As Hurricane Florence approached North and South Carolina, it was starting to look as if we would receive some of the effects as well. Fredericksburg called a state of emergency early in the week of September 10th, closing down Mary Washington University until Monday, September 17. Florence was predicted to come towards Virginia, but as it came closer, it looked as if it would go more towards Georgia. Many people on the coast experienced mandatory evacuations, to get away from the very dangerous hurricane.
Fredericksburg was not likely to be greatly affected by Florence but some students were still hoping for a day off of school. Blaize Smoot, senior, said, “I really thought we would have off of school because they are shutting down the fire departments and also other counties around us have already closed school for Friday.”
We were worried about not attending school, but the threat of destruction was real in both North and South Carolina. Eva McDonnell, senior, said, “It’s really scary because it seems like there hasn’t been a storm like this in a long time. I hope my family in North Carolina stay safe and nothing too bad happens.”
The Red Cross club at Riverbend is also began collecting supplies for storm relief. Megan Wenger, member of the club, said, “ They [the Red Cross club] are going to the American Red Cross chapter downtown and from there they will be distributed to victims and other in need due to the hurricane.” Residents in the Fredericksburg area hoped for mild weather and safety for others as the storm approached.