Hair whipping winds, sideways rainfall, and dark clouded skies were the only things seen on campus those two days at Towson. Hurricane Sandy took over, closing campus down and shutting students in. Those brave souls, myself included, that chose to trek across campus were faced with a fierce battle with Mother Nature.
My roommate thought I was insane, walking from Residence Tower to Tower A in the middle of the storm on Monday afternoon, but I saw it as an adventure. The rain was light, nothing like what meteorologists were predicting and what was seen on the news. Because of the strong forceful winds, it felt wetter than it typically would have been otherwise.
I dressed fairly appropriate to the weather outside. I had on yoga pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a raincoat with my converses. I made the mistake of leaving my rain boots at home, so I was forced to wear shoes that were easily and quickly drenched as I trudged through puddles. The rain fell sideways, only soaking half my body, leaving me in the uncomfortable in between.
My first trip through the storm was interesting. I didn’t see a soul on campus my entire walk. The fear instilled in students kept them shut in for the most part. I walked over around noon when the storm wasn’t near Maryland yet. I was able to walk to Tower A without any problems.
On my venture back to Residence Tower, the storm was heavy and approaching. The wind was stronger and pushed me around and the rainfall increased. There were a lot more people outside this time searching for food since the dining halls were only open at specified times. Several people were using umbrellas that ended up turning inside out because of the gusty winds.
You might think I’m a little crazy for walking across campus in the storm, but it was an experience I can say I had. It wasn’t completely crazy because the hurricane didn’t affect Maryland and the Towson area as much as other places on the East Coast, but it was something gutsy I completed. Hurricane Sandy set out a challenge for me, daring me to embrace the storm. Now days after the storm, I can say that I walked across campus during a hurricane.