NEW YORK, November 11th, 2012—Last week, The King's College remained closed as Hurricane Sandy caused damage in New York's Financial District. Classes for the entire week were canceled, the entire subway system shut down, and like hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, students were without power, some without water. No King's facilities were damaged.
In the midst of the difficulty, students pulled through spectacularly to persevere with and encourage each other. Many staff and students spent the off days volunteering at various New York City charities. Eric Bennett, Vice president of student life, said that the students handled the storm and ensuing chaos with "pluck and verve."
In The Vogue, 72 young ladies spent three days without power or water. In spite of this, the students kept busy watching movies, studying, reading, and spending time with others two blocks away at the Herald Towers. Professor Dawn Fotopulos visited and cooked dinner for every student staying at The Vogue.
Over 100 students in the Herald Towers were lucky enough to endure Sandy with their power and water unaffected. They extended this blessing to those around them, opening their rooms for students to shower, recharge phones and computers, and hang out in lit rooms. One such room hosted 30 phone-charging-people in their room! Michelle Lambdin, Housing Director, had this to say after the storm, "Since we have power and water, we’re doing great. We’re exploring the city, watching movies and so on. Actually, we're pretty relaxed."
You can also view photos of student life during the storm by clicking here.
Students didn't just stay cooped up all week. Many headed out to serve with the NYC Parks and Recreation department, cleaning up and aiding in the restoration of the city. Another small group of students volunteered to clean the flood damaged, Here's Life Inner-City CRU Warehouse (photos above).
The Board of Trustees sent this message to students following the re-opening of the College:
Greetings on behalf of the King's board of trustees. As we re-enter the fall semester, we want to commend you on the remarkable maturity and steadiness you exhibited in the most recent week. Your attitude, readiness to pray and commitment to our school has been extraordinary, especially given the difficulties of the storm and its aftermath.
I have so appreciated President Mills’ communications with you, with faculty, staff and your parents. He has encouraged you to make the most of this unusual season, and to press forward once things return to greater normalcy--which thankfully is now beginning to happen.
Finally, I want to pass on to you the numerous expressions I've heard from our board members, of just how amazed and grateful we are for each of you in the King's student body. Personally, I find you to be the most remarkable group of college students I've ever met--and that includes visits to several colleges in the U.S. and some abroad.
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