I think I’m becoming a true Floridian.

Over the past weekend, Hurricane Nicole hit the Daytona Beach area, making a very interesting four-day weekend. We originally had three days off, since Friday was Veteran’s Day, but on Tuesday the university announced that classes would be canceled on Thursday as well. As the storm loomed closer, they also canceled all classes on Wednesday after 12 PM.

I had an exam at 9 AM on Wednesday morning, which we did take, and then headed back to my apartment to participate in Boeing’s EAHI matching discussions. It had already rained in the morning, so we were seeing the outer bands of the storm. A lot of professors chose to teach online or have an online option, which was nice since I have recorded lectures to watch and reference if I need to.

This storm was calmer than the last, but the eye of the storm did not pass over the Daytona area. From what I heard, the winds were not as strong and there was not as much rainfall. I did some homework on Wednesday evening, making sure to keep an eye on the hurricane supplies I had. I had plenty of nonperishables and water when I prepared for Hurricane Ian, so I wasn’t too worried.

I ended up staying over with a friend and we baked a cake on Wednesday night, leaving it to cool before frosting it on Thursday morning. It was not a normal breakfast, but it was a delicious one nonetheless.

After eating cake for breakfast (totally healthy, I know) I ended up doing a little more homework before we drove around Daytona. The winds weren’t as strong and the ground was clearly visible, so I felt safe driving around. From what I saw, the only area that had been severely flooded was by the bridge to Daytona Beach Shores.

This was definitely different than Ian- with Ian, there were plenty of flooded areas since there was more rainfall. During Ian, the ICI parking lot was flooded; during Nicole, the pavement on the parking lot was clearly visible and the fountain had not overflowed.

We did drive by the airport and noted that the visiting Aer Lingus aircraft was still there. It’s an Airbus A330, and it landed on Tuesday night. Originally going from Orlando to Manchester, England, the pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Daytona because of smoke in the cabin. The passengers and crew deplaned and the aircraft was left on the ramp.

By Thursday night, everything had calmed down. I ended up going to Buc-ees with a friend. After that, we picked up a third friend and walked around Target, which was surprisingly open. After going to Target I ended up going back to my apartment and hanging out.

I took Friday and Saturday off since I felt like I deserved a vacation. The storm had passed and my apartment didn’t have any damage, most of the damage hit the coast and beachfront properties. That’s the one thing that I like about Embry-Riddle; it’s a few miles inland so when weaker hurricanes hit, damage is less likely to happen.

I got to play with my roommate’s kitten this weekend, and she (the kitten) is definitely growing. The apartment complex I’m in allows pets for a fee, and I’m glad I get to live with a cat. Her name is Chandelle and she’s the cutest little thing! I want to get a cat of my own someday, but maybe now isn’t the time. I’m super busy and still a student, so it’d be harder to afford one.

This week is the last full week before Thanksgiving break, and then I’m headed back to Kentucky to see my parents. After that, December will come quickly, and then it’s finals week. There’s a lot to look forward to, and I’m very excited about the holiday season. So I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

I’m lucky to be okay.

Hurricane preparation started on Friday when I first learned of Ian’s existence, then as a tropical storm. I didn’t think too much of it until the storm kept gathering strength and it was clearly going to hit parts of Florida. I started checking the National Hurricane Center’s tracker, which is updated every three hours to keep an eye on the storm (the graphic archive can be found here).

On Monday, the university sent out a few emails stating that there were no hurricane plans in place (such as canceling classes or closing down campus). The latest Monday email did state that the Emergency Operations Team would meet at 10:30 AM on Tuesday to discuss and make decisions. The next email came around noon on Tuesday, stating that classes on Wednesday through Friday would be canceled, and the university itself would close at 5 PM on Wednesday.

I only had one class on Tuesday, which was from 11:15 AM to 12:30 PM. During that class, the hurricane closure notice hit, and I watched the class split between freaking out and being excited that class was canceled. I’m from Kentucky, so I’ve never lived through a hurricane- I’ve only received the ending thunderstorms of hurricanes, and by then, they’re not bad.

After class, I started my official hurricane preparations. While the Daytona Beach area remained in the cone of uncertainty, we were usually on the edge of the cone so I didn’t do a lot of preparing beforehand. I first had to figure out if I wanted to evacuate or shelter in place. I talked to a few people- one meteorology major, a pilot with a meteorology minor, and a pilot who interned with the National Weather Service. All three predicted that it wouldn’t hit our area detrimentally and that it would be okay to stay if I prepared.

I didn’t really want to leave since my dorm room is set up nicely and I could easily stay in there. Once I had made the decision to stay, I immediately went to the local Walmart to try and buy hurricane supplies- water, nonperishable food that did not need refrigeration, and anything else I thought I might need. I also tried looking for flashlights, but the store was out of a lot of outdoorsy stuff.

The first rain associated with the very outer bands was only an hour long, and it hit while I was inside Walmart. The eye of the hurricane had just passed over Cuba, but one small detached section of the rain extended to the Daytona area. I ended up running to my car and throwing everything in the back during the rain.

Tuesday night was kind of chaotic. All of my meetings for the week were canceled, and the ERAU shuttle service was stopping at 5 PM instead of 8 PM. By then I was safely back in my dorm, continuing my hurricane preparations. I charged all of my devices and began working on homework that I had due during the week in case the power went out and I couldn’t do it otherwise.

I heard from a few friends that they evacuated the Diamond DA-42s (the multi-engine aircraft) to Dothan, AL while most of the Cessnas (single-engine) were stored in a local hangar. Unfortunately, even with them packed like sardines, there was not enough space to put all of them in the hangar, so a few remained chained down to the ramp.

I ended up staying up until the 11 PM update from the National Hurricane Center, just to see what was happening with the hurricane. It had not hit the Tampa area yet, but they had already begun seeing rain.

Wednesday came, and when I woke up, there was a strong downpour. I definitely didn’t dare venture outside, but I still had power and running water. My professors with assignments due on weeknights had all moved the due dates to next week when school was back in session, which I was thankful for. Around 11:30 AM, I did get the hurricane warning emergency alert from my phone.

I didn’t do a whole lot on Wednesday and didn’t venture outside. It was a pretty boring day, but I did keep my devices charging in case we lost power. I did keep my phone charging and emergency alerts on- hurricanes can produce tornadoes, and I wanted to make sure I was safe. Obviously, hurricanes can flood the area, but I wasn’t as worried since I live on the third floor of my building.

At around 6 AM on Thursday, my phone awoke me with a flash flood warning alert until 10 AM. I ended up going back to sleep and let the storm rage on outside. The center of the then-tropical storm didn’t pass over Daytona Beach directly, but it went over the Cape Canaveral area around 8 AM on Thursday.

Thursday was… interesting. Ian was still raging, but only at the force of a tropical storm. Volusia County was under a curfew and people weren’t supposed to leave their houses for any reason. Thursday was another slow day- I did end up doing some homework since the power was still on, but that was really it.

Friday was more laid back. I got to see the sun for the first time in a few days, and everything for me was semi-regular. I never lost power or water throughout the storm, but I know several people in the Daytona area did. I checked up on my friends, and then it was kind of back to normal for me- do homework due in the week, study for upcoming quizzes and tests, and wait for Monday.

All of my professors have been very understanding during the hurricane. Some of them lost power themselves, so they understand the struggles that we face (especially off-campus students). The professors with assignments and tests in the week have all been postponed until the second half of the week (Wednesday and on) with room for negotiation if students are severely affected. The university also sent out an email that stated students will not be penalized for traveling due to the hurricane since flights into Daytona are still sparse.

Daytona Beach is still cleaning up the hurricane’s damage, and it probably will be for a few weeks or so. I know people who lost a lot in the hurricane, and ERAU is setting up an emergency fund for those affected. I’m looking towards the future- what’s damaged is damaged, and I plan on helping those affected as much as I can. I hope that the ERAU community will be doing well by the time Open House rolls around, which is in about a month. Maybe I’ll see you there- and if not, I’ll see you in the next post!