*Editors Note: This video was shot before Hermine strengthened into a hurricane.
The sky is filled with a haze of indistinguishable clouds while students stroll back to their dorms after a short day of classes. It’s the type of day that ends with destruction in movies like Twister, but the Ospreys Spinnaker spoke with are just enjoying time out of class.
Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened to category one hurricane status around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1 and is expected to hit Jacksonville after midnight on Friday. As Florida Governor Rick Scott said during a recent press conference, the state hasn’t experienced a hurricane in years.
In native Floridian style, students such as Sophomore Sociology Major Chaila Allen look forward to staying indoors instead of in the classroom.
When Spinnaker asked Allen how she’s preparing for the Tropical Storm, she said, “Having a hurricane party — no, I’m just kidding. We’re pretty much just gonna hunker down here tonight and just hang out, rough out the storm, maybe sleep a little better with the weather.”
Danielle Gonzalez, a senior graphic design major, said she isn’t scared about the effects the storm could have on campus, and she recognizes that fellow Floridians share the same outlook.
“It’s funny because I feel like people in Florida are never really are taking storms as they should be,” Gonzalez said. “I think I’m just another one of them. It’s just like, ‘Oh, it’s just a hurricane.’ But we’ll see, I guess, what happens with it.”
Gonzalez may not be taking storms as seriously as she believes she should be, but she is still preparing her dorm. She is placing electronics in plastic bags to avoid rain damage and making sure she has nonperishable food items in case the power goes out on campus.
The Office of Housing and Residence Life emailed Ospreys a list of precautions similar to Gonzalez’s own list on Thursday morning. Other measures include closing windows, keeping a flashlight nearby and ensuring residents have enough cash for food in the event that ATM’s and vending machines stop working.
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