Local Reaction to the Notre Dame Fire

By Krista Oliver and Karsyn King
Journalism Students

A fire erupted in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France on Monday and like so many others, students at Ole Miss were in shock.

The tragic fire spread on social media sites quickly, making people aware within minutes of what was happening.

Junior Tiffany Leandro said social media made her aware of the fire and said her social sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were instantly flooded with pictures.

“I probably wouldn’t have even seen or heard about it if it weren’t for social media,” Leandro said. “It was all I saw. It was just picture after picture after picture. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is actually happening.’”

People from all around the world began to post pictures from when they had visited the cathedral. Sophomore Camille Shall, a practicing Catholic, has visited the site and was in disbelief.

“It’s just really upsetting to hear about it because there is so much history,” Shall said. “I love Paris. It’s like another home to me. I’ve been there so much. And, my family goes there all the time.”

Religion professor Mary Thurlkill has a background of studying the history of religious sites such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and was moved by this catastrophe.

“It’s an architectural wonder,” Thurlkill said. “The sacred items within are something that becomes very sacred to believers. I think a lot of times we think of those grand cathedrals as more like tourist spots, but we forget that there are actually people in the area who worship there every day.”

So far, more than $700 million dollars has been raised in just two days for the reconstruction of the cathedral. Many organizations are fundraising currently for future repairs. The estimated cost of the entire project is between $1 and $2 billion dollars.

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