Most students found Floyd to be more hype than hurricane, but for some it meant much more than a day off from class. Those students who live in eastern North Carolina now know first-hand what this hurricane was capable of, having seen their communities devastated by flooding and water damage.
Fortunately, many students who reside in these towns said their own homes were spared.
Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs, said she has not been contacted by any students who felt they needed to leave school as a result of damage.
However, Floyd's impact is still evident in these students' stories.
"If water was an inch higher, we would have lost the first floor," said Trinity freshman Quionda Perkins of Greenville, who added that many of her friends did lose their homes to flooding.
The storm also knocked out phone lines to her house for two weeks, Perkins said. "I was unable to talk to anyone in my immediate family," she said, noting that she maintained limited communication through her aunt. When her aunt told her of the damage in the town, Perkins said, "I really didn't believe her.... It was a big shock."
Trinity junior Neeti Bathia, also a resident of Greenville, experienced more direct damage to her home. A tree fell through the attic of her house, and a branch shattered the skylight. She said her house is not near the river, where the worst damage occurred, so her family avoided severe flooding. During a recent visit home, Bathia found a much improved situation. "Things are basically back to normal," she said, "but there [is] still debris."
With several direct strikes in the past few years, eastern North Carolina is no stranger to hurricane warnings. For some hurricane veterans, the impending storm caused concern but no great fear. Pratt sophomore and Wilmington resident John Means said that although he is aware of the terrible destruction a hurricane can inflict, he was "rather apathetic" and saw Floyd as "just another hurricane."
Trinity freshman Andrea Hamilton, also a resident of Wilmington, said that when news of the hurricane broke, "My mom did want me to be worried." During the hurricane, she maintained contact with her family and was relieved to hear that her home had sustained no flooding.
Trinity freshman Svati Singla of Greenville said she did not know the extent of the damage until she called home.
Upon phoning, she learned that although her home sustained no damage, flooding completely destroyed the homes of some family friends. She also said that despite the receding flood levels, snakes and water damage still worry the town.
The students from the affected areas praised the massive relief efforts. Bathia noted that schools were used as shelters and there were "a lot of volunteers."
She also pointed out the massive mobilization of doctors and relief staff through "hospitals using helicopters."
Singla said she thought relief efforts were exceptional. "Everyone came to help out," she said.
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