Florida State University vs. Hurricane Hermine

By Sarah Warren on September 6, 2016

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Round #1 – The Calm Before the Storm

September 1st began like any other Thursday in Florida: hot and humid. The only unusual thing was a damp wind, but even that wasn’t unexpected. It was, after all, peak hurricane season. Already, we’d seen warnings about Tropical Storm Gaston and, like true Floridians, either disregarded them or planned hurricane parties. Hurricane Hermine would be a piece of cake.

By ten o’clock, however, Leon County announced that it was going to shut down its schools at noon in preparation for the storm. This came as a shock, since the weather seemed so nice, but no one complained. Swarms of students left for home, excited to have an extra-long Labor Day weekend. I stuck around, resolved to work ahead in my classes and weather the storm.

Round #2 – A Gullywasher

I was still feeling cocky when the first crack of thunder sounded late that afternoon. So we get some rain, I thought, big deal. By the time I went to bed, it was raining steadily and I could hear the wind. Still, I shrugged it off as just a bad storm and made plans to meet a friend at FSU’s famous Sweet Shop the next morning.

True to form, Friday dawned bright and cheerful. In fact, it was so bright that I didn’t try to turn on a light for a few hours. If I had, I would have realized that the power was out. According to other students, the power outage at Florida State began around 1:30a.m. Running water and emergency lighting in the halls and stairwells were provided by emergency generators.

Stepping out of my residence hall, I encountered what might have passed for a winter wonderland if it hadn’t been so humid. Every possible surface was covered in fallen greenery, from the statues to the steps. A mother squirrel scampered past with her baby in her mouth, chittering nervously.

According to FSU Alerts, the damage was minimal and power was expected to be restored by noon on Saturday. In the meantime, students were advised to stay in the residents halls and stay cautious of damage.

Round #3 – The Waiting Game

The reports became bleaker. What was supposed to be a minor electrical setback had turned into a two day power outage resulting in the cancellation of classes until 9/7/16. More students left for home or to stay with friends off campus who had power. Who could blame them? Everything but the dining halls and dorms remained closed as Saturday progressed and the power remained off. University officials now hoped to have power restored to the residence halls by Sunday at noon at the earliest.

Despite this, the dining halls remained open, offering students whatever they had that could be packed in ice or cooked with a Bunsen burner. We ate sandwiches for breakfast and sat with people we didn’t know, our Floridian bluster long gone.

Then, around three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, the lights flickered on. Students stormed the laundry facilities, behind on wash, and outlets, desperate to text worried parents. We snapped back to normal like an athlete after an injury, cautiously at first, but smiling like kids.

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Winner: FSU

No match would be complete without a winner and FSU came out on top of Hermine by a landslide. Despite damage to campus and a city-wide power outage, FSU officials worked to keep students and their families informed. The Donald L Tucker Civic Center opened its doors on Friday night so students could get a hot meal and charge their devices. FSU Dining worked tirelessly to keep all of us fed and comfortable, in spite of minimal electricity from emergency generators. No one was turned away and nothing was rationed.

Even as of Tuesday (9/6/16), some buildings on campus are without power. The ingenuity and kindness I witnessed and continue to witness on this campus makes me proud to be a student here. In the face of unexpected misfortune, the FSU community coalesced to take care of each other and keep each other safe. And because of that, I am proud to be a Nole.

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