WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |UW-L Students Move Out of Fire Damaged Dorm

La Crosse, WI (WXOW)-- For Megan and Noelle, both Freshmen at UW-L, Drake Hall was their first home away from home.

"I feel like nobody really understands what it's like to lose your home," said Megan Padley. "Like everyone is like, ‘Oh it's just a room, you're getting reassigned.' It's like no, this is where we lived."

Since the fire in the basement of their building, the two women have been staying with friends.

Now they will live in different dorms, with new roommates.

"Me and my roommate picked each other so, it's like not being able to live with her, and living with a brand new stranger, it's like just starting over again," Padley said. "And this is our home. This is there we've lived for the last year or half a year. So, it's hard to leave it."

Megan and Noelle agree, what has made this week a little easier, is that the University has been there every step of the way.

"They've been incredible. I don't think they could have done anything better. Especially because they didn't have a plan," said Noelle Griffiths. "They just stepped up. I had three emails on Sunday, I've had multiple each day. They're always like this is what's gonna happen, and they always apologize when it doesn't work out how they can."

And it wasn't just students at Drake moving boxes, the university put out a call for volunteers who are making boxes and helping kids move out of Drake.

"It's inspiring to see them turn out, but I'm not surprised," said Chancellor Joe Gow.

And even though Megan and Noelle will have new dorms, they don't want to lose touch with their friends in Drake.

"It's a combination of trying to start over but then like my best friends were in this dorm," Padley said. "So it's hard to leave that and then restart and make new friends. So it'll be making new friends, but making sure we keep with our Drake people."