Hurricane Sandy struck all along the East Coast of the United States at the end of October 2012. Many of us know people personally affected by the storm, but it is also important to note the damage that our brother and sister Jesuit schools experienced from the storm.
The largest Atlantic Hurricane to date, Sandy devastated a significant portion of our country on the Northeastern coastline, and left cities with incredible amounts of destruction. After a week of storming and chaos, Hurricane Sandy left Americans with over 20 billion dollars worth of damage and a hopeless feeling of despair. However, after the storm, we can only pray for the victims, and hope for recovery and rebuilding in the next few weeks. Student Council member Will Wood ’13 commented on Hurricane Sandy. “My heart goes out to those who have suffered from this natural disaster that has unfortunately come at a time when we are supposed to give thanks. I hope that all Jesuit students as well as all Americans feel that they should be generous and give to relief funds like the American red cross as well as be thankful for their safety in a time when not all people are living as comfortably as we are.”
Listed below are some fellow Jesuit high schools that were affected by the hurricane.
Fordham Preparatory School is a Jesuit school located in the Bronx, New York. Despite the hurricane, Fordham did not suffer tremendous damage, and only had to delay classes.
St. Peter’s Preparatory School, located outside of Manhattan in New York, faced a large amount of flooding due to the storm. Restoration of the building is in progress.
Xavier High School, located in Middletown, CT, experienced the worst destruction out of all of the schools listed. In addition to power outages, many students and their families lost everything they owned.
Fairfield Preparatory School is a Jesuit school located in Fairfield, CT. Fairfield suffered power outages, and will be closed for the following week because of transportation issues, despite a lack of extensive damage.
Other Jesuit high schools in more southern cities like Baltimore and Washington D.C. were hit with rain and wind but not as much physical damage.
Cameron Kerl ’13 remarked on this misfortune, saying, “the Northeast has suffered through not one but two natural disasters. First it was Hurricane Sandy. Then it was a Northeaster. The two occurrences have left thousands with damaged property and goods. As such, my thoughts go out to those in the Northeast, specifically our distant Jesuit brothers… I pray that God aids our Jesuit schools in rebuilding.”
Aside from just Jesuit schools, many high schools in general were affected by the storm. Please keep those affected by the storm in your thoughts and prayers as many start the long process of rebuilding their lives.
A news release from the President of Jesuit Secondary Education Association, James Stoeger, S.J., was used in writing this article.
