A Kingsian Response to Sandy

Hurricane Sandy was an unprecedented disaster for New York. The devastation in the City and the surrounding region is stunning. Even so, the King’s community responded in a remarkable fashion.

As I reflect on the aftermath of Sandy, these things stand out:

• Darkness: Half of our students were without power and water. Not for a day, but the better part of a week. Many of them had to walk down 20+ floors just to access running water—and then back up. Corinne Dubois, who lives on the 25th floor of the Vogue, did this four times one day! Our men in Ludlow had to walk 45 minutes to one of our other residence buildings to take showers and charge their cell phones. There was ample room for murmuring, or blaming others. But rarely did students complain.

• Hospitality: The students with power and water were remarkable hosts to those without. Not only did students allow others to recharge computers and take showers in their apartments, they warmly welcomed their waterless brethren, baked cookies for them, fed them, and generally made the situation more bearable. One day, three students in one apartment in the Herald Towers hosted 30 others who needed to charge phones, etc. Many of our professors, especially those in New Jersey and Long Island, were without power (some still are). Those with power reached out to the King’s community. Several hosted students in their homes. Others cooked meals and donated food. Dawn Fotopulos cooked up pots of chicken and rice stew for the women in the Vogue. Brian and Krista Brenberg made meals for students in the Herald Towers—and even gave up their bed to a student with a broken leg. Anne Hendershott arranged for a bus to transport the women

•Service: Students seized the opportunity to make a difference. Ten responded to a call to help senior citizens stranded in high rises; they bought food and water at Costco and hand-delivered it to elderly individuals in need of nourishment and encouragement. Others passed out supplies at Nazareth House in the East Village. Others went to Queens to tear out water-damaged drywall at the food distribution warehouse for Here’s Life Inner City. Several students volunteered to work with the Parks and Rec

•Sacrifice: Many sacrificed for our community. The Emergency Operations Team worked day and night to manage a difficult situation. Housing Directors—notably Nick Swedick and Shelli Cline—rode out the week in buildings without power and went to great lengths to ensure students were safe. As Sandy approached NYC, Eric Bennett (VP for Student Development) caught one of the last trains into the City from his home in New Jersey so he could coordinate emergency response on the ground. If you know of other notable stories from the past week, I’d love to hear them. Pleasesend them my way. Winston Churchill used to say, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” The King’s community did just that in Sandy’s aftermath. And I, for one, am proud.