By Avery Prince / September 1, 2023
Intense storms and winds surrounded the Triangle on August 15th, leaving fallen trees, broken power lines, and power outages across the area. Duke Energy reported over 56,000 power outages, most of which occurred in Durham County. Winds were up to 70 miles per hour, causing trees to fall and creating dangerous driving conditions that lead to multiple crashes and roadway incidents.Across NCSSM’s Durham campus there were several signs of the damage from the storm, fallen trees and broken power lines were amongst the various damage left in the wake of such an intense storm.
Before the chaos of this storm, students and faculty gathered in the PEC for NCSSM’s 44th convocation. For the first time in NCSSM history, convocation was centered on NCSSM’s second campus in Morganton, being broadcast over Zoom and projected in Durham. Just as the keynote speaker was about to speak, the power went out and the lights in the PEC shut. A wave of panic ran through the PEC, and faculty calmed students down, encouraging them to remain quiet and stay seated. To pass time, students shined their phone flashlights and sang together, making the most of a difficult situation. Eventually faculty helped students exit the PEC and return to their dorms, where the backup power lit the halls and the heat was intense.
NCSSM was faced with over 25 hours with no power. Emergency generators fired up and certain parts of campus had emergency power, covering only necessities.
Classes were canceled, and students found ways to pass the time and cool off across campus. Bryan Lobby was popular with many students, as it allowed students to charge their various devices and cool off with fans. Many students appreciated this time as an opportunity to bond, and distracted themselves from the unpleasant conditions by spending time bonding with friends by playing card games, socializing, and cooling off together. Late in the afternoon, power returned and the usual rhythm of NCSSM resumed, but the storm had left its mark.
While it was not an ideal start to the year for many students, NCSSM students were able to accept this great challenge and make the most of the storm and power outage.
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