by Emma Galasso and Dineen O’Rourke
It was the worst storm our town has seen in over 70 years. Powerlines and trees fallen down, treacherous high tides and flooding, and days without power, internet, and cable. Houses and businesses were swept away with the tides and our beautiful Dune Road was completely refaced if not destroyed. Not to mention the horrible gas crisis, where a two hour wait for a gallon of gas became the norm.
Nicknamed “Frankenstorm” due to its closeness to Halloween and its monster threat, Hurricane Sandy is the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, stretching nearly 1000 miles wide.
On October 29th, the storm surge leveled parts of the Jersey Shore, Long Beach, Fire Island, and created new breaches on Dune Road. Sandy left millions without power and is the second costliest Hurricane our nation has seen, right behind Katrina in 2005.
“In all my 23 years in education this is the first time Westhampton Beach has been closed for four consecutive days due to weather,” said Superintendent Mike Radday, who made the decision along with the State Department of Education to close the district, mainly from the loss of power and the dangerous road conditions.
Now the question that’s on all of your minds: Will we have to make these days up? Since our area was in an official State of Emergency we may not have to. “The State Education Department has authority to forgive instructional days that are missed due to extreme weather conditions,” said Mr. Radday.
If the state decides not to forgive the lost days, some of our spring break will be extracted. But don’t stress over your booked vacation to the Bahamas- this is not the final decision, it is still up in the air and currently being decided. We will find out officially the state of our spring break sometime after the new year, so stay tuned.
Our coastal beach community was rocked with Superstorm Sandy. During times like these it is vital for us to come together to help our neighbors and peers in any way we can. Various clubs are organizing food and clothing drives, so try to get involved. Show your true Hurricane spirit!
