Discussing speeds peaking at 160 miles per hour, one would only hope the topic of conversation was the recent U.S. Open. Unfortunately, though, it is with thrashing winds of this caliber that Florida and its surrounding region has been hit -- first by Hurricane Charley, then Hurricane Frances and now Category 5 storm Ivan.
The newest storm is making its way to the Florida Panhandle, leaving behind a mounting death toll of 67.
Many Penn students hailing from the Sunshine State endured the first two storms in late August and early September. But luckily their move-in was unaffected, since the dates for New Student Orientation fell during the lull between Frances and Ivan.
However, Engineering junior and Orlando resident Abby Zimmerman made a now-regrettable decision to delay her move-in due to expectations of a more severe storm. Zimmerman stayed in Florida with her parents until Frances had passed, but the Orlando International Airport remained closed until the Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend, causing her to miss her first class.
"It was really difficult to get back into school," Zimmerman said of her late arrival, adding that the rush into classes "was really stressful."
Zimmerman noted that, in the days preceding the storm, residents as far north as Jacksonville, Fla., were stocking their homes with batteries, flashlights and food, and boarding up their windows. By the time she arrived to the store, "everything was already off the shelves."
Nonetheless, she said that she felt safe at home with her family. "We were stuck in the house, and I was so bored and my parents felt so bad for me, so we cracked open this bottle of fancy wine and drank it in the dark with no air conditioning."
Other Penn students were fortunate enough to maintain their original flight plans and move in on time. But there remains the added stress of having to worry about family members and friends who are still in the path of Ivan.
College freshman and Bradenton, Fla., native Chris Zanzarella said that his family was not seriously affected by the past two storms, but that he remains worried for his relatives.
"It's a little bit scary," he said. "I talk to them every other day, so they reassure me that they're still alive."
"We were supposed to be a direct hit for Charley, but it turned, so we just got a lot of the rain and we didn't get all of the wind and destruction," Zanzarella said. He added that he moved in early, so he "got out of there before all of the nonsense" of Frances.
Rob Yu, a Wharton and Engineering senior and Ware College House resident adviser, agreed, saying, "It was just complete pandemonium."
The damage is so widespread from the storms that everyone seems to know of a personal horror story. Zanzarella noted that on his flight to school, he was seated next to a resident of a nearby town whose home was completely demolished.
Yu said that although his Orlando home received restored electricity within 24 hours, a close friend of his was not so lucky. Yu said that his friend lost power for multiple days and was forced to sleep in the office building where he works.
Yu added that the freshmen on his hall who came from Florida were lucky, because "they just made it."
Charley caused 27 deaths and over $7 billion in insurance losses, while Frances caused two deaths and inflicted $2 to $4 billion in insurance losses. Ivan is expected to hit the Alabama-Florida border by Wednesday evening.
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