By Kiely Huynh and Kristin Vitagliano
As Hurricane Irma traveled up the Florida peninsula, the Saint Leo community made up of students, faculty, security, and family took shelter to ride out the storm.
At 11:15 a.m. on September 10, Saint Leo residents were evacuated from their dorms and told to start making their way to either Lewis Hall, St. Edwards Hall, or the Marmion/Bowman Activities center depending on which resident building they live in.
Irma’s arrival has been fearfully anticipated, and preparations for the catastrophic storm began taking place on the University campus after classes were canceled this past Wednesday.
On Aug. 30, Hurricane Irma formed off Cape Verde near Africa’s coast. Over the course of the next few days, Irma became one of the Atlantic Ocean’s strongest storms in history reaching a category 5, the highest rating a hurricane can obtain. At her highest, wind speeds were 185 miles per hour, and she reached a diameter of about 400 miles wide, big enough to cover almost all of the state of Florida like a very wet blanket.
During this time, Irma began traveling west, barreling through the Caribbean, destroying homes and taking a few lives with her. The state of Florida began issuing mandatory curfews and evacuations as gas, plywood, and water became hot commodities as the state prepared for what was promised to be a catastrophic storm. In addition to all the preparations, Florida had a field day in creating memes to keep the humor in such a serious time.
Finally, on Sept. 10, around 8 a.m., Irma’s eye made landfall in the Florida Keys.
Throughout the Saint Leo campus, there was a chorus of student voices saying “this sucks” as they walked in the drizzling rain and wind to their assigned shelter. Claiming classrooms and hallways ensued as everyone threw down blankets and called a piece of floor their temporary abode.
Some students came more prepared than others, bringing along blow-up mattresses and pool floats, while others only a bed sheet. Some brought enough food and water for days, while others only the bare minimum, hoping and praying that they would get their freedom after the estimated 36 hours were up.
When asked how the students prepared for Hurricane Irma, one sophomore psychology major, Destiny Herbert said she has been planning for the past two days. She began “getting all the necessities packed, and then making trips to Walmart and moving stuff away from windows and the necessities.” Still, Herbert was excited for the experience, stating that, when she graduates, she’d never forget this exhilarating time.
Natalia Garcia, a sophomore Global Studies major, said she didn’t come prepared, but the University staff made her feel safe and comfortable.
“With Saint Leo’s help, I feel really good now,” she said.
One of the resident assistants, Jan Dahrendorff, a senior psychology major, said that the schools tried “preparing as best as possible, try to maintain a positive attitude towards everything, and keeping people positively engaged, just making the best of the situation” as Hurricane Irma made her way across Florida.
Students were nervous though in having to vacate their dorms and take shelter. Maro Young, a junior accounting major, opened up about her concerns.
“At first we were kind of freaking out and sleeping in the hallway. After a little while of processing it’s not too bad,” Young said.
However, preparing for the hurricane was only the first step to surviving the storm. For some, camping out in classrooms and hallways made for a memorable adventure. When first settling in, Michael Lee, a junior biology major, was optimistic.
“I wanted to create some sort of bond and put differences aside, just in case,” Lee explained. “Because with this hurricane, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
A sophomore duo, Mike Simmons, Criminal Justice, and Ethan Ticehurst, Biology, were even looking forward to “it being like a giant sleepover” and couldn’t wait to “cuddle with friends.”
During the storm, students had to use their time wisely. Many students made use of the available electricity, using any outlet they could find in the building to keep their devices at full power. Students also found plenty of ways to keep themselves entertained. The screens in the classrooms played movies and sports games, and many played games like Uno, Monopoly, soccer, and ping pong. Others just slept or talked with friends.
The students weren’t the only ones taking shelter. Professors, security, and even a couple of parents gathered to ride out of the rain and wind. One parent, Dr. Lakesha Isom, a Palm Beach minister and real estate developer, came to shelter with her only daughter. After a normally three-and-a-half-hour trip took five and a half hours, she credited her power of faith for getting her to the campus safely.
“Hurricane season occurs every year we haven’t been through this in at least ten years,” Dr. Isom said. “In any time of anxiety, the main thing we have to do is pray. What else can we do? It’s nature; we can’t call the law, we can’t arrest nature.”
During all of this, the core value of community was expressed as the students and staff of Saint Leo worked together prepared as much as they could for Irma’s wrath. In an email message sent to out to the student body after the storm had passed, Saint Leo President, Dr. William Lennox commended the student staffers who worked tirelessly to make their fellow students and guests feel safe.
“Our Residence Life staff cared for students as Irma’s eye barreled down on University Campus,” said Lennox. “Sheltering more than 600 students (and nearly 100 staff members to ensure their safety) was a massive undertaking and was done flawlessly by our Security & Safety, Facilities Management, Student Affairs, and Dining Services teams.”
Lennox went on to say that several people were taking notice of his decision to stay on campus as well and were offering their sincere thanks.
“That was nice, but the real heroes are those mentioned above who found a way to shelter, feed, and keep our students safe throughout this challenging time. Many of them brought their families here so they could continue working regardless of whatever personal damage may have occurred at their own homes.”
After safely taking shelter and getting comfortable in their strange but safe new surroundings, the only thing left for the Saint Leo community to do was wait out the storm and pray for the best.
