terrifying

We made it!

Take a moment to appreciate our safety up in Morningside Heights as word comes in of more damage around New York and New Jersey.  That said, all of the media coverage is showing horrible conditions in the city, so Bwog wants to reiterate a point from KevSho’s most recent hurricane update: tell your family you are alright! We’re still mostly stranded on the island, but drinking water is fine. The subways are being assessed today and may be up in 4-5 days, with the 2 and 3 flooded. Public schools are again closed tomorrow, but no word yet on Columbia’s classes. Sadly, Halloween is canceled–but Christie’s doing work and it will be rescheduled.

Update: A list has been made of what’s open on the Upper West Side.  Add your Columbia-centric findings in the comments!  (Note: Don’t get your hopes up about Starbucks)

From Shollenberger:

Dear students,

Hurricane Sandy passed through New York City last night with limited damage to the Morningside Heights neighborhood and our campus. As many of you have already seen on the news and online, floods and significant power outages are impacting much of lower Manhattan and other areas of New York due to damaging winds and high tides in coastal areas. Our thoughts are with those affected by the hurricane.

Although the worst is over, given the damage throughout the city, for your safety we strongly encourage you to stay around campus today. Understandably, there are many concerned parents and family members out there who have been watching the news unfold. I encourage you to take a few minutes today to contact your family to let them know you are ok.

Please note the following campus service announcements:

  • Columbia Health Medical Services and Counseling and Psychological Services will have limited walk-in hours for urgent care from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in John Jay Hall on Tuesday, October 30. The Columbia University Emergency Medical Service , CU-EMS, will remain in service to manage any emergencies.
  • Lerner Hall will operate according to normal business hours on Tuesday, October 30, open at 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Note offices within the building may be operating with limited services. Be sure to check department sites for updates. The 4th floor Package Center will be closed Tuesday.
  • All offices within Columbia Student Affairs will be closed on Tuesday, October 30. Only essential staff will be on call, which includes Residential Programs staff.
  • John Jay Dining Hall will be open on Tuesday, October 30, from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. All meal plan and non-meal plan students (pay cash or credit card) are accepted. Please check the Columbia Dining website for additional updates.
  • University Libraries on the Morningside campus are closed on Tuesday, October 30. During this time, Butler Library will remain open to current Columbia faculty, students, and staff as study space only.
  • The Dodge Fitness Center was closed as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday and will remain closed all day Tuesday, except for limited Athletics department activities.

We will continue to provide frequent updates as appropriate and necessary. Please also continue to check the Columbia homepage and Preparedness website for updates: http://preparedness.columbia.edu/alerts/sandy6

Sincerely,

Dean Shollenberger

Storm clouds via Shutterstock