Hurricane Irene

Making its way up the east coast, Hurricane Irene was sure to destroy all in its path. With winds up to one hundred and twenty miles per hour the category three tropical storm became the first major hurricane this season. Not only that but the first hurricane to make landfall in the state New Jersey since 1903.

With evacuations of New York City, Connecticut, New Jersey and North Carolina, Alfred welcomed its students earlier than expected.

“It was nothing more than being proactive rather than reactive,” said Brenda Porter, director of Residence Life, on the decision to open the halls earlier for affected students.

As a result, the traditional $50 fee for arriving early on campus was waived and provided students the opportunity to avoid the storm by heading to Alfred a day or two before hall opening day.

Though a bit of an inconvenience for Residence Life staffers, Porter believed the early opening was worth it. “If our students are in harms way, are we going to say no? Of course not!” Porter said.

However, some students were delayed due to the closing of the subways, airlines and bridges. Those few students agree that the hurricane wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. New York City suffered little compared to North Carolina and New Jersey, which had severe flooding.

There were a total of fifty-five deaths and both the Caribbean and the United States suffered millions of dollars in damage. Although Irene was a threat to the arrival of the students of Alfred, the first semester has started off well for all the students reconnecting with friends and beginning their new classes.