By Calie Faulkner & Drew Alberse
Students had to cope with being snowed in when winter weather came to Raleigh and William Peace University, which canceled classes on a Friday and ran on a 4-hour delay the following Monday.
Some made the most of the days away from classes Jan. 22 and Jan. 25: sledding, throwing snowballs and just enjoying the long weekend. Others may have thrown a “snow party” where friends gathered to be snowed in together and have a good time.
Students like WPU Junior Matt Proctor spent the majority of his snow days with friends.
“Being snowed in with people can be a lot of fun,” says Proctor. “You can sit around and play card games, go outside and do things together and also can have movie nights.”
However, plenty of issues also arose. Some students suffered from cabin fever, power loss, the lack of a garage, icy roads and sidewalks, frozen pipes, and several other problems.
It’s important to be prepared ahead of time when snow and ice hits. Be sure to have access to tools like a shovel, an ice scraper for the car and other means to remove snow and ice. Having a flashlight in case of a power outage and food supplies ahead of time are helpful for any weather situation.
Zach Geller, a senior at WPU, knows the importance of preparing for inclement weather.
“Understanding how to handle a situations, such as an outage, can help keep any person safe,” said Geller. “It’s always good to keep non-perishable foods and a back up generator on hand because there are always unforeseen problems that can arise and delay the outages even longer.”
As a reminder, be sure to sign up for Pacer Alerts and use the weather and safety line (919-508-2390) to be aware of future school closings and delays. It might be a long time until the next snowfall, but it’s best to be ready when it does happen.