceus, that meant attending different schools. He was in four middle schools over that year.
"It was crazy. We'd make friends at one school and then move," Dorceus said. "We'd make friends at the new school and then move again. The only questions our teachers in San Antonio and Houston would ask us were about Katrina."
After nearly three years in Houston, the family finally received assistance. Dorceus' father decided to move back to New Orleans and rebuild their home. Soon after, Dorceus followed to help his father.
"We're rebuilding the house, and there were no walls, just poles," said Dorceus, who was 14 years old at the time. "There was no electricity and only a little water. So, my dad and I stayed in the house as we're rebuilding it. Once we got a majority of the house rebuilt, my mom, brothers and sisters returned to our home in New Orleans."
Dorceus, though, did not stay in New Orleans long after the family reunited. Not encouraged by the school Dorceus was attending at the time, his mom, Dorette, sent him back to Houston to live with an older sister. Dorceus attended Spring High School, but without parents to prod him along, doing well in school was not a top priority.
"My freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was being a student with no parents telling him what to do," said Dorceus. "Then, Coach Dustin Wilson talked to me about my future and how to be a responsible adult. I started getting my act together my junior year. I really had no choice."
Dorceus also got his act together on the football field, piling up over 2,000 rushing yards and scoring 32 touchdowns in his final two seasons. Those numbers gave him plenty of choices to continue his education and playing career at the collegiate level.
"Coach (Darrell) Dickey recruited me to Memphis," said Dorceus. "After I visited here, I didn't look at another school, and I had several other schools talk to me. Once I visited, I knew I wanted to come to Memphis."
Tiger Nation is glad he chose Memphis. Dorceus has played a major role in the Tigers' rise to national prominence. Dorceus is one of 31 players in school history with 1,000 rushing yards and also has scored 12 rushing touchdowns. He's done all this despite missing the 2014 season's final nine games with an injury.
But, opposing defensive players' big hits or even injuries don't faze Dorceus at all. He's already been through the biggest storm of his life, and he's still smiling.
 "I know if I get to a breaking point in anything – schoolwork, football, whatever – I know I can get through it with a smile on my face," said Dorceus. "I got through Hurricane Katrina. I can get through anything.
"All you need is a smile on your face and know you are blessed just to be breathing."
Â
Remember what you did yesterday? Most will answer yes.
How about last week? Some may recall.
Last month? Not so much.
How about remembering what happened to you 11 years ago this week? Â Uh, no!
One University of Memphis Tigers football player remembers vividly what he was going through 11 years ago this week. And, he was just 11 years old at the time.
That player is redshirt junior running back Doroland Dorceus, and 11 years ago this week, he and his family survived one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the United States mainland: Hurricane Katrina.
"Eleven years later, I remember like it was yesterday," said Dorceus, who still calls New Orleans home. "I was scared."
And, for good reason. Hurricane Katrina, which hit southeast Louisiana as a Category 3 on Aug. 29, 2005, was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Over 1,200 people died in the storm and flooding, making it the deadliest hurricane since 1928. Estimated property damage, which included Dorceus' own home, from Katrina was estimated at $108 billion.
With the storm closing in on New Orleans, Dorceus and his family – dad, mom and seven brothers and sisters – first moved from their home to a local hotel. It was just the beginning of a long journey for the family.
"When Katrina hit, we were staying at a Holiday Inn downtown, and the windows started breaking because of the high winds," Dorceus said. "We got on the floor and crawled out of our hotel room to the lobby. When it stopped, we moved to the convention center."
That's when Dorceus' post-Katrina story begins. After leaving the hotel, the family moved to the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, which was located down the street from the Louisiana Superdome. Both sites were used as shelters.
"They didn't let us leave the city," said Dorceus. "I was there five, six days after Katrina hit. We were staying in the convention center, and there was some crazy stuff going on there."
Dorceus and his family stayed at the convention center for three days waiting for assistance. For many, the wait led to frustration and some giving up.
"People were getting frustrated," said Dorceus. "I saw some families holding hands and jumping off bridges like it was over. I thought my family and I weren't going to make it."
Dorceus and his family did make it. The next stop was a parking garage for two days. After their parking garage stay, an 18-wheeler transported hundreds to an airport outside New Orleans. His family then took a flight to San Antonio, where they stayed in a shelter for three months and an apartment for another month. While in San Antonio, they found family in Houston, a city where the family moved next.
All told, the family lived in three cities in a year, and for 11-year-old Dorceus, that meant attending different schools. He was in four middle schools over that year.
"It was crazy. We'd make friends at one school and then move," Dorceus said. "We'd make friends at the new school and then move again. The only questions our teachers in San Antonio and Houston would ask us were about Katrina."
After nearly three years in Houston, the family finally received assistance. Dorceus' father decided to move back to New Orleans and rebuild their home. Soon after, Dorceus followed to help his father.
"We're rebuilding the house, and there were no walls, just poles," said Dorceus, who was 14 years old at the time. "There was no electricity and only a little water. So, my dad and I stayed in the house as we're rebuilding it. Once we got a majority of the house rebuilt, my mom, brothers and sisters returned to our home in New Orleans."
Dorceus, though, did not stay in New Orleans long after the family reunited. Not encouraged by the school Dorceus was attending at the time, his mom, Dorette, sent him back to Houston to live with an older sister. Dorceus attended Spring High School, but without parents to prod him along, doing well in school was not a top priority.
"My freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was being a student with no parents telling him what to do," said Dorceus. "Then, Coach Dustin Wilson talked to me about my future and how to be a responsible adult. I started getting my act together my junior year. I really had no choice."
Dorceus also got his act together on the football field, piling up over 2,000 rushing yards and scoring 32 touchdowns in his final two seasons. Those numbers gave him plenty of choices to continue his education and playing career at the collegiate level.
"Coach (Darrell) Dickey recruited me to Memphis," said Dorceus. "After I visited here, I didn't look at another school, and I had several other schools talk to me. Once I visited, I knew I wanted to come to Memphis."
Tiger Nation is glad he chose Memphis. Dorceus has played a major role in the Tigers' rise to national prominence. Dorceus is one of 31 players in school history with 1,000 rushing yards and also has scored 12 rushing touchdowns. He's done all this despite missing the 2014 season's final nine games with an injury.
But, opposing defensive players' big hits or even injuries don't faze Dorceus at all. He's already been through the biggest storm of his life, and he's still smiling.
 "I know if I get to a breaking point in anything – schoolwork, football, whatever – I know I can get through it with a smile on my face," said Dorceus. "I got through Hurricane Katrina. I can get through anything.
"All you need is a smile on your face and know you are blessed just to be breathing."
Â
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