Hilary causes ‘isolated flooding’ on-campus, sunny day follows
Some students said they felt “underwhelmed” by the tropical storm’s strength.
By CHRISTINA CHKARBOUL & EVA HARTMAN
Despite initial panic that a hurricane was on track to make landfall in Southern California, Hilary spared University Park Campus for the most part, save for a few ankle-deep puddles and flooded walkways.
Hilary, now a post-tropical cyclone, became the first tropical storm to hit SoCal in 84 years when it slammed down Sunday morning, resulting in moderate damage across Los Angeles County.
Rivers swelled and threatened overflow, trees and branches crushed cars, and roads flooded, though the storm impacted some areas more than others: Mud-filled streets blocked access to more than 800 residents’ homes in the San Bernardino Mountains and strong winds brought down trees in the San Fernando Valley, but main roads around UPC saw only slight flooding, and winds in the area did not exceed 10 miles per hour Sunday.
Though activities were minimally impacted, some professors moved classes online. The USC women’s soccer game against Georgia originally scheduled for Sunday was canceled. (Emma Silverstein / Daily Trojan)
Classes on Monday, the first day of Fall 2023, continued without official University cancelation, though professors moved their classes online Sunday evening amid uncertainty about the level of flooding the campus would see overnight. Hilary minimally impacted activities, though the USC women’s soccer game against Georgia originally scheduled for Sunday was canceled; ticket-holders will receive refunds and free tickets to the upcoming game against Oregon State Oct. 8.
In a communitywide email Sunday evening, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Guzman and Senior Vice President for Administration David Wright wrote that UPC and the Health Sciences Campus in Boyle Heights only saw “isolated flooding” that did not impact campus functions.
Guzman and Wright wrote that Facilities Planning and Management, the Department of Public Safety, Fire Safety & Emergency Planning, and USC Housing monitored weather conditions on campus overnight, but issued no further instructions as Monday saw lots of sun, mild wind and only a slight drizzle in the morning.
Jade Bacon, a junior majoring in jazz studies, was unfazed by the tropical storm. She took advantage of the clear streets to spend the day with friends, she said. (Emma Silverstein / Daily Trojan)
Despite a post on the USC page on Sidechat — an app where students make anonymous, often comedic posts — that read “PETITION FOR CLASS TO BE CANCELLED [sic] FOR HURRICANE HILLARY [sic]” receiving more than 1,200 upvotes, some felt that the rain wasn’t worth the hype.
Sophia Loreto, a senior majoring in communication, said she dealt with her fair share of hurricanes growing up in New York, and Hilary was a lot tamer than the storms she’s seen.
“I had people texting me all day from New York about the hurricane and how crazy it was supposed to be, but I could barely even hear the rain,” Loreto said.
Marguerite Scotti, a senior majoring in communications, spent the day making tie-dye shirts with her friends. (Tomoki Chien / Daily Trojan)
Also unfazed by the tropical storm’s strength was Jade Bacon, a junior majoring in jazz studies, who said her home state of Georgia often gets hit by hurricanes coming from Florida. Bacon and a friend took advantage of the relatively carless streets to go shopping and get some pizza.
“We thought it was pretty funny that people were freaking out because like, yeah, it could have been bad, but it wasn’t that crazy,” Bacon said. “It was honestly a vibe for us. We appreciated the clearness of L.A.”
Marguerite Scotti, a senior majoring in communication, said she was likewise unaffected by the rain the storm brought. She made a day of the inclement weather, though, and made crafts at home.
“I was a little nervous,” Scotti said, “But I was so underwhelmed, I ended up making tie-dye shirts with my friend and stayed inside all day.”
