Students braced for Hurricane Florence
By Nicholas Bainbridge// News Editor
Last weekend Hurricane Florence swept over the North Carolina area. Rated as a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, meaning it was not quite as severe as the devastating category 4 Hurricane Harvey, it still posed a threat with wind speeds over ninety mph.
The projected consequences of the hurricane were primarily moderate collateral damage to buildings as well as the uprooting of trees, which pose another threat as they may collapse on top of nearby buildings.
Furthermore, a lot of concern has been raised about the sheer magnitude of water that will be brought by the storm. According to the National Weather Service, the hurricane was projected to bring approximately 15 inches of water in some regions and cause mass flooding throughout several areas. The High Point area, in particular, was expected to have significantly lower levels of flooding.
Some students and staff left the area by driving and flying. They reasoned that it was best to return to their homes to completely avoid the storm, or at least whether the winds with their families.
Some people’s transportation has been inhibited by the storm, as Flightaware.com, a website that tracks flight data, reported thousands of canceled flights as the hurricane approached. Others have decided to stay on campus of their own volition throughout the course of the hurricane.
The general attitude of students remaining on campus seemed unconcerned by the coming storm.
“I’m not worried at all,” remarked Christopher Johnson, a student who decided to stay on campus. “I’ll be having fun with my friends.”
Johnson’s optimistic view of the event was shared by several of his peers, many of which were relieved to find that this cloud had a silver lining.
“I’m just glad I’m getting a four day weekend,” commented Billiam Hoppenot.
The lack of concern may be due to the precautionary measure that High Point University has taken to ensure the safety of those staying on campus.
To keep students and staff from going outside during the volatile weather, classes were canceled for several days. Furthermore, over 18,000 gallons of water was secured prior to the hurricane’s arrival to ensure access to safe drinking water. The Campus enhancement team ensured power generators were in working order before the storm hit.
HPU came out relatively unscathed from the storm, with the main consequence being a heavy rain for long periods. According to The Weather Channel’s radar maps throughout the storm, the High Point area was only exposed to the northern edge of the storm and was exposed to much less severe weather than other regions.
HPU resumed with its normal class schedule the Monday after the storm passed over the country while excusing students for being absent if they had decided to leave campus in order to be with their families
Many other areas, such as Berkeley County, Vriginia faced heavy flooding due to Hurricane Florence. Photos Submitted