Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: The Big Jerk


 As a student of Frostburg State University, I was affected by Hurricane Sandy just as much as the next student. On October 29th, 2012, winds of a high speed accompanied by rain came down on Western Maryland and wiped out half the power sources in Frostburg. Did we expect this to happen? Yes. Were we any less upset (or excited) when it happened? No. One student, Victoria Foster, says, “It disrupted my ability to go about my everyday life. And for what? Nothing even happened.”
As a junior who lives in Edgewood Commons, it was difficult for her and others to get from one place to another. “As a student with ADHD, being contained in a small area (like Edgewood) made me very uncomfortable and I had a ridiculous case of cabin fever,” Foster says. “The worst thing about it was, while everyone else was drinking it up in celebration of no classes, I was alone in sobriety. Being underage definitely sucks when it comes to natural disasters.”
Cabin fever is definitely something everyone can relate to, especially in Frostburg. There doesn't even need to be a hurricane to keep us inside; the normal weather itself keeps us indoors as it is!It was a little bit funny to see everyone go a little stir crazy those three days; what else is there to do but watch?
Kai White, a theater major in her senior year, says, “It was kind of annoying because we were in tech week for a show and missed a day of rehearsals that would have been beneficial to our performances last weekend.” Not only did this unfortunate weather cause trouble for people without extra things to do, but also affected people with serious opportunities. “I also lost power at my house so it was hard to read over my lines or rehearse my music without a power source.”
However, on some ends, people enjoy the weather because of the business it brings their establishments. One person in particular, actually. Sebastian Goldstein, owner of Absalom's Emporium on Main Street, says that “a lot of people came in on Monday, to my surprise. Yeah, sure, they came in to buy stuff and then leave instead of staying here and hanging out, but hey, business is business.” I guess some people didn't mind trudging out in the snow and rain to get what they wanted.
According to www.times-news.com, during the hurricane, I-68 speeds went down from 65 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour due to the storm. Was this due to people being overly cautious or were they just in slowing down? Better safe than sorry, people always say.

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