Mariella Roque/ Staff Writer
Tropical Storm Isaac grazed South Florida last Sunday and residents bunkered down to wait it out. The University was not an exception.
According to Susan Vernon, a senior in computer science who spent the weekend in her University Park Towers dorm on the Modesto Maidique Campus, “everything was pretty normal,” despite being “on lockdown.”
“I could leave the building as I pleased, although I was heavily advised not to,” Vernon explained.
Vernon shared that, although she did not see emergency personnel, she never felt that she was in danger.
“The power never went out,” Vernon said. “Overall, the weekend was relaxing. I met many of my neighbors and drank a lot of hot chocolate.”
Janiel Vargas, a graduate student in higher education administration, weathered the storm in Bay Vista Housing on the Biscayne Bay Campus.
“At no point throughout the… duration of the storm did [I] ever feel unsafe riding it out in my dorm,” Vargas said. “[The University] kept us constantly abreast as to the status of the storm.”
Being a tropical storm at the time, Isaac’s winds did not exceed 65 miles per hour as it skirted Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“The main thing about Isaac was the heavy rain,” said Hugh Willoughby, a research professor at the department of earth sciences. “[The University] was concerned about people being on the road.”
Willoughby attributed the cancellation of operations on both campuses to the rain, which were closed from Saturday evening to early Monday.
“[The University] was a bit conservative, but it’s a lot of people to be responsible for,” Willoughby said. “This storm had the potential to be much worse than it was.”
Willoughby also mentioned the University having suffered “only superficial damage,” such as scattered debris, and speculated that, due to the rain, “things may start leaking that no one thought could leak.”
The main aftereffects of the storm on Miami were power outages and almost 3.5 inches of rain running from Key West to Orlando, according to the Miami Herald.
“The University has had a lot more experience since 2004 and 2005,” Willoughby said. He explained that the buildings at the University were designed to be “disaster-resistant” and “hurricane-resistant.”
“People’s decision-making has become more realistic,” Willoughby said. “Miami as a city responded well.”
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