The 180 to 200 Puerto Rican students at Iowa State will be praying today as Hurricane Luis tears through their home island.

Melissa Landrau Vega, adviser for Active Scholars of Puerto Rico, has 30 relatives back home on the island commonwealth. She said all Puerto Rican students and friends will be meeting at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 221 Lincoln Way, at 8 p.m. today to pray for their families.

“We are all concerned,” she said. “We realize the devastation that will come.”

The threat of a hurricane is not new to Puerto Rico. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit the east side of the island, but Landrau Vega said Hugo was a level two hurricane, while Luis, a level four, will cover the entire island and cause more damage.

Winds up to 140 mph are expected from the hurricane, which should take about 36 hours to pass over the island. Students lost communication with their families last night.

Landrau Vega said several residents of the island will be staying in their homes, made of concrete, while others will seek shelter in local schools and churches.

“We feel we should be there, but our families are glad we are here,” she said. “We feel like we should be going through the same things they are going through.”

Some of the hardships the island will have to face, Landrau Vega said, include a depleted ecological system, downed power lines and a stricken tourism industry.

“When your parents have all those expenses to worry about, it will be hard,” she said. “We are very concerned right now about the new students who have just come to Iowa State. Some of them will have to go back after the storm to help out.”

Today, Landrau Vega said, classes will not be on the minds of ISU’s Puerto Rican students.

“Even though we’re safe here, we’d like to be home,” she said. “But, we will be praying.”