Despite reassurances that the worst of Hurricane Isabel would miss New York City, the University made last-minute preparations for storm conditions yesterday.
The storm, which was expected to pass through New York early this morning, ravaged the mid-Atlantic coast yesterday, knocking out power to two million homes in Virginia and Maryland and dumping up to 14 inches of rain along with winds of more than 105 mph in parts of North Carolina.
By last night, Isabel had been downgraded to a tropical storm, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and 40 mph winds to Manhattan this morning. In preparation for the potential storm, Columbia released a series of reminders and precautions to the entire University community via phone and e-mail. The news release on the Columbia homepage alerted students and staff that the University would be open today, but that its main information line would carry frequent updates throughout the day.
The advised precautions included closing all windows and shutting down electronic devices, as well as keeping emergency phone numbers in a secure location and advising family members of Columbia informational resources.
"Although the University is fully prepared to deal with severe weather, such as Hurricane Isabel, following [these] suggestions will help you prepare for such an event should the need arise," the news alert said.
Many of the students who received the University announcement said they thought that Columbia and local media outlets had made too much of the potential storm.
"I think it's kind of a joke," said Andrew Sinanoglou, SEAS '07, while standing in Alfred Lerner Hall waiting for Ferris Reel's presentation of City of God last night. "It's not going to come this far north."
But several students expressed a mixture of apprehension and excitement about the wind and rain expected to hit New York.
"It's been a little gusty," said Molly Abrams, BC '04. "I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings. But I'm not worried." Abrams, who hails from Baltimore, said that most people in her town had lost power, but that her parents had been unaffected.
Yesterday afternoon, area merchants packed up their wares from outside tables to get out of the blustery winds.
"[The wind] moves my cart, so I will go home," said Ahmad Karil as he closed up his sidewalk cafe at 5:30 p.m., about an hour before he usually retires for the evening. "Today I did not make very much money--it is hard to work in the cart because it moves in the wind and cups of coffee spill. I hope it is better tomorrow."