2008 Woodie Awards
Wind hinders students' return
Robert Dora
Issue date: 1/14/08 Section: Opinion
Last week, the winds lashed out against the North Country. Trees were ripped from the earth. Branches careened through the air as if they were screeching pterodactyls. Power lines dangled dangerously, peppering the ground with bright sparks. Animals fled into the deepest recesses of the forests (or Amish farmland). The citizens were forced to cower in their darkened homes, panicking each time the wind rattled their windows. They prayed for a glimpse of Law and Order or, at the very least, a quick, painless death.
This was the scene that students observed upon their return to campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, students were not the only ones affected. Members of the construction crew operating between the ERC and the Science Center were forced to take refuge in the ERC and begin construction on a large wooden fort to fend off the powerful gusts. A swift and powerful response was able to subdue the wind and repair the damages. Men and women working for the University, and crews from various companies, took to the streets. They quickly picked up branches and mended down power lines.
Many people were viciously attacked by this wind upon their return to campus. I was no exception. My fear of the wind began to build as I grew closer to Potsdam. My car rattled as the mighty blasts shook it. I was forced to swerve around trees and cars that had veered off the road. Eventually, I began to notice that the leaves had formed an unholy alliance with the wind. Several leaves hovered in front of my car. Their numbers quickly grew. The leaves began to spin in a clockwise motion. They formed into a funnel shape before lunging towards my innocent vehicle. The Subaru began to convulse and let out a groan of what I thought was defeat. The sound was of victory, however.
I survived and have returned to campus safely. Wind has always plagued Potsdam, and while we have managed to subdue it for the time being, I fear that it will not disappear. We cannot kill the wind, nor can we move it. This leaves the community with only three options. The community could evacuate, but we are not cowards. We could build a giant wall around us to prevent the wind from entering, but we have already used up all of our supplies when building the ERC's new wooden stronghold. That leaves only our last option. We must capture the wind and use it as we see fit! Windmills must be placed throughout the town of Potsdam. The wind is our enemy, but we can turn its power into ours!
This was the scene that students observed upon their return to campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, students were not the only ones affected. Members of the construction crew operating between the ERC and the Science Center were forced to take refuge in the ERC and begin construction on a large wooden fort to fend off the powerful gusts. A swift and powerful response was able to subdue the wind and repair the damages. Men and women working for the University, and crews from various companies, took to the streets. They quickly picked up branches and mended down power lines.
Many people were viciously attacked by this wind upon their return to campus. I was no exception. My fear of the wind began to build as I grew closer to Potsdam. My car rattled as the mighty blasts shook it. I was forced to swerve around trees and cars that had veered off the road. Eventually, I began to notice that the leaves had formed an unholy alliance with the wind. Several leaves hovered in front of my car. Their numbers quickly grew. The leaves began to spin in a clockwise motion. They formed into a funnel shape before lunging towards my innocent vehicle. The Subaru began to convulse and let out a groan of what I thought was defeat. The sound was of victory, however.
I survived and have returned to campus safely. Wind has always plagued Potsdam, and while we have managed to subdue it for the time being, I fear that it will not disappear. We cannot kill the wind, nor can we move it. This leaves the community with only three options. The community could evacuate, but we are not cowards. We could build a giant wall around us to prevent the wind from entering, but we have already used up all of our supplies when building the ERC's new wooden stronghold. That leaves only our last option. We must capture the wind and use it as we see fit! Windmills must be placed throughout the town of Potsdam. The wind is our enemy, but we can turn its power into ours!
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