Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast this weekend as a category 1 storm, making landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina Saturday morning. So far, it’s left at least 18 people dead and close to 2 million without power, according to the Associated Press.
Irene first made waves earlier this week, when the category 3 storm threatened to bring howling winds, torrential rain and 7-foot high waves to the Atlantic Coast, prompting state-wide evacuations,
According to reports by The New York Daily News, Hurricane Irene inflicted up to $10 billion in damage, knocked out power to 900,000 people, canceled more than 9,000 weekend flights, and forced 2.3 million people to evacuate.
Now, colleges up and down the coast have delayed move-in schedules and cancelled their first days of classes in anticipation of north-bound Hurricane Irene.
At Harvard University, freshman moving day was expanded on Thursday to upperclassmen who usually move into residence halls on Saturday.
“There’s so much planning that goes into it that to change it even by a day would be a heavy lift,’’ said Harvard spokesman Michael Kirk.
Harvard was just one among some of the New England and East Coast area colleges including Columbia University, Plymouth State, Rutgers University, University of New Haven and University of Vermont, that opted to adjust their move-in days for college students behind or ahead of schedule due to the encroaching Hurricane Irene.
At the University of New Hampshire, returning students were urged to move back into dorm halls a day ahead of schedule.
Travis Harsin, a senior volunteering with move-in crew at Devine Hall in the Upper Quad of the UNH campus, said that the schedule change made for an unexpected, heavier load for them.
“Usually we move in the freshmen one day and have the next day off before we move in the upperclassmen,” Harsin said. “Because of the schedule change, we are moving in UNH students on back-to-back days. It’s a bit hard on us and we’ll most likely be spending all day Sunday sleeping through Irene, but we’ll get through it.”
At Brandeis, junior Rachel Nelson was at the head of 120 student orientation volunteers. They were helping freshmen unpack a day ahead of schedule.
“Last year it rained, and we did it anyway,’’ she said. “This year, it’s a hurricane. The show goes on.’’
A number of colleges have gone so far as to stockpile food and establish contingency plans, like Harvard.
You can track Hurricane Irene here and check out these safety tips on what you should do when the power goes out. Stay safe, East Coast collegiettes™!