<p>For 20 years I have tried to explain to my mom and sisters what we go through every hurricane season and why. Why we keep so many extra supplies (batteries, crank operated flashlights and radios, huge blue tarps, old towels, cans of non perishable food items, etc.) and they just didn’t get it. We went through quite a few storms of varying strength and had to watch and wait for countless more. Now they are the ones in the “cone of concern”. I will need to explain the prep again but this time they are listening. </p>
<p>On a brighter note, we are here in Atlanta for Family weekend! It is so great seeing my
Son and his rm in their space. Yesterday, we arrived late afternoon and took the boys food shopping to restock the dorm room. The checkout boy asked if the were having a party! After putting the groceries away we took them out to an informal dinner. They were both so happy to eat something other than cafeteria food, which they are getting sick of already. Today, we will take them for brunch and then some sight seeing. We have dinner reservations a a top steakhouse tonight. </p>
<p>It was a bit bumpy taking off yesterday in tropical storm Sandy but once we got above the cloud it was smooth flying. Gorgeous weather for Atlanta predicted all weekend!</p>
<p>Hope you have a great weekend, seiclan! And happily your son probably won’t need to be concerned about hurricanes while he’s at Emory. Atlanta is far enough inland that we typically just get the tail end of a big storm, if it doesn’t bypass us completely.</p>
<p>honorigo, my D is now a senior in college (also have a S who is college class of 2016). It was an adjustment going from being at the top of her HS class, one of the smartest students, to a selective LAC where she was admitted off the waitlist. Her school has a grading policy where for 100 and 200 level classes with at least 15 students, the average grade couldn’t be higher than a B+. Her first college paper she received a B+ and was distraught (she hadn’t bothered to read the grading policy). I explained the policy to her. She had a major paradigm shift! Later in her first semester she called thrilled to receive a B+ on a particularly hard assignment. She was happy to be at the same level academically with the other students! She has sought out help by visiting office hours, math, writing, econ labs offered by departments, etc. It can be a humbling journey.</p>
<p>The email Barnard sent to students had sort of a you’re own your own in the storm message. That is they recommended buying nonperishable food and filling water bottles.</p>
<p>Honorigo- school takes some adjustment. Hopefully your son will adjust before the end of the semester. Sending hugs. </p>
<p>Reality check for DS. Last chem test had a downward curve. I guess the prof figures that if he curves up (he did the first test) that he should also curve down. DS studied and studied and got an 83. Bad enough he got an 83, but that translates to a C with the downward curve. Seriously? Who does that??? We told him to keep up the hard work, try his best and possibly, when all the tests are averaged together, he might be able to squeek by with a B? We also said to make sure he didn’t get this prof again! Other than Chem, he is doing very well and we are happy and so is he.</p>
<p>CPU, so glad everything has worked out for you. I hope you’ll meet some really nice people in the new dorm. It must be a relief for you to know you won’t have to deal with that situation anymore and can just focus on your own health and academics.</p>
<p>We’re battening the hatches here - after last year’s hurricane and then freak October snowstorm, I’ve got the routine down pretty good. I’ll have to bring some things up from the basement. We get water even when the power doesn’t go out - if it does, we might expect a small lake down there. Since parking is only on the street, and there are some big, old trees lining it, the cars will eventually get moved to a parking lot a few blocks away. Last year several massive branches and whole trees fell on cars, and we’ve got a big, old one off our front sidewalk. Hope everyone else in the NE and Mid-Atlantic will be able to stay safe with minimal damage.</p>
<p>DS texted me last night to say he’d just come from the infirmary. Hadn’t been feeling well for a few days, and felt really rotten in classes that day. Had a temp of 104.5! Yeah, that will make you feel pretty rotten! They gave him some Tylenol, a bottle of Gatorade and told him to go home, drink plenty of fluids and get some sleep. He had the flu shot when he was home last week, and I know it takes about two weeks to be fully protected, so I really hope he hasn’t managed to get the flu in the interim. I did tell him if his throat or ears start to hurt he should go back and have them check for bacterial infection. Oh - and I had to tell him he should NOT go to work today: he works in one of the 24hr. food places, and he MAKES the food. No one wants a germ-y sandwich!</p>
<p>S is at UMass Amherst. They emailed parents a copy of the email sent to students. Among other things it said “be assured that the university is taking steps to secure buildings, stockpile supplies of food and water, and ready its emergency communications systems.” They advised students living off campus to stock up and (good idea) to get cash from ATM now because they might not be working. Anyway, that was a little more reassuring than Barnard’s message, and NYC is more likely to get hammered than Amherst.</p>
<p>I hope D can get her mail on Monday. I’m shipping a box to arrive there Monday. It will contain oatmeal raisin cookies, a bag of caramel apple suckers and home made roasted pumpkin seeds. It was supposed to be a Halloween care package but I guess it is hurricane supplies now. At least oatmeal raisin cookies have some nutritional value, right? </p>
<p>notakid: did they cancel classes? or say anything about canceling classes? My D is a very late riser. Not expecting to hear from her until 1 pm or so… lol. But I sent a text asking her to call. She will NOT take this thing seriously. </p>
<p>I can’t remember if I sent a pitcher with her or not. I think I did, for making crystal light type beverages. She can fill that with water in advance. I think she usually has beverages on hand. I did make her take a flashlight and extra batteries and she thought I was silly for that. I keep thinking about those massive windows in her dorm room, facing Broadway.</p>
<p>2016BarnardMom, no cancellation of classes. They did say “Should a significant storm or hurricane strike the Barnard Campus, students may be directed to SHELTER IN PLACE. What this means is that students will be directed to remain in their Residence Halls, keeping windows closed and to follow the directions of Residential Life Staff.”</p>
<p>honorigo – Here is a true story that I told my D when she freaked out over her first math midterm:</p>
<p>~30 years ago I was a bright-eyed freshman in my first term at UCSD. It was Friday afternoon of the 4th week – the deadline for dropping classes. I had just had my first midterm, in math, and it hadn’t gone well. I barely made it out of the exam room before bursting into tears. The other students streaming out of the class all seemed so confident, and I just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. I went to my dorm room, cried for a couple of hours, and then pulled myself together to go see the TA. I told him that I thought I’d bombed the test and would he please look at my paper and see if I should drop the class. Then I burst into tears again, right there in his office, so embarrassing! He handed me a box of kleenex (all ready for wailing freshmen!), waited for me to stop crying, and then asked my name. He pulled out my paper, looked it over, and said “I think you should stick with this class and see how it goes.”</p>
<p>I ended up getting 40-something on that midterm. The class average was in the 30’s. He curved the average to a C, and I got a B. Later in the term, as I figured out how to study more efficiently, I brought that grade up to an A. I went on to become a math major, graduating with honors. That TA (actually a GSI) ended up staying on at UCSD an assistant prof, and I TA’d for him my senior year. </p>
<p>Tell your son to go to office hours, visit the student resource center, find smart study partners, and keep up with the HW. It’ll all work out. UCSD wouldn’t have admitted him if they hadn’t thought he could be successful. He just needs to find the resources (and there are lots available on campus) to help him find that success.</p>
<p>Also, send cookies. It’ll help cheer him up, and you’ll feel better for having done something to help. :)</p>
<p>I just spent 45 minutes on hold with American Airlines trying to cancel my tickets to Chicago for Sunday return to NYC on Monday. Because AA has not yet canceled anything the best they can do is send me a voucher for the full amount (usually they take $125 off the voucher for changing flights). No wonder they are in bad financial straits!</p>
<p>My 87 year old mother-in-law lives alone in LI so I very nicely offered to have her come to us starting Sunday to wait out the storm until she gets electricity back - I am hoping she’d rather be home! My husband will be staying at his main computer site as it is in the NYC flood zone so it would be just me and my in-law, can you say “stress?”</p>
<p>For those of you with kids in NYC - the Mayor is very good with dealing with these kinds of storms (he does have a house in Bermuda after all and he did blow that snowstorm a few years ago) and should he declare a state of emergency, classes will be canceled. NYC is a funny place, it is rare when storms truly impact daily life but it does happen. Losing electricity is not a good thing and your kids should stay inside. While this is not the 70’s and 80’s looting is still a real possibility and traffic without lights is very scary! Columbia and Barnard do not provide housing for their professors like NYU does so many will not be able to get to class especially if the subways are closed due to flooding. Remember, Manhattan is an island so flooding is a real possibility.</p>
<p>Most often these storms bring out the best in people and everyone has a lot of fun. If there is any food left in the stores and bodegas your kids should go and try to buy some, especially water. I’m sure there are no batteries or flashlights left but that is also a good thing to have. Not sure if any of the schools have generators anywhere except maybe their computer rooms. </p>
<p>NYC is very densely populated, they will be one of the first areas to get electricity back, until then, it’s a camping pajama party! And think of the stories they can tell at Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Ok. I find their letter interesting because their emergency plan on their web site says they have 3 days of food and water accumulated. I wonder if she still has zucchini bread in the freezer…lol.</p>
<p>She’s at the football game with the band now. She did text me. I told her I wanted her to call me when she’s back so we can discuss hurricane prep. I got an ‘OMG’ text back. </p>
<p>Her brother, who at one time aspired to be a storm chaser, is crazy envious that she is going to get to experience a hurricane.</p>
<p>Good to know My primary concerns would be power outages, tainted water supply, and subway flooding. And then high winds with those huge windows in the dorms. I could see a couple of those breaking from either debris hitting them or the high winds themselves. I will suggest she keeps the shade pulled down but I don’t know how much that would really help. Those rooms are small so you can’t really “stay away from windows”. </p>
<p>I’m going to suggest she get some cash because she uses her debit card for everything. ATMs may not work, even if there is power in her area because the networks can down. If subways flood, food service workers may not be able to get to campus to work. I’m going to suggest she pick up a few cans of spaghetti o’s or something like that, if there’s any left in the stores. Everything she keeps in her dorm has to be cooked. Although she has eaten raw ramen before. Kids around here think that’s a great snack. She could cook up some of her mac n cheese ahead of time, keep it in the fridge and eat it cold. She probably won’t do any of it since I got the expected “OMG” response.</p>
<p>Aaarrgh! I’m supposed to connect via Newark and then over the Atlantic on Monday night. Do you think I’ll be grounded? I guess I’ll stick a few extra changes of undies in my carry-on.</p>
<p>I sent my D an email with the following recommendations. </p>
<p>"1) Get some cash from the ATM today. Even if your area doesn’t lose power, the ATM networks could be interrupted for days or even a week.
2) Pick up a few cans of something like Spaghettios that you can just open and eat without heating, if you can. Dinty Moore Beef stew is pretty good too. You’d probably like that. You should try to pick up some water too. If you can’t get water, buy a pitcher (did I send a pitcher with you? I don’t remember) and fill up the pitchers from the tap in advance.
3) Cook up some mac and cheese ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. It’s not great cold, but if you’re hungry and there’s no food service, it could get you through.
4) Keep the shade down on your window. It could help contain the glass if the window breaks.
5) I don’t know if you still have some zucchini bread or not, hoping you still have a loaf.
6) Box I sent today should get there Monday, they said, but the storm may prevent mail delivery. We’ll have to see if you can get it or not. It was meant to be a Halloween care package, but there are oatmeal cookies, pumpkin seeds (home made… a little well done, so you might not like them), and caramel apple suckers. Those could be good hurricane supplies too ;)<br>
7) Keep your phone on the charger as long as you have power and make sure your external battery is charge. You may lose phone service anyway because of winds, power loss, etc.
8) You may also lose Internet. I hope you don’t lose all connectivity! If there is landline service or pay phones anywhere, you can call home collect. To do that, dial 0 on the phone and an operator will come on. Tell them you want to make a collect call. Call our landline. This is for emergencies only. It’s expensive :)</p>
<p>There’s a chance this will all be for naught, but why take a chance? Y’all will probably have some fun being hunkered down. You’ll definitely have a great story to tell Your brother is so envious!"</p>
<p>I realized she probably had no clue how to make a collect call so I included those instructions. I really hope this is an overblown response and this ends up being nothing but some rainy days, but I also hope she prepares for the worst case scenario.</p>
<p>I received an email from the Dean of Yale sent to parents and guardians of students with their preparation plans. The kids are on fall break right now and she said she sent students an email telling them if they are home in an impacted area to help their parents prepare. She also asked for our help in telling our kids to follow instructions from the school. They will brown bag the on-campus kids food in their residential buildings if it becomes unsafe to go outside – last year they had trees and power lines come down. They have an emergency website to keep us updated. DS is currently in NYC and needs to get back to campus which should be doable through tomorrow. DD who is also in NYC visiting appears to be stranded. She’s spending her vacation today on hold with the airline and with her friend stocking up on supplies. She is supposed to return Monday, but I think she’ll be lucky to get back by the end of the week. Really hoping that my son who is to fly to Ohio on Thursday for med school interviews will not be impacted.</p>
<p>BarnardMom - you’re a riot! But I believe your daughter will either laugh and never let you forget your “helpful hints” or be incredibly grateful for them. Only time will tell. Oh, and it’s unlikely there’ll be landline phones working but not cell phone lines, but it was a nice thought.</p>
<p>Please remember that it is Manhattan and nothing has ever shut us down for more than a day or two. She’ll be fine.</p>
DS studied and studied and got an 83. 
My primary concerns would be power outages, tainted water supply, and subway flooding. And then high winds with those huge windows in the dorms. I could see a couple of those breaking from either debris hitting them or the high winds themselves. I will suggest she keeps the shade pulled down but I don’t know how much that would really help. Those rooms are small so you can’t really “stay away from windows”. </p>